Missed it in theaters? Stephen King's brutal 'The Long Walk' is the newest No. 1 movie on HBO Max (and not 'Sinners')

This summer's heatwave is showing no signs of quitting, and HBO max subscribers are weathering this weekend inside with a Stephen King dark thriller that's just as brutal. "The Long Walk" is like a war movie without the war, a cross between "Stand by Me" and "The Road" where Mark Hamill gives the cruelest pep talk for 108 minutes and hope flickers but, importantly, is never truly extinguished.

This grueling endurance race of a movie hit HBO Max on July 10 and wasted no time climbing to the No. 1 spot of its most-watched movies list. But taking the crown in the HBO Max Top 10 doesn't guarantee a movie's worth watching. I'll agree that "The Long Walk" has some incredible performances — David Jonsson, Cooper Hoffman, Ben Wang, Charlie Plummer and the rest of the cast put their heart and soul into their roles. But if you're looking to watch the best movie on HBO Max to while away this fine Sunday evening, there's a better option for you: "Sinners." A phenomenal romantic horror movie I return to every Sunday because that's the rule. That's the goal now.

But this current No. 1 movie is alright enough, if you're so inclined. It's not a breezy watch by any means, but a deeply satisfying one nonetheless. Need to know a bit more before you commit your precious streaming time? Read on for more details, or check out which other movies this weekend are worth watching.

What is 'A Long Walk' about?

Starring David Jonsson and Cooper Hoffman, "The Long Walk" follows 50 young men selected by a lottery to compete in a deadly endurance contest that's televised. They're forced to walk endlessly across the U.S. under the watch of a brutal military commander (Hamill). Anyone who slows down or stops gets executed on the spot until there's only one left walking.

At first, the guys find a sense of camaraderie on their trek, but as the grueling marathon goes on, they watch exhaustion and terror claim their new friends one by one. "The Long Walk" was one of our favorite movies of 2025, with my colleague Rory calling it "one of the best King adaptations ever."

Watch "The Long Walk" on HBO Max now

(Or, hear me out, you could join me in watching "Sinners" on HBO Max this Sunday instead.)

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