Love and Basketball is a beloved classic film from 2000, directed and written by Gina Prince-Bythewood. It stars Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps as two childhood friends, Monica and Quincy, who grow up playing basketball and fall in love. The film follows their journey as they pursue their dream of playing professional basketball while juggling the complexities of their relationship. It was a critical success, earning a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award.
Despite its long-standing popularity and critical accolades, Love and Basketball was recently removed from HBO Max. This has caused much confusion and frustration among fans of the movie, who are wondering why it was taken off the streaming platform. In this article, we’ll explore the reasons why Love and Basketball was removed from HBO Max and the potential for it to return in the future.
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Why Was Love and Basketball Taken Off HBO Max?
The removal of Love and Basketball from HBO Max can be attributed to a complicated set of licensing issues. The film was originally released in 2000 by New Line Cinema, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. However, in 2018, Warner Bros. sold the rights to the movie to Netflix. As a result, Love and Basketball became a Netflix exclusive and was no longer available for streaming on HBO Max.
When Netflix’s exclusive period expired in 2020, it was expected that Love and Basketball would return to HBO Max, but this did not happen. This was because of a dispute between Warner Bros. and Netflix over the terms of the licensing agreement. As a result, Love and Basketball remains unavailable on HBO Max, despite the expiration of Netflix’s exclusive period.
Will Love and Basketball Return to HBO Max?
At the moment, it is unclear when or if Love and Basketball will return to HBO Max. The dispute between Warner Bros. and Netflix over the licensing agreement for the movie is ongoing and it is not known when it will be resolved. If the dispute is resolved in Warner Bros.’ favor, then Love and Basketball will likely return to HBO Max.
However, if the dispute is not resolved in Warner Bros.’ favor, then Love and Basketball may remain unavailable on HBO Max indefinitely. This would be a great loss for fans of the movie, as Love and Basketball is not available to stream on any other platform in the US.
What Are the Alternatives to Watching Love and Basketball?
For those who are unable to watch Love and Basketball on HBO Max, there are still a few options available. The movie is available to rent or purchase on digital platforms such as iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon Video. It is also available for purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray.
Conclusion
Love and Basketball is a beloved classic movie that has been unavailable to stream on HBO Max since 2018. The removal of the movie from HBO Max can be attributed to an ongoing dispute between Warner Bros. and Netflix over the licensing agreement for the movie. It is unclear when or if the dispute will be resolved and Love and Basketball will return to HBO Max. However, fans of the movie can still rent or purchase the movie on digital platforms or purchase the DVD or Blu-Ray.