Content overview: “Kathy Bates' Oscar-Winning Misery Leaves HBO Max After 36 Years”. Stephen King's psychological thriller Misery (1990) is set to leave HBO Max, marking the end of its streaming availability on the platform. Directed by Rob Reiner, the film stars Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes, a role that earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress, and James Caan as novelist Paul Sheldon. The movie, based on King's 1987 novel, follows a deranged fan who holds her favorite author captive after rescuing him from a car crash.
The film is widely regarded as one of the best Stephen King adaptations, thanks to Bates' chilling performance and the tense, claustrophobic atmosphere. It was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $61 million domestically and cementing Bates as a Hollywood powerhouse. The movie's iconic hobbling scene remains one of the most disturbing moments in horror cinema. This listing links straight to the original page, where the content is available in full.