Due to a quirk of the calendar, this is the final extended weekend of the year. Christmas and New Year’s Day both fall on Wednesdays this holiday season. So enjoy it while you can as November bleeds into December with a selection of the three great Hulu movies you need to stream this weekend.
Our picks include an action film that’s a modern classic in the genre, as well as an unexpectedly touching animated flick, and a holiday movie that’s going to be around for generations to come.
Need more recommendations? 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+.
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
The similarly themed White House Down may have made more money, but Olympus Has Fallen is a better action film and it spawned a franchise. Gerard Butler (300) stars as Mike Banning, a man who was formerly a Secret Service agent on the protection detail of President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) and his family. Mike and the Ashers had a strong personal connection until a tragedy split them apart.
In the present, North Korean terrorists seize control of the White House and capture Asher. It’s such a dire situation that the Speaker of the House, Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman), is forced to become acting president. Meanwhile, Banning has a shot at redemption if he can get President Asher and his son, Connor Asher (Finley Jacobsen), out of the White House alive.
Watch Olympus Has Fallen on Hulu.
Robot Dreams (2023)
Hulu has just added one of the most beautiful animated films in recent memory. Robot Dreams has a simple 2D style, and there’s no singing or impromptu musical numbers. In fact, there’s no dialogue at all, but some things are just universally understood. The story is set in 1984 in an anthropomorphic New York City, where a lonely dog lives alone.
The dog cures his loneliness by building a mail-order robot, who quickly becomes his best friend. The bond they share is special, which is why it’s so emotionally affecting when the dog is forced to leave the robot behind. The heart of this story is about the dog trying everything he can think of to reunite with the robot, and how far he’s willing to go for friendship.
Watch Robot Dreams on Hulu.
Elf (2003)
You can tell when the holiday season officially begins by marking the date that Elf comes back to Hulu every year. Thanksgiving may have been yesterday, but Christmastime starts now with this perennial holiday favorite. Buddy Hobbs (Will Ferrell) is the biggest elf at the North Pole, largely because he’s not an elf at all. He’s just a big goofball human who was raised by Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) as his own son.
Buddy becomes an even bigger fish out of water when he learns who he really is, and that his biological father, Walter Hobbs (James Caan), is still alive in New York City. So for the first time in his life, Buddy is among his own kind, and he can barely contain himself. Even after Walter accepts that Buddy is his son, finding common ground in this family is going to take a miracle. Fortunately, it’s the right time of year for those.
Watch Elf on Hulu.
Don’t miss Hulu’s great Black Friday deal
Don’t have Hulu? Well, now’s the perfect time to get it. The Disney-owned streamer is offering a once-in-a-lifetime deal to get all the movies and shows you love (or want to watch) for an unbelievable price. And this year alone makes Hulu worth having. The hit movies Alien: Romulus and Hold Your Breath are available to watch in addition to the latest seasons of Only Murders in the Building and Abbott Elementary.
Their Black Friday sale, which is live now and ends on December 2, is for the monthly subscription with ads tier. Normally, that would cost you $10 each month, but Hulu is offering the next 12 months for a the stunningly low price of $1. That’s right, you can stream all the hits for a dollar each month! There are deals on other tiers and subscription packages (like Hulu with Disney+), but this one is our favorite and a bargain you can’t pass up. So what are you waiting for?
