HBO Video Warning Screens

These are the warning screens from Thorn EMI, Thorn EMI/HBO Video, HBO/Cannon Video, HBO Video, HBO Home Video and HBO Home Entertainment.

July 10, 1981
This warning screen is the same as the MCA/Universal warning, but in black and white, "WARNING" is lighter and different, smaller text below.

As seen on The Tubes Video, April Wine Live in London, I Am a Dancer, Can't Stop the Music, Times Square, Death on the Nile, The Cruel Sea, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, The Mirror Crack'd, The Best of Benny Hill, Scars of Dracula, Sophia Loren: Her Own Story, and S.O.S. Titanic.

April 10, 1982-August 10, 1985
This warning screen is the same as the Sony warning, but with different text and extra line on the second line. "LEGAL WARNING" is shown in place of "WARNING".

As seen on Queen's Greatest Flix, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Ready, Steady, Go, The Lord of the Rings, Rockshow, The Burning, Heartland, The Evil Dead, First Blood, Fat Albert, The Best of Benny Hill (subsequent volumes), The Osterman Weekend, The Dark Crystal, Body Rock, Angel, Xtro, The Terminator, The Being and Powaqqatsi: Life in Transformation.

August 17, 1986-August 25, 1988
This warning screen is the same as the Aries Video Corporation warning from 1984.

As seen on The Sleeping Beauty, Manon Lescaut, Ready, Steady, Go, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Fat Albert (subsequent volumes), Manchurian Avenger, Code of Silence, Act of Vengeance, Fraggle Rock, Reno Williams: The Adventure Begins, Black Sabbath, Maxie, Plenty, Alakazam the Great, Night of the Creeps, Head Office, Back to School, Something Wild (1986), Touch n Go (1986), F/X (1986), Absolute Beginners: The Movie, The Manhattan Project, Nothing in Common (1986), Mona Lisa, Highlander, Three Amigos (1986), Platoon (1986), Hoosiers, Making Mr. Right and Creator.

October 20, 1989-July 10, 1991
This warning screen is a dodger-blue gradient with the same text as above.

As seen on Dreamscape (1984), Cross Creek (1983), Carly Simon: Live from Martha's Vineyard, Hiding Out, Kickboxer, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, Ricochet, Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991) and Mom and Dad Save the World (1992).

June 19, 1992-November 4, 1997
This warning screen has still shots of the HBO Video logo on a gray background with the same generic text as above, but with "LEGAL WARNING" in a Helvetica typeface and in red.

As seen on Rock-a-Doodle (1992) and Godzilla vs. Biollante.

November 4, 1997-November 9, 2004
This warning screen is a curtain background with copies of HBO logo on it with the same text as above.

As seen on A Bronx Tale, Against the Wall, And the Band Played On, Shadowlands, The Last Outlaw, Serial Mom, The Apostate, The Cannonball Run, Gepiti, Zeus and Roxanne (1997), etc.

November 4, 1997


This warning screen is the same as the Columbia TriStar (now Sony) FBI and Interpol warnings.

As seen on a lot of early HBO DVDs.

November 4, 1997-present
This warning screen is the same as the PBS warning.

As seen on DVD, such as Flashpoint, etc.

November 18, 1998-present
The warning is the same as the MGM warning.

As seen on DVD, such as Everybody Loves Raymond, The Sopranos: Complete Season One, Dawg, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, etc.

November 18, 1998-present
The warning is the same as the Universal warning.

As seen on DVD.