The Japanese classic Seven Samurai, cited by George Lucas as his favourite film of all time and a key inspiration for the original Star Wars, is set to leave HBO Max in the United States. Akira Kurosawa's 1954 epic follows a group of samurai who band together to defend a village from bandits, and its influence stretches across decades of cinema, including John Sturges' 1960 Western remake The Magnificent Seven and, more recently, Zack Snyder's Netflix films Rebel Moon. Its impending removal from the streaming platform means US viewers have a limited window left to watch it there.

Seven Samurai runs 207 minutes and was originally screened with an intermission; it reached American cinemas a few years after its 1954 Japanese release, making it 72 years old. The Magnificent Seven was itself remade in 2016 by Antoine Fuqua, underscoring the film's lasting legacy, while Snyder's Rebel Moon—Netflix's costliest production, with extended cuts totalling around 380 minutes—drew heavily on Kurosawa's story after Snyder's original concept for Lucasfilm went unmade.