The most popular movies to stream right now
The most popular movies to stream right now
There's no better time to be an entertainment aficionado than today. According to Nielsen's 2023 State of Play report, audiences nowadays are spoiled for choice, with more than 2.7 million video titles available across various platforms—almost a million more than just two years ago. In addition, streamers can ping pong between 167 unique streaming sources too—think Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, just to name a few. With so much to choose from, it's not a surprise that audiences typically spend as much as 10 minutes (probably even more) looking for something to watch. With so many options, it can be hard to know where to start when picking what to stream for your next movie night.
To help narrow your options, Stacker compiled a list of the 20 most popular movies across all streaming platforms. Using data from Reelgood, with IMDb ratings and additional data points added for extra insights, the list is a far better way to select your next watch than scrolling through Netflix, Hulu, Max, Amazon Prime, etc. looking for that perfect, buzzy feature. The selection (which updates bi-monthly to keep you apprised of what's hot right now) includes a wide selection of picks, from recent Oscar nominees to the season's biggest blockbusters to genre-specific hits of the past several decades. So whether you enjoy a tense drama, a sci-fi epic, or a sweet rom-com, there's almost certainly something here that will strike your interest.
If you're more interested in what's coming soon than what's already available to stream, the list can help you there too. As existing franchises tease new installments and actors and directors announce their newest projects, the respective backlists typically see a huge resurgence in popularity. Meaning all you need to do is keep an eye on what folks are watching now and you'll have a fairly good idea of what's to come in the next several months. So without further ado, read on to see what movies audiences across the country are streaming!
#20. Inglourious Basterds
- Runtime: 153 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Action & Adventure
- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- Cast: Brad Pitt, Mélanie Laurent, and Christoph Waltz
- Release date: Aug. 19, 2009
#19. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
- Runtime: 163 minutes
- Genres: Thriller and Action & Adventure
- Director: Christopher McQuarrie
- Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, and Ving Rhames
- Release date: July 8, 2023
#18. Jaws
- Streaming on: Netflix (subscription)
- Runtime: 124 minutes
- Genres: Action & Adventure and Horror
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, and Richard Dreyfuss
- Release date: June 20, 1975
#17. Ne Zha
- Runtime: 110 minutes
- Genres: Action & Adventure and Animation
- Director: Yu Yang
- Cast: Yanting Lv, Joseph, and Mo Han
- Release date: July 13, 2019
#16. The War of the Roses
- Streaming on: Prime Video (rent/buy)
- Runtime: 116 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Romance
- Director: Danny DeVito
- Cast: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, and Danny DeVito
- Release date: Dec. 8, 1989
#15. Wind River
- Runtime: 107 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Crime
- Director: Taylor Sheridan
- Cast: Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, and Gil Birmingham
- Release date: Aug. 2, 2017
#14. Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
- Streaming on: fuboTV (subscription)
- Runtime: 161 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Western
- Director: Quentin Tarantino
- Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Margot Robbie
- Release date: July 24, 2019
#13. Happy Gilmore
- Runtime: 92 minutes
- Genres: Comedy and Sport
- Director: Dennis Dugan
- Cast: Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, and Julie Bowen
- Release date: Feb. 16, 1996
#12. Sorcerer
- Streaming on: The Criterion Channel (subscription)
- Runtime: 121 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Action & Adventure
- Director: William Friedkin
- Cast: Roy Scheider, Bruno Cremer, and Francisco Rabal
- Release date: June 24, 1977
#11. Alien
- Runtime: 117 minutes
- Genres: Horror and Science-Fiction
- Director: Ridley Scott
- Cast: Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, and Veronica Cartwright
- Release date: May 25, 1979
#10. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
- Runtime: 85 minutes
- Genres: Crime and Comedy
- Director: David Zucker
- Cast: Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, and Ricardo Montalban
- Release date: Dec. 2, 1988
#9. 28 Days Later
- Runtime: 113 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Horror
- Director: Danny Boyle
- Cast: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, and Brendan Gleeson
- Release date: Nov. 15, 2002
#8. Twilight
- Streaming on: Prime Video (rent/buy)
- Runtime: 122 minutes
- Genres: Romance and Drama
- Director: Catherine Hardwicke
- Cast: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, and Billy Burke
- Release date: Nov. 20, 2008
#7. Barbarian
- Streaming on: fuboTV (subscription)
- Runtime: 102 minutes
- Genres: Horror and Mystery
- Director: Zach Cregger
- Cast: Georgina Campbell, Justin Long, and Bill Skarsgård
- Release date: Sept. 8, 2022
#6. The Paper
- Streaming on: Prime Video (rent/buy)
- Runtime: 112 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Comedy
- Director: Ron Howard
- Cast: Michael Keaton, Robert Duvall, and Glenn Close
- Release date: March 18, 1994
#5. Downton Abbey
- Streaming on: Netflix (subscription)
- Runtime: 122 minutes
- Genres: Romance and Drama
- Director: Michael Engler
- Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, and Jim Carter
- Release date: Sept. 12, 2019
#4. Downton Abbey: A New Era
- Streaming on: Peacock Premium (subscription)
- Runtime: 124 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Mystery
- Director: Simon Curtis
- Cast: Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, and Jim Carter
- Release date: April 27, 2022
#3. The Conjuring
- Runtime: 112 minutes
- Genres: Horror and Mystery
- Director: James Wan
- Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, and Lili Taylor
- Release date: July 18, 2013
#2. This Is Spinal Tap
- Streaming on: Prime Video (rent/buy)
- Runtime: 82 minutes
- Genres: Comedy and Music
- Director: Rob Reiner
- Cast: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer
- Release date: March 2, 1984
#1. Nobody
- Streaming on: Freevee (free)
- Runtime: 92 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Crime
- Cast: Connie Nielsen, Christopher Lloyd, and Michael Ironside
- Release date: March 18, 2021
