‘Justice League’ Surprises Some HBO Max Subscribers With Accidental Debut

Fans have been waiting years for its arrival, and on Monday, Zack Snyder’s Justice League came 10 days early for some HBO Max subscribers.

For reasons unknown, when some users attempted to play Tom & Jerry, the new CGI/live-action hybrid film from director Tim Story, instead the upcoming Justice League cut played. The anticipated four-hour film from Zack Snyder is not due out until March 18.

“Zack Snyder’s Justice League was temporarily available on HBO Max and the error was addressed within minutes,” the streaming service said in a statement.

The Justice League error first came to light when Doug Bass of Charlotte, North Carolina, noted it on Twitter. Bass told The Hollywood Reporter he attempted to watch Tom & Jerry, but instead was able to access one hour of Justice League before it was cut off. When Bass tried to restart the film, Tom & Jerry played as it should have, suggesting that users were able to cache a certain amount of Justice League in the window it was available.

Several other users have noted this error, and THR was able to access Justice League via HBO Max. When THR attempted to play Tom & Jerry, first an error message appeared, and then Snyder’s Justice League cut began. When pausing the film, a message said the user was watching Tom & Jerry.

Some users shared screenshots of Justice League, but on Monday night, Twitter sent takedown notices on behalf of Warner Bros. to those who shared screenshots.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League is one of the most anticipated HBO Max titles of the year. Its journey to the screen has been an object of fascination among fans, with the project taking on mythic status in the years since Snyder left the film after a family tragedy, only to return to complete his vision more than three years after a theatrical cut he did not oversee hit theaters. Snyder shot several new minutes for his cut, which was announced in May, including a moment between Ben Affleck (Batman) and Jared Leto (Joker).

For Bass, seeing a bit of Justice League was a nice surprise on a Monday afternoon.

“I just wanted to put on Tom & Jerry for background noise while I worked, and instead I watched an hour of an amazing movie,” says Bass.

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March 8, 4:16 p.m. Updated with statement from HBO Max.