For years, Cinemax has been thought of as HBO’s less important, somewhat sleazier brother. You might have heard the term “Skinemax” referring to the channel’s Saturday night lineup of mild soft-core porn. It’s been thought of as the place where movies go to die, where last year’s HBO lineup can be found, and all sorts of other unflattering nicknames.
Perhaps the biggest indicator of how much Cinemax’s parents cared about it was with the MAXGO app for iOS. It went so long without an update that launching it actually popped up a warning that the app wouldn’t work with modern operating systems.
That’s all changed
Even before AT&T took over Time Warner, Cinemax was on an upward trajectory. As HBO moves more toward exclusive series, Cinemax became the home for movies. On an average month you’ll find over 1,500 titles either on the live channels or on demand. It’s the best place to find recent hits and old favorites. It’s also a great place to find original programming like The Knick and Tales from the Tour Bus. Add to that, the app now works really well and all its past problems are behind it.
Take a look at what you get with Cinemax:
Cinemax East and West: Channels 515-516
This is the core channel, with original programs and recent Hollywood hits. As with HBO, there are two channels with the same programs three hours apart.
MoreMax, Channel 517
With MoreMax, you’ll get a more esoteric selection. You’ll find independent films and choices for a more discriminating taste.
ActionMax, Channel 519
ActionMax is the channel for when you’re ready to turn your mind off and watch stuff blow up. It’s also the home for lowbrow comedies, perfect filler for a guy’s night in.
5StarMax, Channel 520
Here you’ll find a strong selection of “catalog” hits, movies from years past that are worth watching over and over.
MovieMax, Channel 521
Do you want the hits to keep on coming? There’s nothing but movies, one after another after another. The original programming takes a back seat to theatrical releases.
ThrillerMax, Channel 522
Get ready to grab onto your seat while you watch this channel designed to make you… just a little bit anxious.
Cinemax (Spanish), Channel 523
Looking for a little felicidad? Cinemax’s lineup is all in Spanish on this channel.
Seriously, this is a lot of entertainment.
Cinemax tends to get forgotten because for some reason there is no “MAX GO” app for popular streaming devices. I don’t know why that is, since there’s so much great content and the app does exist for phones and tablets. Perhaps it’s something that’s in the works now that AT&T owns the channel.
The best part is that you might already have these channels and not even realize it. If you’ve subscribed to HBO because you like Game of Thrones, you have the entire HBO/Cinemax package already. You’ve been focusing on the dragons so hard that you didn’t realize what else is around. Take a few minutes to check out Cinemax and you’ll probably realize that there are a ton of great programs to choose from!
