A newcomer to the burgeoning streaming scene, launched less than two years ago, HBO Max is a premium brand extension of the long-running HBO pay television network, featuring treasures from the rich vein of movie and TV properties owned by AT&T’s WarnerMedia.
To determine the best things to watch on HBO Prime this February, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of January 2022, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only movies with at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes, and ruled out documentaries. (Data on streaming availability, current as of this month, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood, and directorial and cast credits are from IMDb.)
The results span a century of cinematic history, from the early Charlie Chaplin classic “The Kid” (1921) to last year’s Black Panther-themed biopic “Judas and the Black Messiah,” helmed by Shaka King. Between the two are films by such celebrated directorial names as Hitchcock, Spielberg, and Tarantino, and a number of undisputed movie masterpieces, including “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Network,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Maltese Falcon,” “Citizen Kane,” and “Chinatown.” (This is the best classic movie released every year since 1950.)
Click here to see the 50 best movies to stream on HBO Max this month
The No. 1 movie is the ever-popular 1994 prison drama “The Shawshank Redemption.” Based on the 1982 Stephen King novella “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” it stars Tim Robbins as a banker sentenced to life for a murder he did not commit, and Morgan Freeman as fellow prisoner Ellis “Red” Redding, whom he befriends. It has an IMDb user rating of 9.3/10, a Rotten Tomatoes audience score of 98%, and a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score 91%.
In second place is Martin Scorsese’s 1990 crime drama “Goodfellas.” The story of mob associate Henry Hill, it has a great ensemble cast that includes Robert De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco, and Paul Sorvino.
At No. 3 is Christopher Nolan’s 2008 Batman movie “The Dark Knight,” starring Christian Bale in the title role and Heath Ledger, who died the year the film was released, as the Joker. (Here are all the Batman actors ranked from worst to best.)
50. A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (23,726 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (8,243 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (31 reviews)
> Directed by: John Cassavetes
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49. Paddington 2 (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (67,820 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (8,755 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (246 reviews)
> Directed by: Paul King
24/7 Wall St.
48. Of Mice and Men (1939)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (5,832 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (7,152 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (14 reviews)
> Directed by: Lewis Milestone
47. Monsieur Verdoux (1947)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (16,795 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (5,490 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (35 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
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46. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (52,791 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (33,947 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Aldrich
45. Jurassic Park (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (909,321 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (1,071,829 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (130 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
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44. Stagecoach (1939)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (46,215 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (14,658 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (45 reviews)
> Directed by: John Ford
43. Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (60,720 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (495 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (339 reviews)
> Directed by: Shaka King
42. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (133,169 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (16,920 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (41 reviews)
> Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
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41. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (629,868 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (299,429 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (113 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
40. Network (1976)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (152,343 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (36,416 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (70 reviews)
> Directed by: Sidney Lumet
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39. The Truman Show (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (989,294 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (584,020 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (133 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Weir
38. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (70,923 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (23,226 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (55 reviews)
> Directed by: Norman Jewison
37. All the President’s Men (1976)
> IMDb user rating: 8/10 (109,442 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (50,360 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (65 reviews)
> Directed by: Alan J. Pakula
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36. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (245,961 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (110,314 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (48 reviews)
> Directed by: Sidney Lumet
35. Hotel Rwanda (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (343,587 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (241,507 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (194 reviews)
> Directed by: Terry George
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34. 12 Years a Slave (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (664,938 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (140,524 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (373 reviews)
> Directed by: Steve McQueen
33. Castle in the Sky (1986)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (157,473 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (79,551 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (26 reviews)
> Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
32. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (104,091 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (55,195 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (60 reviews)
> Directed by: Elia Kazan
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31. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (379,622 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (876,535 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (145 reviews)
> Directed by: Victor Fleming
30. Inception (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (2,171,143 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (571,783 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (361 reviews)
> Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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29. Limelight (1952)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (19,395 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (7,303 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (35 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
28. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (47,356 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (4,853 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (37 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Brooks
27. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (701,608 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (324,778 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (83 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kubrick
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26. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (958,136 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (446,711 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (71 reviews)
> Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
25. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (42,434 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (14,047 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (96 reviews)
> Directed by: Isao Takahata
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24. The Departed (2006)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,241,061 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (738,191 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (283 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
23. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 8.9/10 (1,710,236 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (34,679,773 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (275 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Jackson
22. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (153,406 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (57,929 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (60 reviews)
> Directed by: John Huston
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21. Safety Last! (1923)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (19,650 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (3,761 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (35 reviews)
> Directed by: Fred C. Newmeyer & Sam Taylor
20. The Circus (1928)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (32,235 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (6,739 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (28 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
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19. To Be or Not to Be (1942)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (33,747 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (6,029 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (47 reviews)
> Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch
18. Unforgiven (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (391,927 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (122,861 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (106 reviews)
> Directed by: Clint Eastwood
17. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (66,253 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (47,240 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (101 reviews)
> Directed by: George Cukor
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16. Princess Mononoke (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (364,905 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (222,309 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (112 reviews)
> Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
15. Memento (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (1,169,429 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (381,352 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (181 reviews)
> Directed by: Christopher Nolan
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14. Citizen Kane (1941)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (422,500 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (159,588 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (117 reviews)
> Directed by: Orson Welles
13. The Great Dictator (1940)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (213,266 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (43,757 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (45 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
12. Chinatown (1974)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (309,557 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (78,076 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (76 reviews)
> Directed by: Roman Polanski
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11. North by Northwest (1959)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (312,200 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (79,896 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (109 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
10. The Gold Rush (1925)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (106,473 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (20,591 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
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9. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (1,731,527 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,355,751 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (235 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Jackson
8. The Kid (1921)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (120,168 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (15,470 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (48 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
7. Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (228,668 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (138,714 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (67 reviews)
> Directed by: Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen
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6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (1,546,188 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,341,428 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (255 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Jackson
5. Modern Times (1936)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (228,754 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (40,314 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (108 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
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4. City Lights (1931)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (176,008 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (27,144 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (54 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
3. The Dark Knight (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 9/10 (2,419,864 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (1,831,566 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (345 reviews)
> Directed by: Christopher Nolan
2. Goodfellas (1990)
> IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (1,070,370 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 97% (430,048 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (103 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
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1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 9.3/10 (2,465,102 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98% (887,061 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (77 reviews)
> Directed by: Frank Darabont
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