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UPDATE: An HBO Max spokeperson has addressed this Tom and Jerry/Zack Snyder's Justice League snafu with the following statement. The original story continues afterwards:
Zack Snyder’s Justice League was temporarily available on HBO Max, and the error was addressed within minutes
Streaming something is a simple process: you find the movie or TV show you want to watch on your platform of choice, press play and then absorbing the content. But sometimes unforeseen problems can pop up that are in no way the user’s fault. Case in point, earlier today, some folks who went on HBO Max to watch Tom and Jerry ended up getting Zack Snyder’s Justice League instead.
This major screw-up was first noted by Twitter user @ThenDougSaid, who shared photographic evidence of what showed up on his screen when he tried to play Tom and Jerry.
As @ThenDougSaid, whose real name is Doug Bass, informed The Hollywood Reporter, he made it through one hour of Zack Snyder’s Justice League before it was cut off. When Bass went back to play Tom and Jerry, he got the antics of the title cartoon cat and mouse instead. Now lest you think that this was just a fluke purely with Bass’ account, THR writer Ryan Parker had the same thing happen to him.
Nope, this happened to a handful of HBO Max users, and it’s especially amusing to see Ben Affleck’s face next to the Tom and Jerry title in the below photo from @Zombi3Pandaz:
A lot of strange things have happened on streaming services over the years, but clicking the PG-rated Tom and Jerry and getting the R-rated Zack Snyder’s Justice League definitely ranks as one of the weirder occurrences. What makes this incident potentially even more bizarre is that according to the LightCast Podcast, this was a leak that came from someone directly from Warner Bros. Whether that’s true or not, HBO Max now has to deal with a handful of users, including @nuggetusdankus, getting a sneak peek at the Snyder Cut a little over a week ahead before its official release.
Now, if you’d rather watch the theatrical cut of Justice League, that’s easily playable to all HBO Max subscribers. But as far as Zack Snyder’s Justice League goes, unless you were among the lucky group who managed to play the movie during a previously-intended Tom and Jerry viewing, you’ll have to wait until March 18 with the rest of the masses. In addition to its HBO Max run (you can sign up for the platform with this link), the Snyder Cut will also have a theatrical run, with a 10-minute intermission halfway through the four-hour event.
As for Tom and Jerry, while its critical reception leaves a lot to be desired, it had a shockingly good opening weekend at the box office. Like all the movies on Warner Bros’ 2021 slate, Tom and Jerry is being made available on HBO Max for one month, so you have until the end of March to watch it on the platform. After that, you’ll either need to catch it on the big screen or wait for its home media release.
