The HBO Max December 2025 list of new arrivals is a bit tame compared to previous months. But that doesn’t mean that subscribers won’t have anything to look forward to. Just in time for Christmas, the global phenomenon Ne Zha II is making its HBO Max streaming premiere on December 24! The animated epic, based on the titular deity prince from Chinese mythology, took the world by storm earlier this year. With a box office gross of $2.2 billion, the Chinese blockbuster set a mighty new record as the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. It also currently stands as both the highest-grossing movie of 2025 and the fifth highest-grossing film of all time, period.
Notably, Ne Zha II is now under Titanic (1997) on the highest-grossing films list, bumping down Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015), Avengers: Infinity War (2017), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), Inside Out 2 (2024), and Jurassic World (2015) to slots 6-10, in that order. Only James Cameron‘s upcoming, highly anticipated sequel, Avatar: Fire and Ash, is expected to possibly reach Ne Zha II‘s global success in the near future. The English dub of Ne Zha 2 was released by indie distributor A24 in late August, with Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh leading the new English voice cast as Ne Zha’s mother, Lady Yin. This version will be available to stream on HBO Max.
Luckily for HBO Max subscribers, the first Ne Zha (2019) is getting added to the streamer at the top of December 2025. This gives Western audiences a chance to familiarize themselves with the fantastical world of Ne Zha before its sequel arrives later in the month. Switching gears, there is another unlikely double feature that will be perfect for the holiday season on HBO Max. Director Rob Reiner‘s cult mockumentary comedy This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and his years-in-the-making legacy sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (2025), are both arriving on December 12. Starring comedic legends Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest, the zany antics of their fictional heavy metal band never get old.
More December 2025 streaming recommendations for the HBO Max streaming service include Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh, the first stand-up comedy special from SNL‘s Sarah Sherman. On December 12, viewers will get acquainted with the Saturday Night Live cast member’s unholy alter ego, “Sarah Squirm,” in a vulgar showcase that evokes the vibrant colors and whimsical nature of Pee-wee’s Playhouse. Additionally, The Family McMullen (2025) is coming to HBO Max on December 5 via Warner Bros. A legacy sequel to 1995’s indie hit The Brothers McMullen — with Edward Burns, Connie Britton, and Michael McGlone reprising their roles — this heartwarming comedy is the ideal streaming choice for those looking for a cozy evening this holiday season.
Finally, the HBO original “Music Box” documentary, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, is making its HBO Max streaming debut on December 4, after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival at the beginning of 2025. A poignant and tender look into the life of Jeff Buckley, the late singer-songwriter whose only album, “Grace,” shook the music industry before his untimely death in 1997, this HBO doc is not to be missed. Discover more on our monthly recs below, then check out the list of every film and TV show coming to the HBO Max streaming platform in December 2025. You can also find what’s new this month on Netflix and Disney+/Hulu right here on DiscussingFilm!
Our HBO Max December 2025 Streaming Recs
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley debuts on HBO Max on December 4, 2025!
The Family McMullen
The Family McMullen hits HBO Max on December 5, 2025!
Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh
Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh premieres on HBO Max on December 12, 2025!
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues comes to HBO Max on December 12, 2025!
Ne Zha II
Ne Zha II finally arrives on HBO Max on December 24, 2025!
HBO Max December 2025: Full List of New Arrivals
Coming December 1
90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After: Pillow Talk, Season 9 (TLC)
Adult Swim Yule Log (Adult Swim)
Adult Swim Yule Log 2: Branchin’ Out (Adult Swim)
Atomic Blonde
Battle of the Sexes
Bright Leaf
Christmas with the Kranks
Dames
DeLorean
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
Girls Trip
Gunsmoke in Tucson
Hidden Figures
I’ll See You in My Dreams (1952)
Illegal
Jim Thorpe: All-American
Jimmy the Gent
Key Largo
Kid Galahad
Larceny Inc.
Law of the Badlands
Little Caesar
Liz and the Blue Bird
Lu Over the Wall
Mad Men, Seasons 1-7
Mandalay
Millennium Actress
Mind Game
Miss Congeniality
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous
Mission to Moscow
My Dream is Yours
Ne Zha
Night and Day
Paul Anka: His Way (HBO Original)
Perfect Blue
Pierrot le fou
Racket Busters
Riffraff
Romance on the High Seas
Santa Fe Trail
Shin Godzilla (GKIDS)
Shining Victory
Shoeshine
Sing and Like It
Song of My City
Summer Wars
Table 19
Taking Woodstock
The Color Purple (1985)
The Colors Within
The Damned Don’t Cry
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time
The Goonies
The Matrimonial Bed
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
The Sea Wolf (1941)
The Seventh Victim
The Shop Around the Corner
They Won’t Believe Me
Tiny Furniture
Trouble Along the Way
Walk Softly, Stranger
Walk the Dark Street
Wedding Crashers
Wilson
Wolf Children
X-Men: First Class
Coming December 2
Capital One MLB Open
Chopped: Volume 4, Season 63 (Food Network)
Hard Knocks: In Season with the NFC East (HBO Original)
New Orleans: Soul of a City (CNN Original Series)
“The Hidden Homeless,” The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN Original)
Coming December 3
Fixer to Fabulous, Season 7 (HGTV)
Coming December 4
About Face, Season 1 (TLC)
Architecton (A24)
Cheap A$$ Beach Houses, Season 1 (HGTV)
Dunkman, Season 1
Dylan’s Playtime Adventures, Season 1D (Max Original)
It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley (HBO Original)
Coming December 5
Batwheels, Season 3A (Cartoon Network)
House Hunters International: Volume 9, Season 205 (HGTV)
House Hunters: Volume 10, Season 247 (HGTV)
The Family McMullen (2025)
Coming December 7
The Christmas Showdown (OWN)
Coming December 8
90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, Season 8 (TLC)
Coming December 9
Bugs Bunny Builders, Season 2I (Cartoon Network)
Fixer Upper: Colorado Mountain House (Magnolia Network)
Coming December 11
Wizkid: Long Live Lagos (HBO Original)
Coming December 12
Sarah Squirm: Live + In the Flesh (HBO Original)
Spinal Tap II: The End Continues
Stolen Children (HBO Original)
This Is Spinal Tap
Coming December 13
Vantara: Sanctuary Stories, Season 1 (Animal Planet)
Coming December 14
Toad and Friends, Season 1D
Very Merry Mystery (OWN)
Coming December 15
Assassination in the Valley of the Kings (Discovery)
The Bold Type, Seasons 1-5
Tony Shalhoub Breaking Bread (CNN Original Series)
Truck U, Season 21
White House Christmas (HGTV)
Coming December 16
The Secrets We Bury (ID)
“MisinfoNation: White Genocide,” The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN Original)
Coming December 17
Obsession: The Murder of a Beauty Queen (HBO Original)
Coming December 18
Counting Crows: Have You Seen Me Lately? (HBO Original)
Saving Yellowstone with Dennis Quaid, Season 1 (Animal Planet)
Coming December 19
House Hunters: Volume 10, Season 248 (HGTV)
Teen Titans Go!, Season 9F (Cartoon Network)
Coming December 20
Adult Swim’s The Elephant (Adult Swim)
Coming December 21
Secrets in the Sand, Season 2 (Science)
Coming December 22
Aztec Batman: Clash of Empires (2025)
The Last Captains, Season 1 (Discovery)
Coming December 23
“The Exorcists,” The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper (CNN Original)
Coming December 24
Guy’s Grocery Games, Season 40 (Food Network)
Ne Zha II (A24)
Coming December 25
Happy And You Know It (HBO Original)
Coming December 26
Heaven (HBO Original)
Coming December 27
Junk or Jackpot?, Season 1 (HGTV)
Coming December 28
Home Reimagined, Season 1B (Magnolia Network)
My Pet Ate What!?, Season 1 (Animal Planet)
Coming December 29
Celebrity IOU, Season 11 (HGTV)
Two Guys Garage, Season 24
Coming December 31
Building Outside the Lines, Season 3 (Magnolia Network)
HBO Max December 2025: Full List of Live Sports
Live Sports are available only on select plans. Plan availability varies by subscription provider. Check with your subscription provider for details. Select games available, and blackouts may apply. Pre- and post-game programming will also be available to stream live, along with condensed replay highlights that will be available after each game. All times are in ET.
College Football Playoffs
Coming December 20
CFP Game, 3:30 p.m.
CFP Game, 7:30 p.m.
U.S. Soccer
Coming December 1
USWNT vs Italy, 7 p.m.
World Sevens Tournament
Coming December 5
Session 1 Matches (4 Matches), 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Coming December 6
Session 2 Matches (4 Matches), 11:10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Session 3 Matches (4 Matches), 4:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Coming December 7
Semi Final Matches (2 Matches), 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.
3rd Place Match, 3 p.m.
Championship Match, 4:30 p.m.
NHL on TNT
Coming December 3
Buffalo Sabres vs Philadelphia Flyers, 7:30 p.m.
Utah Mammoth vs Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.
Coming December 9
Vegas Golden Knights vs New York Islanders, 7 p.m.
Colorado Avalanche vs Nashville Predators, 9:30 p.m.
Coming December 10
New York Rangers vs Chicago Blackhawks, 7:30 p.m.
Los Angeles Kings vs Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m.
Coming December 16
Edmonton Oilers vs Pittsburgh Penguins, 7 p.m.
Colorado Avalanche vs Seattle Kraken, 10 p.m.
Coming December 17
Utah Mammoth vs Detroit Red Wings, 7:30 p.m.
New Jersey Devils vs Vegas Golden Knights, 10 p.m.
Coming December 23
Pittsburgh Penguins vs Toronto Maple Leafs, 4 p.m.
Dallas Stars vs Detroit Red Wings, 6:30 p.m.
Philadelphia vs Chicago Blackhawks, 9 p.m.
College Basketball
Men’s Big East
Coming December 1
St. Francis vs Xavier, 7 p.m.
Coming December 2
Eastern Michigan vs Butler, 7 p.m.
Nicholls State vs Creighton, 9 p.m.
Coming December 3
UMBC vs Georgetown, 8 p.m.
Coming December 5
Cincinnati vs Xavier, 7:30 p.m.
Coming December 6
Rhode Island vs Providence, 12 p.m.
Boise State vs Butler, 2 p.m.
Arkansas Pine Bluff vs Depaul, 9 p.m.
Coming December 9
Brown vs Providence, 7:30 p.m.
Coming December 12
Missouri State vs Xavier, 7 p.m.
Coming December 13
Iona vs St. John’s, 12 p.m.
Providence vs Butler, 2 p.m.
Pittsburgh vs Villanova, 4:30 p.m.
Men’s Big 12
Coming December 13
Santa Clara vs Arizona State, 7 p.m.
Coming December 19
Abilene Christian vs BYU, 9:30 p.m.
Coming December 21
Southern vs Baylor, 1 p.m.
Coming December 28
Winthrop vs Texas Tech, 2 p.m.
Women’s Big East
Coming December 28
Connecticut vs Butler, 4 p.m.
Creighton vs Georgetown, 6 p.m.
HBO Max December 2025: Full List of All Elite Wrestling (AEW)
Coming December 3
AEW Dynamite, 8 p.m.
Coming December 6
AEW Collision, 8 p.m.
Coming December 10
AEW Dynamite, 8 p.m.
Coming December 13
AEW Collision, 4:30 p.m.
Coming December 17
AEW Dynamite, 8 p.m.
AEW Collision, 10 p.m.
AEW Countdown to World’s End 2025, 11 p.m.
Coming December 19
Celebrate the holidays with a new batch of your classic favorites – more AEW Dynamite, Rampage and Battle of the Belts from 2022.
Coming December 20
AEW Collision, 2:30 p.m.
Coming December 24
AEW Dynamite – Dynamite on 34th Street, 6 p.m.
Coming December 25
AEW Collision – Collision Christmas, 9 p.m.
Coming December 27
AEW World’s End PPV, 8 p.m
Coming December 31
AEW Dynamite – Dynamite New Year Smash 2025, 8 p.m.
