Netflix’s 2024 film slate has been slightly above average. The decision to focus on quality over quantity has paid off. That’s how you get films like Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, one of the year’s best-reviewed films. Other standout films are Under Paris, Rebel Ridge, Spaceman, and Code 8: Part II.
With four months left in the year, Netflix still has several high-profile releases and award plays on the remaining slate. One of the films to watch is Emilia Pérez, a crime musical garnering major buzz for its acting and direction. Other films on the upcoming docket include a directorial debut from a well-known actor and a sequel to a dystopian thriller.
Check out Digital Trends’ coverage of Netflix’s fall 2024 slate.
5. Woman of the Hour (2024)
Anna Kendrick is best known for her work in Pitch Perfect, a comedy set in the world of a capella music. Instead of staying in her comfort zone for her directorial debut, Kendrick pulled a complete 180 and entered the crime genre with Woman of the Hour. In 1978, a mysterious man named Rodney Alcala appeared on The Dating Game and won a date with Cheryl Bradshaw.
What Cheryl, the producers, or the audience don’t know is that Rodney has murdered five women at the time of his appearance. Daniel Zovatto stars as Alcala, while Kendrick plays Bradshaw. Woman of the Hour premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival to a positive reception, leading to Netflix’s purchase of the distribution rights.
Woman of the Hour streams on October 18.
4. The Platform 2 (2024)
In 2019, Netflix released The Platform, a Spanish dystopian thriller from director Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia. In the Vertical Self Management Center, aka prison, residents live in a 200-plus-floor tower where a platform with food lowers from the center and stays for two minutes before lowering to the next level. Residents may eat as much food as they can within the time frame. The residents at the top of the tower have more food to eat, while the lower-level residents are forced to eat their scraps.
The Platform became an instant sensation on Netflix and the fifth-most popular non-English language movie of all time on the streamer. Five years later, the dystopian madness returns in the sequel, The Platform 2. There are new residents in the tower, and once again, they are not happy with how they are fed. Another revolt is on the way. The biggest question: Will The Platform 2 have a new story, or will it just play the hits from the original? If it’s the former, then sign us up.
The Platform 2 streams on October 4.
3. The Piano Lesson (2024)
Denzel Washington is a household name and one of the finest actors of his generation. John David Washington is a successful actor (he was the lead in Tenet) and Denzel’s eldest son. This fall, the world will learn more about Denzel’s youngest son, Malcolm, as he steps behind the camera to direct The Piano Lesson, a period drama and adaptation of August Wilson’s 1987 award-winning play.
It’s set in 1930s Pittsburgh, after the Great Depression, with many families still struggling financially. Boy Willie Charles (John David Washington) wants to sell his family’s prized possession, an heirloom piano. His sister, Berniece Charles (Danielle Deadwyler), will fight tooth and nail to keep the piano. Their opposing views cause a schism within the family, as each member must confront their past demons and pick a side. The Piano Lesson will certainly be in the awards race, with Deadwyler and Samuel L. Jackson in the mix for acting nods.
The Piano Lesson streams on November 22.
2. Emilia Pérez (2024)
Despite The Piano Lesson’s established cast and crew, Emilia Pérez will be Netflix’s biggest awards play. Written and directed by Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez is a daring French musical crime drama staring Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. In Mexico, a cartel leader (Karla Sofía Gascón) receives help from Rita, a lawyer, to fake her death, undergo sex reassignment surgery, and start a new life.
Emilia Pérez premiered to a long standing ovation at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where the four women shared the Best Actress award. Speaking of awards, Gascón will attempt to become the first openly trans actress nominated for an Oscar, while Saldaña appears to be a lock for a supporting nomination. If Emilia Pérez becomes a hit on Netflix, a Best Picture nomination could soon follow.
Emilia Pérez streams on November 13.
1. Carry-On (2024)
Arriving just in time before Christmas is our most anticipated movie of the fall, Carry-On. It will not win any Oscars, but this thriller has the ingredients of a surefire action hit. Taron Egerton stars as Ethan Kopek, a TSA agent blackmailed into letting a dangerous package bypass security and go aboard a Christmas Day flight.
On paper, it sounds like a B-movie thriller, but this is no B-movie cast. Besides Egerton, Carry-On stars Jason Bateman, Sofia Carson, Danielle Deadwyler, Sinqua Walls, Logan Marshall-Green, and Dean Norris. Carry-On is in the hands of action director Jaume Collet-Serra, a genre specialist who helmed Non-Stop, The Shallows, and The Commuter. Who needs Oscars when you can become an instant crowd-pleaser?
Carry-On streams on December 13.
