Steven Spielberg’s $604M Sci-Fi Sensation Is Officially Leaving HBO Max

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Tim Robbins in Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds

Published Oct 17, 2026, 4:20 AM EDT

Rohan Naahar is a News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal of introducing audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

Director Steven Spielberg made a long-awaited return to the sci-fi genre this year with Disclosure Day, an original movie that revolves around Spielberg's long-held obsession with extraterrestrials. The movie didn't exactly break out at the box office, grossing roughly half as much globally as his previous sci-fi movie, Ready Player One. Spielberg entered the new millennium with three sci-fi films, all of which were critically and commercially successful. However, in recent years, the filmmaker has had a difficult time drawing crowds to theaters. While Disclosure Day makes an attempt to redeem itself on Peacock — it's currently the streamer's number-one title — his highest-grossing sci-fi film of the 21st century is on borrowed time on HBO Max.

The movie in question was released in 2005 and was based on a classic novel by H.G. Wells that had been adapted numerous times already. However, Spielberg's version was designed as an allegory for the September 11 attacks, reminding audiences that he remains a highly political filmmaker even when he's making popcorn entertainment. The movie starred Tom Cruise in the lead role, not long after the two worked together on Minority Report. That film, released in 2002 and also featuring Colin Farrell, grossed nearly $360 million worldwide against a reported budget of $102 million. The 2005 film was a significantly bigger hit.

Here's How Long You Have Left to Watch the Sci-Fi Hit on HBO Max

We're talking, of course, about War of the Worlds. Also featuring Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins, the movie follows a family as they try to survive an alien invasion. Produced on a reported budget of around $130 million, the movie grossed a little more than $600 million worldwide — this remains a higher global gross than those of Cruise's last two Mission: Impossible movies. War of the Worlds now holds a 76% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes, although its audience score is languishing at 42%, perhaps because of its political overtones. The site's consensus reads, "Steven Spielberg's adaptation of War of the Worlds delivers on the thrill and paranoia of H.G. Wells' classic novel while impressively updating the action and effects for modern audiences." You can watch the movie on HBO Max until November 1. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.