Microsoft Azure outage delays virtual premiere of Zack Snyder's Justice League

HBO Max Hero
HBO Max Hero (Image credit: HBO)

What you need to know

  • Microsoft Azure was down for several hours yesterday.
  • The outage affected Microsoft Teams, Xbox Live, Office 365, and several other Microsoft services.
  • The outage also delayed the virtual premiere of Zack Snyder's Justice League.

After years of clamoring and campaigns on the web, people will finally be able to see Zack Snyder's Justice League this week. But in a turn of events that only seems fitting for a movie delayed by so long, the virtual premiere of the movie was delayed by six hours due to a Microsoft Azure outage. The delay only affected the invite-only virtual premiere, and Zack Snyder's Justice League is still set to launch for everyone else on HBO Max on March 18.

Select people were supposed to receive access codes to watch the virtual premiere through Microsoft Teams. Due to the Azure outage, these couldn't be sent out in time.

An HBO Max spokesperson issued a statement to IGN:

We know many of you have been waiting for this moment since 2017. Today was not how we envisioned how our virtual premiere would begin, and we want to express our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience caused by this delay. We know many of you have made special arrangements to enjoy the virtual event, and we share your disappointment that things haven't gone as planned.Please note: Microsoft is still resolving issues, but we don't want to keep you waiting any longer! If you get an error message, you may have to try different devices or browsers.

Zack Snyder took to Twitter to share his disappointment:

After a delay of 6 hours, Microsoft started sending access codes to those invited to the virtual premiere.

The recent Azure outage affected a wide scope of industries. The outage affected Teams, Xbox Live, Outlook, Office 365, and several other Microsoft services. As a result, hundreds of millions of people were affected while trying to use these services for education, business, and entertainment.

If Zack Snyder's Justice League isn't your type of film, you can check our our sister site Android Central's guide on the best movies on HBO Max right now.

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Sean Endicott
News Writer and apps editor

Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He's covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean's journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.