HBO Max’s announcement that the 87-year-old 1938 adaptation of A Christmas Carol will start streaming on November 1, 2025, has set social media humming.
In a bold move, Warner Bros. Discovery is releasing this fully restored vintage film starring Reginald Owen as Ebenezer Scrooge before audiences get to see Johnny Depp’s and Robert Eggers’ much-hyped remakes.
The timing isn’t lost on industry watchers: while modern Hollywood rushes to put new spins on public-domain tales, HBO Max is doubling down on timeless comfort. For decades, this early black-and-white Scrooge has been a staple on Turner Classic Movies, keeping its warm glow alive through generations.
While only a handful of critics have formally reviewed it, the 1938 film holds a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, albeit from just ten reviewers, evidence of both its limited critical exposure and its enduring appeal.
By scheduling the release ahead of its buzzy, modern rivals, HBO Max seems intent on staking a claim for the canon, banking on loyalists and newcomers who might tire of endless reinvention.
In an age when IP dominates, the chance to re-experience a time-honored version conveniently streamed is positioned as a family-friendly event and a counterpoint to darker, more adult-leaning reboots.
With A Christmas Carol’s legacy spanning musical, animated, and even Muppet variations, this pre-World War II iteration stands out for its emotional restraint and classic Hollywood craft.
Celebrities vs. Tradition: The High-Stakes Remake Rivalry
Meanwhile, the competing remakes zooming through production are stirring up drama of their own. Johnny Depp’s dark, horror-inspired take on his first major studio project after a period of personal and professional controversy marks a dramatic shift from the cozy, family-friendly Dickens renderings that most viewers grew up loving.
Depp’s return comes with well-documented baggage , both in terms of audience expectations and wider Hollywood scrutiny, injecting extra intrigue into how his Scrooge will be received.
His remake is being developed at Paramount, not Disney, despite decades of audience association between Dickens and the Mouse House, thanks to titles like Mickey’s Christmas Carol and The Muppet Christmas Carol.
On the other side, Robert Eggers, known for the artful intensity of films like Nosferatu and The Lighthouse, plans a completely separate Dickens adaptation.
Eggers is viewed by critics and genre fans as one of modern horror’s most innovative names: his films target adults, lean into psychological terror, and rarely shy from bleakness or ambiguity. His presence promises a distinctly unsettling Christmas Carol, quite unlike any sanitized studio version.
The race to redefine Scrooge, whose journey from miser to redemption endures as a cultural touchstone, underscores Hollywood’s broader fixation with retelling familiar tales in darker or more psychologically layered ways.
For studios, the rivalry also highlights the risks of remake saturation. Not all new spins land; the abundance of past Dickens adaptations, from big-budget musicals to moody CGI interpretations, sets a high bar for innovation.
Eggers and Depp will need to differentiate their films not only from each other but also from a crowded history of predecessors. With the 1938 original now streaming to a new generation, audiences can judge for themselves whether star power, vision, or the simplicity of tradition ultimately prevails.
Why Timeless Stories Still Matter and What’s Next for Dickens
The streaming debut of MGM’s 1938 A Christmas Carol isn’t just a moment of retro celebration; it signals how major platforms see value in proven emotional stories even as they chase fresh content.
HBO Max’ s move could spark copycats, as rival services dust off classics for nostalgic reboots of their own, especially around the holiday season, when family viewing becomes even more competitive.
Fan response to the original film’s online return is likely to fuel debate: will new audiences embrace the old-fashioned magic, or will they be drawn more to the star-driven spectacle and stylized gloom of reboots?
Streamers are betting that both impulses can coexist, letting viewers toggle between comfort food entertainment and creative daring.
Meanwhile, the commercial stakes are high; blockbusters starring controversial figures like Johnny Depp can garner tremendous press but also risk fatigue or backlash if audiences crave something gentler or more sincere.
As studios and streamers continue to court viewers with every possible flavor of Dickens, from heartwarming tradition to psychological horror, the surprise online launch of MGM’s 1938 classic may just prove that sometimes the simplest approach resonates most.
In the end, audiences get to decide: revisit an old friend, or take a risk on a risky, headline-grabbing new vision.
Colleen Hoover’s influence over contemporary fiction, especially through her books and the wave of movie adaptations, has generated reactions that can feel as fevered as any modern pop culture phenomenon.
When the film version of “Regretting You” premiered in October 2025, it was met with an avalanche of opinion, one that split sharply along the fan-critic line.
Despite a Rotten Tomatoes score languishing at 17% after its first week, “Regretting You” sold tickets to a loyal audience that poured into theaters, with social media buzzing about emotional scenes and favorite characters.
But the very elements that turn fans into evangelists, messy relationships, shocking reveals, and deeply flawed characters, are often the same points that drive critics to issue scathing reviews.
IndieWire’s review argued the film only appeals to those who appreciate melodrama’s quirks, while The Guardian suggested this latest adaptation might mark the end of Hoover’s big-screen trend.
Still, her most passionate followers (self-titled the “CoHort”) praise Hoover for her “raw” and “emotionally stirring” approach to relationships, tragedy, and self-discovery.
It’s not just the books; audiences report that the films strike chords they rarely get from typical Hollywood offerings, describing theaters filled with people crying, laughing, and sometimes even heckling the screen.
Yet online, debates rage about whether loving Hoover’s work signals poor literary taste or, worse, a lack of critical thinking about the heavy topics she presents. Many readers, even those not converted to the fandom, comment that her stories become social media lightning rods in a way unusual for romance or family drama.
Why Are The Stakes So High?
The core of this fandom frenzy might be that Hoover’s stories almost always center on emotionally loaded, often controversial issues. “ Regretting You ” juggles everything from infidelity and grief to the fallout of parental secrets, playing fast and loose with neat resolutions.
Some critics argue that such formulas court emotional “manipulation,” with tragic twists and trauma deployed less for insight and more for shock value. Others see her writing as deliberately accessible, with relatable characters navigating heightened stakes, a feature that many fans celebrate and most critics find simplistic.
Colleen Hoover (Credit: BBC)
It’s also true that Hoover hasn’t shied away from polarizing storylines. “It Ends With Us” ignited debate over its handling of domestic violence; the subsequent controversy even led Hoover and her publisher to cancel a planned coloring book amid public outcry over insensitivity.
Detractors argue her stories sometimes glamorize or gloss over genuinely harmful relationships, which is especially troubling given her influence over a younger, mostly female readership.
At the same time, her books’ visibility has pushed certain conversations about boundaries, recovery, and agency into the mainstream, both on BookTok and in traditional media.
None of this dampens the commercial success. “It Ends With Us” shattered box office expectations in 2024, grossing over $350 million globally, while Hoover’s books dominate charts year after year.
But with the tepid ticket sales and polarizing response to “Regretting You,” some entertainment insiders are now openly speculating whether Hoover’s Hollywood streak is a passing trend or if her next adaptation, the much-hyped “Verity,” will reset the narrative.
The Backstage Perspective: Director & Stars On Surviving The Hype
For those inside the newest adaptation, the commotion isn’t just a backdrop; it’s part of the experience. Director Josh Boone, who found fame with “The Fault in Our Stars,” was drawn to “Regretting You” because it explores familiar yet complicated territory: fractured families, secrecy, and the way love and loss shape our lives.
Stars like Mckenna Grace and Mason Thames approached their roles with a mix of excitement and wariness, aware that both critics and fans would come in with strong preconceptions.
In interviews, cast members pointed out that the pressure of entering the Hoover universe is real but also thrilling.
Grace, who plays the conflicted daughter, related personally to the intense mother-daughter dynamics in the story, noting that art imitating life means audiences will see parts of themselves in these imperfect characters.
Thames described joining the project as a “no-brainer” after reading the novel and script, saying the emotional highs and lows gave him the most fulfilling work of his young career.
For the creative team, the extremity of reactions feels almost inevitable. Boone told Screen Rant that what excites him, messy, passionate characters struggling with loyalty and loss, also guarantees that no adaptation will ever please everyone.
As Hollywood keeps tabs on the next box office report, the hope inside the production is that the conversation around Hoover’s books and movies keeps going, no matter how intense the debate becomes.
