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3 underrated HBO Max movies you should watch this weekend (June 27-29)

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Weekend Watchlist: HBO Max Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi pose for a wedding photo by a cake.
Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi in Priscilla A24 / A24
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This story is part of Weekend Watchlist, a series that showcases hidden gems and underrated films tucked away in your favorite streaming libraries.

Chicken jockey! A Minecraft Movie, the biggest domestic movie of 2025, is now available to stream on HBO Max. Jason Momoa and Jack Black lead this story about misfits looking for a way home from Overworld. If you have kids, expect them to watch this movie over and over again.

A Minecraft Movie might wind up being HBO Max’s most popular movie this summer. Beyond Minecraft, HBO Max offers a diverse array of movies across various genres, many of which are vastly underrated. Check out all of our picks below.

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We also have guides to the best new movies to stream, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.

Kong: Skull Island (2017)

Most of the Kong and Godzilla movies are brainless entertainment (compliment). These movies are CGI smackdowns featuring a giant ape and a ruthless reptile wreaking havoc on the world. The science doesn’t matter, nor does the plot. 

Kong: Skull Island is the exception. Jordan Charles Vogt-Roberts crafted a smart monster movie that perfectly balances the line between serious and ridiculous. Set in the 1970s, former Vietnam soldiers, scientists, and a photojournalist (Brie Larson) embark on an expedition to the mysterious Skull Island, searching for Hollow Earth. What they find is Kong, who will destroy anything in his path if it means protecting his home. 

Stream Kong: Skull Island on HBO Max.

Priscilla (2023)

There are numerous movies about Elvis Presley, including Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis. Sofia Coppola went the opposite way and centered Elvis’ wife as the protagonist in Priscilla. With her military father stationed in West Germany, 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) meets the 24-year-old Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi) at a party. Despite their age difference, the two fall in love and eventually marry years later. 

As Elvis’ popularity increases, so too do his vices, including a crippling drug addiction. Priscilla is left to deal with Elvis behind closed doors, and the two grow further apart. Told by a master of female protagonists, Coppola depicts a haunting love story with grace and compassion about a key figure in American pop culture. 

Stream Priscilla on HBO Max.

Surviving Ohio State (2025)

Surviving Ohio State was made for the survivors. Ohio State University boasts one of the most elite athletic departments in college sports. However, a dark cloud hung over the program for way too long. From 1978 to 1998, Dr. Richard Strauss, a physician employed by the university, sexually abused at least 177 male students during that timeframe.

Many of these student athletes were violated during routine appointments. The harrowing documentary will agitate viewers as they question why the university allowed a monster to prey upon these kids. More than anything, this documentary gives a voice to these brave men who came forward to tell their chilling stories. 

Stream Surviving Ohio State on HBO Max.

Dan Girolamo
Former Entertainment Writer
Dan is a passionate and multitalented content creator with experience in pop culture, entertainment, and sports. Throughout…
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