Another weekend means a fresh crop of great new movies are landing across the best streaming services. But with so many great options to choose from, narrowing down your next movie night watch can quickly turn into a headache when all you want to do is grab some popcorn, curl up on the couch, and relax.
So let us here at Tom’s Guide do the hard work for you. We’ve rounded up only the best of the best new movies that just arrived on streaming that are worthy of your to-watch list. Leading the pack this week are two terrifying horror movies arriving fashionably late for Halloween: “Alien: Romulus” on Hulu and “Smile 2” on paid video-on-demand services. For something more in season, Netflix has a steamy new romantic comedy with “The Merry Gentlemen.”
So without further ado, here are the best new movies on streaming to watch this weekend. For even more recommendations on what to watch, check out our round-up of the best movies and shows new to streaming this week.
‘Alien: Romulus’ (Hulu)
The terrifying Xenomorphs are invading Hulu just in time for the holidays. “Alien: Romulus” is the latest entry in Ridley Scott’s tense sci-fi thriller series, and it really goes back to the franchise’s roots. Set between the events of the first two movies and directed by Fede Álvarez, it follows a group of young space colonists who set out on their biggest scavenging haul yet and end up getting more than they bargained for.
While combing through a derelict spaceship for cryostasis equipment, the last component they need to make their dreams of escaping to an idyllic, far-off planet come true, the group comes face to face with the most terrifying life-forms in the universe. “Alien: Romulus” is the rare franchise revival done right, and if you enjoy your yuletide cheer with a healthy helping of terror, it’s definitely worth a watch, especially for fans of the previous films.
Watch it now on Hulu
‘The Merry Gentlemen’ (Netflix)
Netflix has been on a roll lately with holiday rom-coms, and this latest treat it’s serving up is no different. Because what better way is there to stir up some Christmas cheer than with a steamy musical revue? “The Merry Gentlemen” stars Britt Robertson as Ashley Davis, a professional dancer from a small town who hasn’t been home for the holidays since she landed a coveted role in the hit Jingle Bells show.
However, when her parents performing venue threatens to go out of business under mounting debts, she comes up with a plan to changes its fortunes. She organizes an all-male, Christmas-themed revue to raise money, and even manages to convince the charming local handyman, Luke (Chad Michael Murray), to take center stage. With the help of some fit and shirtless dancers, Ashley sets out to save the Rhythm Room—and Christmas itself.
Watch it now on Netflix
‘Blitz’ (Apple TV Plus)
In a new heart-wrenching new evacuee drama from Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen, a mother and son are torn apart amid Germany’s Blitz bombing that battered London in World War II. Saoirse Ronan stars as Rita Hanway, a London factory worker who, like many parents during the war, faces an impossible decision: to keep her 9-year-old son George (Elliott Heffernan) out of harm’s way, she puts him on a train to wait out the fighting in the relative safety of the English countryside.
That explanation is little conciliation to George, though, who escapes the train at the first chance to hightail it back to East London and reunite with his mom and grandfather (Paul Weller). Along the way, he stumbles from one nightmare into the next as his worried mother searches for him and uncovers a new sense of community back home.
Watch it now on Apple TV Plus
‘Smile 2’ (PVOD)
It’s not often that a sequel exceeds its original, especially when it comes to horror movies. But “Smile 2” manages to impress with some fun shake-ups to what made its 2022 predecessor such a surprise box office smash. Set just a few days after where the first movie left off, “Smile 2” stars “Charlie’s Angels” actress Naomi Scott stars as Skye Riley, a popstar gearing up for her big comeback tour a year after a devastating crash that killed her boyfriend.
But just as she’s about to step into the limelight once more, her drug dealer (Lukas Gage) brutally kills himself in front of her with that signature cursed smile on his face. You know what that means: Skye is now haunted by sinister smiling figures wherever she goes, and if she doesn’t find a way to break the curse within the week, she can expect to meet the same gruesome fate.
Buy or rent now on Amazon
‘Bread & Roses’ (Apple TV Plus)
After stunning at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, this documentary from Sahri Mani, director of “A Thousand Girls Like Me,” has earned an impressive 100% on Rotten Tomatoes since it landed on Apple TV Plus earlier this month. Produced by Jennifer Lawrence and Malala Yousafzai, “Bread & Roses” provides an intimate look on the plight of women in Afghanistan in the wake the 2021 fall of Kabul to the Taliban.
It follows the personal journeys of three courageous Afghani women in real-time as they fight to recover their autonomy while living under the thumb of a repressive regime. By painting an unflinching portrait of the harrowing plight and struggles to escape their stifling new norm, Mani captures the spirit and resilience of Afghan women and brings their stories to a global stage.
Watch it now on Apple TV Plus
