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. Crimson Tide
- Streaming on: Prime Video (subscription)
- Runtime: 116 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Action & Adventure
- Director: Tony Scott
- Cast: Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, and Matt Craven
- Release date: April 1, 1995
#19. Paddington 2
- Streaming on: Kanopy (subscription)
- Runtime: 103 minutes
- Genres: Animation and Children
- Director: Paul King
- Cast: Ben Whishaw, Sally Hawkins, and Hugh Grant
- Release date: Nov. 9, 2017
#18. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
- Runtime: 157 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Action & Adventure
- Director: Francis Lawrence
- Cast: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, and Peter Dinklage
- Release date: Nov. 15, 2023
#17. Venom
- Streaming on: Disney+ (subscription)
- Runtime: 112 minutes
- Genres: Action & Adventure and Science-Fiction
- Director: Ruben Fleischer
- Cast: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, and Riz Ahmed
- Release date: Oct. 2, 2018
#16. God Knows Where I Am
- Streaming on: Kanopy (subscription)
- Runtime: 97 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Documentary
- Director: Jedd Wider
- Cast: Todd Wider, Lori Singer, and Paul Appelbaum
- Release date: May 1, 2016
#15. Hoosiers
- Runtime: 114 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Family
- Director: David Anspaugh
- Cast: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, and Dennis Hopper
- Release date: Nov. 14, 1986
#14. The Hunger Games
- Streaming on: Prime Video (rent/buy)
- Runtime: 142 minutes
- Genres: Action & Adventure and Fantasy
- Director: Gary Ross
- Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth
- Release date: March 21, 2012
#13. Unforgiven
- Streaming on: Prime Video (rent/buy)
- Runtime: 130 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Western
- Director: Clint Eastwood
- Cast: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, and Morgan Freeman
- Release date: Aug. 7, 1992
#12. John Wick
- Runtime: 101 minutes
- Genres: Crime and Action & Adventure
- Director: Chad Stahelski
- Cast: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, and Alfie Allen
- Release date: Oct. 23, 2014
#11. 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
#10. Idiocracy
- Streaming on: Prime Video (rent/buy)
- Runtime: 84 minutes
- Genres: Action & Adventure and Comedy
- Director: Mike Judge
- Cast: Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, and Dax Shepard
- Release date: Sept. 1, 2006
#9. Jurassic Park
- Runtime: 127 minutes
- Genres: Action & Adventure and Science-Fiction
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum
- Release date: June 11, 1993
#8. Last Breath
- Streaming on: Hoopla (subscription)
- Runtime: 90 minutes
- Genre: Documentary
- Director: Alex Parkinson
- Cast: Richard Da Costa, Duncan Allcock, and Kjetil Ove Alvestad
- Release date: April 5, 2019
#7. The Conversation
- Streaming on: Kanopy (subscription)
- Runtime: 113 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Crime
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- Cast: Gene Hackman, John Cazale, and Allen Garfield
- Release date: April 12, 1974
#6. Den of Thieves
- Runtime: 140 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Action & Adventure
- Director: Christian Gudegast
- Cast: Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, and O'Shea Jackson Jr.
- Release date: Jan. 18, 2018
#5. John Wick: Chapter 4
- Runtime: 169 minutes
- Genres: Action & Adventure and Crime
- Director: Chad Stahelski
- Cast: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, and Bill Skarsgård
- Release date: March 22, 2023
#4. Venom: Let There Be Carnage
- Runtime: 97 minutes
- Genres: Action & Adventure and Science-Fiction
- Director: Andy Serkis
- Cast: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, and Michelle Williams
- Release date: Sept. 30, 2021
#3. The French Connection
- Streaming on: Prime Video (subscription)
- Runtime: 104 minutes
- Genres: Drama and Action & Adventure
- Director: William Friedkin
- Cast: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, and Fernando Rey
- Release date: Oct. 9, 1971
#2. Best in Show
- Streaming on: Kanopy (subscription)
- Runtime: 90 minutes
- Genre: Comedy
- Director: Christopher Guest
- Cast: Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, and Christopher Guest
- Release date: Sept. 29, 2000
#1. Kraven the Hunter
- Streaming on: Netflix (subscription)
- Runtime: 127 minutes
- Genres: Action & Adventure and Thriller
- Director: J.C. Chandor
- Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ariana DeBose, and Fred Hechinger
- Release date: Dec. 11, 2024
