Who can pass up a Studio Ghibli film? Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement to make The Boy and the Heron, which won the award for best animated feature at the 2024 Oscars. The starry English voice cast includes Christian Bale, Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson and Florence Pugh.

A new A24 title, The Legend of Ochi, is alsoset to land on the platform. That will be available from August 15. It follows a shy girl who is raised to fear the ochi species, meeting a young ochi that was left behind, and forming an unlikely bond with them.

Stuck with what to watch on HBO Max in August 2025? Start with these five new movies and shows with over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.