The 23 Best Movies of 2024 You Can Stream Now
The year is only just beginning, but the shape of the year’s film landscape is already obvious. Comic book movies are on hold, opening up space for non-superhero movies; as a result, we’re seeing a few more unique films come to the fore.
However, unlike last year, when Barbie and Oppenheimer dominated the zeitgeist, there is no unified theme here – other than the fact that potential big-budget blockbusters, even ones as good as Furiosa and The Fallen Boy , have faced difficulties. It’s not entirely clear why ( Dune: Part Two is still being cleaned up), but mid-year films are looking a bit peaky on a macro level, even if there’s a lot to celebrate on a micro level, as evidenced by these 23 releases that are already out streaming or digital rental.
(Please note that some entries on this list are technically 2023 films that either aired internationally or had a limited release in the United States. I define a 2024 film as a film that had the majority of its theatrical release in North America this year calendar year.)
Dune: Part Two
Release date: March 1st. US box office: $282 million.
Has Denis Villeneuve achieved success with his adaptation of the latest installment of Frank Herbert’s epic novel? Yes, so much so that Dune fanatics are already eagerly awaiting the third film, adapting the second book in the series. Cold (figuratively) and intelligent, the film was a success both critically and at the box office, which is surprising in both cases, especially considering that the beloved book began to be perceived as more or less inappropriate.
Where to watch: Max , Digital rental
Lisa Frankenstein
Release date: February 7. US box office: $10 million.
This neon-lit horror-comedy from director Zelda Williams and screenwriter Diablo Cody underperformed at the box office, but is still a great, genre-bending time. Kathryn Newton plays teenage outcast Lisa, who is accidentally brought back to life and then develops romantic feelings for a decaying Victorian-era young man (Cole Sprouse). The mix of sweet romance, horror and dark comedy isn’t to everyone’s tastes, but if any of that sounds appealing, you’re in for a scary treat.
Where to watch: Peacock , digital rental
Late Night with the Devil
Release date: March 22 . US box office: $11 million.
David Dastmalchian plays Jack Delroy, a late-night talk show host in 1977 – not quite Johnny Carson, but about the same level. A Halloween night special about demonic possession brings Jack’s dark secrets to the forefront and soon spirals out of control, with dire consequences. The idea is that we’re watching a live recording of real events, and the filmmakers have a lot of fun telling how the atmosphere of the period begins to deteriorate for the presenter, guests and studio audience.
Where to watch: Shudder, digital rental.
I saw the TV light
Release date: May 3. US box office: $4 million.
What if your favorite TV show wasn’t just a show, but a glimpse into another world? When a couple of kids in 1989 become addicted to their favorite TV show, their sense of identity begins to crumble, for better or worse. Writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s second feature (following the wildly online experimental horror film We’re All Gonna Go to the World’s Fair ) is, on the one hand, a stylish and trippy examination of the dangers of nostalgia, and on the other, a beautiful, emotionally wrenching vision. trans experience.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Infected
Release date: April 6. US box office: no data.
What, you don’t like spiders? This 2023 French import, released in the US in April, is a giant housing project overrun with rare arachnid species that should never have been imported. It’s not exactly a science-based story, just the story of careless young people trying to survive the onslaught of fast-breeding, fast-growing spiders, although the authorities are more interested in containing the problem than actually helping the low-income Parisians trapped inside. building. Good entertainment for fans of creepy crawlies.
Where to watch: Shudder, AMC+, digital rental.
Hitman
Release date: May 24. US Streaming Box Office: N/A.
I don’t know why we’re still moving towards streaming movies from major directors, but that’s the case with Richard Linklater’s The Hitman . Glen Powell plays a surly New Orleans professor who discovers he’s surprisingly good at his new part-time job: posing as a hitman for the police to catch people willing to pay for murder. Things get pretty complicated (in a darkly comedic way) when he’s approached by Madison (Adria Arjona) to get rid of her abusive husband, and he’s suddenly confused about who’s the hero and who’s the villain.
Where to watch: Netflix
Contenders
Release date: April 26. US box office: $50 million.
Luca Guadagnino ( Call Me by Your Name ) brings us the horny bisexual romantic tennis drama we never knew was possible. Zendaya plays a former professional tennis player turned coach who finds herself in a love triangle with her champion husband (Mike Feist) and her boyfriend (Josh O’Connor). The chemistry between these three is amazing.
Where to watch: digital rental.
River
Release date: early 2024. US Streaming Box Office: N/A.
A delightful import from Japanese director Junta Yamaguchi, River is set in a bucolic health spa where nothing much happens… until employee Mikoto finds herself sent back in time for exactly two minutes. Every two minutes, in fact, and she’s not the only one getting hurt. The sci-fi comedy is truly frantic as staff and guests try to figure out how to live their lives two minutes at a time, but there’s a winning sweetness that works well with the elements of the genre. It’s really fun.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Hundreds of beavers
Release date: April 15 streaming. Box office: $420,000 in limited release.
The film was a hit on the festival circuit, delighting road show audiences with its Looney Tunes -style charm and, naturally, plenty of beavers. 19th century apple (that’s a kind of booze) seller Gene Kayak starts a war with said beavers (played by people in giant, absurd costumes) when one of them eats through a support beam and destroys his house. The result is absolute comic anarchy, with one legitimately hilarious silent film style gag after another. Did you want something unique? This is it.
Where to watch: digital rental.
Love, lies, bleeding
Release date: March 8. Box office: $8.3 million.
Writer-director Rose Glass ( Saint Maud ) returns with a darkly comic neo-noir crime thriller featuring a reclusive gym manager (Kristen Stewart) and a bodybuilder (Katie O’Brien) who become involved with mafia after conspiring to cover up the crime. murder. This is a wonderful piece of contemporary queer music with a pair of great leads.
Where to watch: digital rental.
First Omen
Release date: April 5. Box office: $20 million.
If you had told me that a prequel to the long-defunct Omen franchise would be one of the most effective horror films of the year (so far), I would have looked at you the way everyone looks at Gregory Peck when he tried to kill his Satanic Child back in the original 1976. But here we are! First-time director Arkasha Stevenson brings a ton of ’70s period style and an appropriately paranoid atmosphere to the story of the birth of future Antichrist Damien, mixing themes of bodily autonomy with genuine horror and one of the most bizarre birth scenes in film history.
Where to watch: Hulu , digital rental.
Bosco
Release date: February 2. Box office: no data.
Based on the memoir of Quontay “Bosco” Adams (played here by Aubrey Joseph), who was sentenced in 2004 to 35 years in a maximum security prison for a heinous, unforgivable crime… well, the movie keeps it a secret for quite a long time. Bye. Suffice to say, once the truth is revealed, it’s not hard to root for him as he plans an ingenious and rather spectacular escape with the help of a prison pen pal (Nikki Blonsky). Tyrese Gibson, Theo Rossi, Thomas Jane and Vivica A. Fox round out the cast.
Where to watch: Peacock , digital rental
Orion and darkness
Release date: February 2 streaming. Box office: no data.
Charlie Kaufman ( Being John Malkovich , Adaptation , Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ) wrote early drafts of this animated DreamWorks adaptation of Emma Yarlett’s novel. When young Orion is visited by the literal embodiment of his fear of the dark, he sets off on a whirlwind journey to explore the world of the night in the hopes that it will help him face his fears. Without feeling age-inappropriate, this Netflix animated film tackles more serious themes than we’re used to seeing in modern children’s films (existential angst, anyone?).
Where to watch: Netflix
Autumn guy
Release date: May 3 Box office: $88 million
While theater audiences aren’t exactly crazy about this comedic version of the 1980s TV show, this Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt vehicle from John Wick director David Leitch is impressively enjoyable summer entertainment. The stunts are, unsurprisingly, consistently impressive, as are the special effects, but the real star is the chemistry between Gosling and Blunt. It’s satisfying, enjoyable, stand-alone entertainment that we don’t see often these days (and considering it’s on track to lose a ton of money, maybe ever again).
Where to watch: digital rental.
Doll hijackers
Release date: February 23. Box office: $5 million.
Ethan Coen directs alone (co-writing with his wife Tricia Cook) for this gorgeously frenzied tribute to ’70s exploitation novels. Marian and Jamie are a couple of friends who, on a road trip to Tallahassee, Florida, discover that they have rented the wrong car. Hint: a briefcase full of sex toys and a human head in the trunk. From such circumstances great lesbian adventures are born. If it doesn’t quite live up to the Coen brothers’ best work (and that’s no easy task), it’s still a very good time.
Where to watch: Peacock , Digital rental
Shirley
Release date: March 22. US Streaming Box Office: N/A.
John Ridley ( 12 Years a Slave screenwriter) directs this much-needed Shirley Chisholm biopic. The first black woman elected to Congress (in 1969), she ran a fiercely progressive campaign for president just three years later. While the film doesn’t stray too far from the biopic formula stylistically, Regina King delivers a moving and powerful performance in the title role.
Where to watch: Netflix
Scoop
Release date: April 5th. US Streaming Box Office: N/A.
Gillian Anderson plays real-life British journalist Emily Maitlis, who heads the BBC2 team that secured the disastrous (for the prince) interview with Prince Andrew (Rufus Sewell) that exposed his links to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Anderson is phenomenal in the film, managing to make the search for the interview quite dramatic.
Where to watch: Netflix
Ghostbusters: Ice Empire
Release date: March 22. US box office: $113 million.
Look, there’s no doubt that this whole Ghostbusters thing has gotten a little formulaic. Still, there’s plenty of fun to be had in this Avengers-style mash-up, which brings together generations of Ghostbusters in a more formal way than the previous film, Afterlife . He also returns to New York, which seems right, and Ernie Hudson remains the unsung MVP of the franchise.
Where to watch: Digital purchase.
Bob Marley: One Love
Release date: February 14. US box office: $97 million.
In many ways this is a standard issue for biopics, but this one is completely saved by a brilliant performance from lead Kingsley Ben-Adir and, of course, a killer soundtrack. An underdog box office success story.
Where to watch: Paramount+ , digital rental
Monkey man
Release date: April 5th. US box office: $25 million.
Dev Patel writes, directs and stars in this bloody action thriller that ultimately gives John Wick a run for his money. In the film, inspired by the Hindu deity Hanuman, Patel plays a nameless fighter from a sleazy, cutthroat establishment who is wronged and sets out to take revenge. The actor is incredibly attractive on screen and seems to have a clear eye for the camera; Man-Ape stands out from the crowd of action films by eschewing stylized fight choreography in favor of a more brutal and gritty style.
Where to watch: Peacock , Digital purchase
Jim Henson “Idea Man”
Release date: May 31st. US Streaming Box Office: N/A.
Ron Howard directs this moving, funny and altogether important biography of the man behind The Muppets , Sesame Street and The Dark Crystal . This goes for anyone who’s ever laughed with Gonzo or cried through a frog singing “Rainbow Connection” (everyone, basically).
Where to watch: Disney+.
Promised land
Release date: February 2. US box office: $300,000.
In 18th-century Denmark, failed war hero Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) hopes to turn his meager pension into a kind of life for himself, cultivating a piece of vast wilderness that no one else has. was able to do something. The greedy local judge quickly finds that Kalen’s reputation threatens him with the intention of ruining all his plans. Beautiful, unforgiving Scandinavian drama combined with some Western style elements.
Where to watch: Hulu , digital rental.
We are all strangers
Release date: January 4 (wide release in the US). US box office: $4 million.
This is another film that was technically released in 2023, although it didn’t get a wide release in the US until January 2024. On the surface, a ghost story, We Are All Strangers follows lonely screenwriter Adam (Andrew Scott) as he begins a romantic story. relationship with her very mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal), the only residents of an impressive new apartment building. This relationship prompts Adam to return to his family home, where he discovers his (long-dead) parents acting very much alive and well. From here the film goes to some very dark places, reminding us that loss is an inevitable part of life, yes, but also that the only real comfort is forgetting and moving on. Emotionally raw, but beautiful.
Where to watch: Hulu , digital rental.