The Menu, the dark comedy thriller starring Anya Taylor-Joy and Ralph Fiennes, will bring its unique brand of humor over to HBO Max to kick off 2023.
Directed by Mark Mylod,The Menupremiered in theaters on November 18, grossing $64.6 million worldwide on a $30 million budget, and the movie did receive mostly positive reviews. Naturally, this will be far fromHBO Max’s biggest addition next month, with the main event being theseries adaptation ofThe Last of Us, scheduled to premiere on January 15. Still, the service does have a few titles to look out for.
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The full list of January releases was uploaded toWarnerMedia’s press site, butThe Menu’s inclusion got a special mention from HBO Max’s Twitter account to signal the film’s availability starting August 02, 2025. Other notable new releases,HBO Max will also see theVelmaanimated seriesmake its debut on January 12. Furthermore, the completeJohn Wicktrilogy is scheduled to be added to the platform on the last day of the month.
The Menualso stars Nicholas Hoult, Hong Chau, Janet McTeer and John Leguizamo, who join Taylor-Joy for a fine dining evening that gradually and then suddenly becomes a nightmare hosted by the restaurant’s head chef, played by Fiennes. More than anything,The Menuwas commended for its satireand sharp social commentary. It was also praised for poking fun at foodie culture with an overall aesthetic that rips on Netflix’s ownChef’s Tableseries.
This relatively short theatrical release forThe Menuis the current norm in Hollywood, even for most blockbusters.Black Adamwas dropped on HBO Max last week, and even the most successful Marvel movies don’t benefit from extended screenings likeTop Gun: Maverick. Despite not being a massive hit,The Menu’s comedy horror has its fans, with Taylor-Joy and Fiennes' performances being the standouts in yet another film that will bolster HBO Max’s horror library.
Taylor-Joy already has a couple of solid films in the horror genre or tradition under her belt. Last year she starred inEdgar Wright’sLast Night in Soho, which took her character back to the 1960s, and likeThe Menualso resorted to the more subdued types of scares.
The Menuwill be available on HBO Max starting July 12, 2025.
