Skip to main content

5 great movies leaving Hulu in April 2024 you have to watch now

Daniel Webber and Daniel Radcliffe in Escape From Pretoria.
Signature Entertainment

The days are running out for April, and if you’re a Hulu subscriber, that means some of the streamer’s best movies are on their way out the door. And because many of the movies leaving Hulu in April are from outside studios, there’s no guarantee that they’ll be back in the future.

Since there’s less than a week left in April, there’s really only one solution: Make time for the movies that you want to see. To help you make you’re plans, we’re sharing our list of the five great movies leaving Hulu in April that you have to watch before the end of the month.

Stand by Me (1986)

The four main kid characters from Stand by Me standing outside, one pointing at something.
Columbia Pictures

Stand By Me is one of the few non-horror stories by Stephen King to be adapted to the big screen. It’s also fondly remembered as a great coming-of-age film with a terrific cast. In the 1960s, a group of young boys hear secondhand that another boy’s body has been found. Gordie Lachance (Wil Wheaton), Chris Chambers (River Phoenix), Teddy Duchamp (Corey Feldman), and Vern Tessio (Jerry O’Connell) see this as a chance to become local heroes if they can locate the body by themselves.

Their unsupervised journey becomes dangerous when they make enemies out of John “Ace” Merrill (Kiefer Sutherland) and his gang. But for Gordon, the biggest obstacle that he has to overcome is his grief over his late older brother, Denny (John Cusack), as well as his strained relationship with his parents.

Watch Stand By Me on Hulu.

Ghostbusters (1984)

The cast of Ghostbusters.
Columbia Pictures

It may be springtime, but the Ghostbusters are never out of season! Hulu has both of the original  Ghostbusters movies through the end of April, but the first one is still among the all-time great comedies. Scientists Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis), as well as a regular guy named Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson), make a killing as ghost exterminators in New York City.

What the Ghostbusters don’t realize is that their greatest threat is bigger than any single ghost. And the plot to destroy our world is centered around two innocent people: Dana Barrett (Sigourney Weaver) and Louis Tully (Rick Moranis). If the Ghostbusters can’t solve this in time, then there’s going to be mass hysteria.

Watch Ghostbusters on Hulu.

Failure to Launch (2006)

Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker in Failure To Launch.
Paramount Pictures

Sarah Jessica Parker’s Paula has a calling in Failure to Launch. She’s figured out how to build up men’s confidence by temporarily dating them and convincing them to move out of their parents’ homes. All for a price, of course. Al (Terry Bradshaw) and Sue (Kathy Bates) realize that Paula’s services could be just what they’re looking for to help their son, Tripp (Matthew McConaughey), grow up and move on with his life.

Normally, Paula would agree with her new clients. But there’s more to Tripp’s refusal to move out than mere insecurity. And before she knows it, Paula is crossing emotional lines with Tripp that she may not be able to walk back.

Watch Failure To Launch on Hulu.

Wonder Woman (2017)

Wonder Woman runs on a battlefield in Wonder Woman.
Warner Bros. Pictures

There is something deliciously ironic about having one of Warner Bros.’ top superheroes on both Hulu and Disney+, which are owned by the same company that makes Marvel movies. The original Wonder Woman was far and away the best of the two films to date — although setting it during World War I still wasn’t enough to avoid the Captain America comparisons.

This was Gal Gadot’s first solo appearance as Diana/Wonder Woman, and she’s especially great in the role when playing off of Chris Pine’s Steve Trevor. It’s Steve who makes Diana realize that she has to leave her isolated island home behind in order to confront Ares, the God of War and the last living Olympian.

Watch Wonder Woman on Hulu.

Escape from Pretoria (2020)

Daniel Webber and Daniel Radcliffe in Escape From Pretoria.
Signature Entertainment

Escape from Pretoria is based on the real-life story of Tim Jenkin (Daniel Radcliffe) and Stephen Lee (Daniel Webster), a pair of South African anti-apartheid activists in the 1970s. After Jenkin and Lee are arrested for their political crimes against the state, they are sentenced and held at Pretoria prison.

A veteran prisoner, Denis Goldberg (Ian Hart), encourages Jenkin and Lee to acclimate to their captivity. However, Jenkin and Lee realize that the prison is far from secure, and they’re willing to escape or die trying in order to continue their battle against apartheid.

Watch Escape from Pretoria on Hulu.

Editors' Recommendations

Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
If you have to watch one Hulu show this May, stream this one
A man aims two guns in Shogun.

While it doesn't get as much love as Netflix, Hulu's library of content is every bit as rich as its competitor's. The best shows on Hulu are among the best shows you can watch anywhere, but if you're trying to narrow in on one to watch, that choice can be difficult.

If you're looking for something to binge in the month of May, Shōgun may be perfect. Adapted from a decades-old James Clavell novel of the same name and loosely based on actual Japanese history, the limited series is one of the best to come along in several years. The show, which tells the story of a British sea captain who becomes an ally to a powerful Japanese lord, is riveting from its first moment. Here are three reasons you should check it out.
It's an easy way to overcome the subtitle barrier
Shōgun - New Extended Trailer | Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai | FX

Read more
3 action movies on Hulu you need to watch in May
Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis in Die Hard With a Vengeance.

Summer is for action, and while The Fall Guy didn't exactly heat up the box office last weekend, Hulu's got plenty of excitement for action fans streaming at home. The ability to draw upon 20th Century Studios' library and borrow films from other studios means that Hulu is never without some top-tier action flicks.

Our picks for the three action movies that you need to watch in May include a modern sequel to an aging franchise, one of Dwayne Johnson's first movies, and the very best Die Hard movie that wasn't the original film.
Bad Boys for Life (2020)

Read more
If you have to watch one Amazon Prime Video movie in May 2024, stream this one
A man points a gun in Run Lola Run.

Classic film lovers have a lot to enjoy on Amazon Prime Video in May, including some of Alfred Hitchcock's suspense thrillers like Psycho, Rear Window, and Rope. For comedy fans, there's Airplane! and Bottle Rocket, while Chocolat and Cold Mountain should warm the hearts of romance aficionados. Gattaca offers some sci-fi-adjacent drama, while Once Upon A Time In The West is the last great spaghetti western. But if you only watch one Amazon Prime Video movie in May 2024, our pick is the 1998 German thriller Run Lola Run.

Tom Tykwer wrote and directed Run Lola Run, which was considered an experimental film during its initial release. Franka Potente stars a Lola, a woman who only has 20 minutes to save the life of her boyfriend, Manni (Moritz Bleibtreu). And when fate conspires against Lola's efforts, she writes her own fate through sheer force of will. Run Lola Run is only 80 minutes long, but it moves at such a fast pace that you'll hardly notice the time. If you haven't seen Run Lola Run, these are the reasons why it's the movie to stream this month on Amazon Prime Video.
Franka Potente gives a terrific performance

Read more