HBO Max Adds Marvel Classic To Its Lineup
HBO Max has added a new superhero movie to its lineup -- but while Warner Bros. is the parent company of DC, this time it's a Marvel Comics adaptation. Blade, the 1998 adaptation of Marvel's vampire hunter, is lurking around HBO Max's new arrivals list just in time for Halloween. The timing is kind of perfect for HBO Max, since Blade recently trended on Twitter, with fans crediting the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and comic book movies as a whole to the movie. The film stars Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, Stephen Dorff, and Donal Logue, among others.
Created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan as a supporting character in The Tomb of Dracula, Blade is a half-human, half-vampire action hero who wages a one-man war on vampires. The movie was directed by Stephen Norrington from a script by David S. Goyer, and went on to earn more than $400 million at the box office.
HBO Max can use the boost from Blade, because they are losing a number of popular horror movies tonight, ahead of Halloween next month. They do have a Scoobtober event going on, using their Scooby-Doo library to set up some kid-sized spooks all throughout the month. At the time of its release, Blade was the first successful theatrical release for Marvel, following on the heels of flops like Howard the Duck and The Punisher, and preceding mega-hits like Spider-Man and X-Men. It also has the distinction of being one of the only superhero movies of the 20th Century that was a success without an A-list character like Superman or Batman in the lead role.
Snipes would go on to do two more sequels, directed by Goyer and Guillermo del Toro. He has expressed interest in returning to the role, or playing a role in the forthcoming reboot of the property, which is set to star Mahershala Ali.
In Blade, a half-mortal, half-immortal is out to avenge his mother's death and rid the world of vampires. The modern-day technologically advanced vampires he is going after are in search of his special blood type needed to summon an evil god who plays a key role in their plan to execute the human race.
You can see the movie on HBO Max.
