Tubi Becomes Home for Cartoon Network Classics and Prestige Crime Films After HBO Max Purge

Tubi has positioned itself as a major free streaming destination by acquiring over 100 Cartoon Network animated series and securing the rights to Michael Mann's 1995 crime epic, a 170-minute film that inspired Christopher Nolan's direction for The Dark Knight. The moves mark a significant expansion of the ad-supported platform's original content strategy following HBO Max's removal of much of its Warner Bros. catalog.

Cartoon Network Library Expansion

The Warner Bros. vault deal represents Tubi's largest animated acquisition to date. Among the shows now available or soon arriving are The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Mucha Lucha, Freakazoid, Codename: Kids Next Door, and the animated Beetlejuice series, which originally aired on Fox Kids. Additional titles include Green Lantern: The Animated Series, which shares creative voices with the acclaimed Batman and Superman animated programs from the same era.

This strategy emerged after Tubi successfully monetized its Looney Tunes library acquisition last year. The platform announced earlier this year that it would produce Yokoso Scooby-Doo!, an anime series marking the first collaboration of its kind, featuring voice actors Frank Welker and Matthew Lillard reprising their iconic roles. The series will debut exclusively on Tubi and follow Scooby-Doo and Shaggy on a culinary adventure in Japan.

Crime Epic and Prestige Content

Mann's crime film earned approximately $190 million worldwide against a $60 million budget when released in 1995, establishing itself as a cultural benchmark despite its substantial runtime. The narrative features a cat-and-mouse dynamic between opposing forces with morally ambiguous boundaries, presented through cool blue cinematography where the urban setting functions as a character itself. The film marked the first on-screen pairing of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, who both appeared in The Godfather Part II but had no scenes together.

Nolan identified this film as his primary creative influence when developing The Dark Knight, the second installment of his Batman trilogy. The film has developed what sources describe as one of cinema's most dedicated cult followings over three decades. A long-awaited sequel is expected to enter production with an ensemble cast, though no production timeline has been disclosed.