It took a few weeks, but finally, our list of the best movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max (HBO), and other services picks up some steam for 2025. There’s still nothing new on the recent blockbuster scale of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, but there are five new entries across four platforms, easily the biggest update of the year so far.
This week, tune in for an A24 dark comedy, A Different Man, on Max, Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz in the Netflix action original, Back in Action, and much more. Read on for the updates.
We also have guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
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Back in Action2025 -
A Different Man2024
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A Real Pain2024
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My Penguin Friend2024
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Unstoppable2024
Netflix
Back in Action (2025)
Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz team up for this PG-13 Netflix original action comedy. Back in Action is a little like Mr. & Mrs. Smith a decade in the future.
Years after giving up their lives as CIA spies to start a family, Emily (Diaz) and Matt (Foxx) are happy living a quiet family life. When their cover is blown, the duo are dragged back into the world of espionage with higher stakes than ever before.
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (2024)
82%Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep, Chicken Run) has been on a tear recently, and Netflix has become the American hub for his claymation releases. In his latest film, Wallace has finalized his greatest invention yet: a “smart” gnome capable of accomplishing any kind of gardening task.
But while Wallace’s canine best friend, Gromit, is concerned that Wallace has become too dependent on the bot, Wallace is blissfully unaware that a vengeful figure from his past might be masterminding things to keep Wallace complacent and uninterested in inventing anymore.
Between the Temples (2024)
83%If you’re looking for a thoughtful indie comedy starring Jason Schwartzman, Between the Temples feels like a spiritual successor to the movie that made Schwartzman famous, Rushmore. Ben Gottlieb (Schwartzman) is a Jewish cantor experiencing a crisis of faith when his grade school music teacher, Carla Kessler (Carol Kane), suddenly reenters his life as his new adult Bat Mitzvah student.
As Ben loses his faith, Carla is seeking faith to establish some meaning in her life. Although contemplating opposite solutions, Ben and Carla experience a spiritual crisis and find a special connection with one another.
The Six Triple Eight (2024)
57%Inspired by the first and only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to serve overseas in World War II, Tyler Perry’s The Six Triple Eight tells the story of their extraordinary non-combat mission. Tasked with sorting through a three-year backlog of more than 17 million pieces of undelivered mail, the unit is expected to finish the project within six months.
Despite being set up to fail, the unit nonetheless bands together to show the determination and grit necessary to get the job done. Kerry Washington, Susan Sarandon, and Oprah Winfrey headline a strong cast.
It Ends with Us (2024)
53%It Ends with Us might be better known for Blake Lively’s disastrous press tour in which she came off as condescending and oddly dismissive of women suffering from domestic violence. Nonetheless, adapted from a Colleen Hoover novel, It Ends with Us found an audience and now lands on Netflix.
Lively plays Lily Bloom, a woman who overcomes her traumatic childhood to open a business and start a new life in Boston. When she meets charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni), the two spark a deep connection. However, Lily soon sees sides of Ryle that trigger memories of her parents’ abusive relationship. When her first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), suddenly reenters her life, everything is thrown into disarray.
Max (formerly HBO and HBO Max)
A Different Man (2024)
78%You know A24 likes to get weird, and A Different Man is no exception. Almost an artistic retelling of The Elephant Man, A Different Man stars Sebastian Stan as aspiring actor Edward.
Committed to his creative dream, he undergoes a radical medical procedure to completely transform his appearance. But as he loses out on the role he feels he was born to play and becomes obsessed with reclaiming what he lost, his dream devolves into a nightmare.
Look Into My Eyes (2024)
78%Depending on who you ask, psychic reading is either an ancient therapeutic art or the oldest scam running, and there’s not much in between. Lana Wilson’s documentary Look Into My Eyes attempts to provide a more neutral view of the practice, focusing on a group of New York City psychics.
The documentary sheds light on how psychics work and why people seek them out, with gripping depictions of intense, intimate readings that seek to build connection and offer healing for clients. Whether you’re a skeptic or an adherent, Look Into My Eyes is undeniably interesting.
Juror #2 (2024)
72%As it’s thought to be Clint Eastwood’s last movie, it’s a bit confusing that Juror #2 didn’t receive a wider theatrical release. Critics have raved about this quiet drama, so it will hopefully find a wider audience now that it has landed on Max.
Nicholas Hoult plays Justin Kemp, a family man selected to serve as a juror in a high-profile murder trial. Soon after sitting in court, he realizes he has a serious moral dilemma that should have precluded him from being selected. Now he has a card to play to sway the jury one way or the other. Will he use it?
Joker: Folie à Deux (2024)
45%Nobody wanted or needed a sequel to Todd Phillips’ Oscar-nominated Joker, but Warner Bros. made one anyway. The results weren’t pretty. Nonetheless, it’s a recent, highly talked-about movie, so it makes this list for now.
In the second edition, Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is institutionalized at Arkham Asylum while awaiting trial for his crimes as Joker. As he struggles with his dual identity, Fleck stumbles into love with an admirer, Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), and discovers that there has always been music inside him. Yes, Joker 2 is a musical.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
62%Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is one of the strangest sequels going, and yet, the strangest thing about this movie might be just how incredibly fast it’s made it to streaming. After a September 6, 2024, theatrical release, it was exactly three months before it landed on Max. Just in time for Christmas!
Tim Burton is back behind the camera, Michael Keaton returns in the titular role, and Winona Ryder’s Lydia still has nightmares of Beetlejuice. But after an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River, where Lydia’s teenage daughter, Astrid (Jenna Ortega), discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic, accidentally reopening the portal to the afterlife. Now, there’s trouble brewing in both realms, and somebody, at some point, is going to have to say that name three times.
Hulu
A Real Pain (2024)
86%Jesse Eisenberg directed and stars in this sardonic comedy alongside Kieran Culkin. Cousins David and Benji couldn’t be more different, but they both loved their grandmother deeply, so they reunite for a tour through her Polish homeland in her honor.
As their old tensions inevitably resurface against the backdrop of their family history, they find it increasingly difficult to bury the hatchet and focus on why they’re in Poland in the first place: closure.
My Penguin Friend (2024)
70%Jean Reno stars in this heartwarming, family-friendly movie as reclusive fisherman João, holed up away from the world after a personal tragedy. But when he discovers a lone penguin drenched in oil floating helplessly in the ocean, he dives in to help.
Rather than just clean the animal up, however, he develops a deep kinship with the animal, and, for the first time in years, João feels happy. When the penguin disappears back into the ocean one day, João believes he’ll never see his friend again, not knowing the penguin is already trying to find his way home.
Mothers' Instinct (2024)
47%Oscar winners Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain star in this suburban thriller about best friends and neighbors in the 1950s who seem to have it all. But when a tragic accident upsets the harmony between them and their families, the neighborhood fills with animosity.
Suddenly, guilt, suspicion, and paranoia begin overflowing in both of them, unraveling their bond and threatening to have even more tragic consequences. Josh Charles and Anders Danielsen Lee also star.
Lee (2024)
62%American war correspondent and photographer Elizabeth “Lee” Miller became one of the country’s most acclaimed photojournalists after depicting the savagery of World War II for Vogue. This film portrays the most pivotal decade of Miller’s (Kate Winslet) life, as she transitioned from a fashion model to a war photographer.
Lee depicts Miller’s profound understanding and empathy for victims of war and her desperate attempt to provide a voice for the voiceless. But in her headstrong pursuit of truth, she ultimately pays a tremendous personal price, and is forced to confront a deeply buried trauma from her childhood.
Amazon Prime Video
Unstoppable (2024)
68%Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) was born with one leg, but through his indomitable spirit and the support of his devoted mother, Judy (Jennifer Lopez), and his high school coaches, he fought to earn a spot on the Arizona State Division 1 wrestling team.
But at a new level, it takes absolutely everything he has to achieve his ultimate goal to become an NCAA Champion. This Amazon Prime original is based on a true story.
Red One (2024)
34%What would you get if you crossed The Santa Clause with Mission: Impossible? Well, you’d get Red One and you might wonder why you ever thought of this idea in the first place. Regardless, it’s the biggest-budget Christmas movie of all time and is arriving on Prime Video less than a month after it’s theatrical release.
So, buckle up and follow E.L.F. (Extremely Large and Formidable) operative Callum Drift (Dwayne Johnson) and the world’s greatest tracker, Jack O’Malley (Chris Evans), as they chase down a villain who has kidnapped Santa (J.K. Simmons) to try and stop Christmas.
My Old Ass (2024)
74%Canary Black (2024)
Brothers (2024)
Shudder
Get Away (2024)
56%Nick Frost wrote and stars in this IFC Films horror comedy. Frost plays Richard, the patriarch of a conventional family enjoying a remote island getaway. When they discover they’re sharing the island with a serial killer, the stakes quickly ratchet up.
It’s admittedly low-hanging fruit for Frost, which may explain the poor audience reception, but critics have more or less enjoyed Get Away. Shudder isn’t always rife with genre-bending options like this one, so take advantage while it’s available for a limited time.
Black Cab (2024)
MGM+
The Wasp (2024)
69%Naomie Harris and Natalie Dormer star as estranged friends in this thriller. Carla (Dormer) and Heather (Harris) reunite over tea years after they’ve last spoken. It seems like no time has passed at all as Heather immediately presents Carla with a dangerous and deceptive proposition that could forever alter both their lives.
Each navigates one another’s web of secrets and unspoken agendas as the true nature of this supposedly chance meeting comes to light, and both realize that they’re in imminent, great danger.
Disney+
Blink (2024)
Beatles '64 (2024)
80%Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)
56%Disney+ is now the streaming home to the summer’s two top movies: Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine. The third film in the Deadpool series finds Wade Wilson (Ryan Reynolds) living listlessly in civilian life, retired from his days as the mercenary Deadpool.
As tends to happen in these movies, however, the planet soon faces an existential threat, forcing Deadpool to don the suit once again. But this time, he’s looking for reinforcements in the form of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). Except this isn’t his Wolverine. Instead, Deadpool has to use Cable’s time travel device to rope in another Wolverine from another timeline.
Inside Out 2 (2024)
73%Peacock
Conclave (2024)
79%Based on Robert Harris’ bestselling novel of the same name, Conclave goes behind the scenes of one of the world’s most secret, ancient traditions: selecting a new pope. Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence, the man tasked with running this covert process after the beloved Pope’s unexpected death.
When the Catholic Church’s most powerful leaders gather from around the world, they’re locked together in the Vatican halls. That’s when Lawrence realizes he’s at the center of a conspiracy that could destroy the Church.
Speak No Evil (2024)
66%An American remake of the 2022 Danish horror film of the same name, Speak No Evil is Blumhouse at its best. When an American family befriends a charming British family on vacation, they can’t pass up the invitation to rendezvous at their new friends’ idyllic country estate.
What begins as a dream weekend soon warps into a psychological nightmare as the Americans realize they’re not the first to be invited to this estate. Instead, they’ll have to try to be the first to leave alive. James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, and Scoot McNairy lead a strong cast.
Twisters (2024)
65%About a year ago, you might have asked yourself if anyone really wanted a sequel to the 1996 disaster flick Twister. Now, one question remains: Why didn’t they do it sooner? After racking up more than $370 million at the box office, Twisters was the summer’s fourth-biggest movie, and the second if you remove the two kids’ movies on this list.
In the standalone sequel, Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Kate Carter, a former storm chaser still haunted by a horrific tornado encounter in college. Although she studies storm patterns on screens in New York City, she’s lured back into the field by her friend, Javi (Anthony Ramos), to test a groundbreaking new system. There, she meets social media storm-chasing superstar Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), who offers to test the system in the field. But what starts as an ordinary test soon turns perilous as the crew finds themselves in the path of multiple converging storm systems in central Oklahoma.
Paramount+
Smile 2 (2024)
66%The Smile horror franchise has taken off like a shot, with the second film already landing on Paramount+ just two short years after the theatrical release of the first one. Smile 2 gets even messier and gorier as global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) begins to experience increasingly horrifying and unexplainable events.
Believing they’re at least in some part related to the pressures of her tour and her fame, Skye is forced to face a very dark past to regain control of her life. Yet, she’s being haunted by something relentless.
Dear Santa (2024)
34%Dear Santa has a pretty ridiculous premise, and, depending on how you react to that, you can probably decide whether or not it’s your kind of Christmas movie. When a sixth-grader named Liam writes to Santa asking him to prove his existence, his dyslexia causes a minor issue.
Instead of addressing the letter to Santa, he sends it to Satan by mistake. As such, Satan (Jack Black) shows up at Liam’s front door pretending to be Santa and eager to take a sneaky little piece of Liam’s soul. Dear Santa has Jack Black being Jack Black, jokes about kids with dyslexia, and Christmas chaos. Do with that what you will!
Apple TV+
Fly Me to the Moon (2024)
53%The rare film to be made by another studio and get a theatrical release before landing on Apple TV+, Fly Me to the Moon had some modest box office success this summer. Marketing pro Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) is brought in to fix NASA’s public image problems as the agency prepares for its most important mission to date: putting a man on the moon.
All this messaging wreaks havoc on launch director Cole Davis’ (Channing Tatum) worksite. When the White House deems the mission too important to fail, suddenly both Jones and Davis have another job. They must stage a fake moon landing, just in case the real one doesn’t pan out.
Blitz (2024)
71%
