Our list of the best new movies and shows to watch on streaming this weekend ranges from hilarious comedies to gore horrors, which means there is something for everyone here. Whether you are simply too seated for Wednesday season 2 or hoping to have a good time with Eddie Murphy's new comedy on Prime Video, this list offers everything you need to enjoy the latest releases on the best streaming services.
Below, we've selected 6 great movies and TV shows recently released on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Apple TV Plus and Hulu, that should be on your watchlist right now. We've included one of the best horror movies of the year, The Monkey, as well as Fantastic Four star Pedro Pascal's small gem Freaky Tales. Because we're feeling even freakier, we're also recommending a nostalgic watch of 2003's Freaky Friday ahead of the release of its sequel, Freakier Friday, this week.
Some exciting upcoming movies are landing in cinemas, but here we're focusing on everything you can watch at home right now, including the best shows and streaming films of 2025. Let's hope some of these titles are as incredible as some of this year's best streaming highlights, like Andor season 2 and Severance season 2.
New movies
Freaky Tales (HBO Max)
Available: US
Watch now: HBO Max
After wowing audiences at the Sundance Film Festival last year, Freaky Tales is finally releasing on streaming. With a star-studded cast featuring Fantastic Four star Pedro Pascal and Ironheart's Dominique Thorne, the film follows four interconnected stories set in 1987 Oakland California. It's bold, wild and funny, painting a picture of an era with lots of stylish images to spare.
Helmed by Captain Marvel directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, the story focuses on the stories of a retired sports gambling enforcer looking for revenge, a group of teen punks defending their turf against Nazi skinheads, a rap duo battling for hip-hop immortality, and an NBA All-Star settling the score. Ben Mendelsohn, Avatar: The Way of Water's Jack Champion, Top Gun: Maverick’s Jay Ellis, and the late Angus Cloud complete the main cast.
Freaky Tales is available to stream on Max from August 8. For more, check out our guides to the best HBO shows and the best HBO movies.
The Monkey (Hulu)
Available: US
Watch now: Hulu
If you missed The Monkey in cinemas, you'd better run this weekend to Hulu to watch it on streaming. It's one of the best horror movies of 2025, as well as one of the best Stephen King adaptations we've seen in a while. One of the bloodiest and funniest, too. Longlegs director Osgood Perkins rarely misses the mark.
Starring Theo James and Tatiana Maslany, the story follows twin brothers Hal and Bill Shelburn as they battle for control of a lethal toy monkey. When the cursed object plays its drums, someone dies, and it's impossible to predict who. What follows is a plethora of inventively gruesome kills that horror fans will enjoy. As our 4-star The Monkey review said, this "might be a horror, but it's a laugh riot too."
The Monkey is available to stream on Hulu from August 7. For more, read our The Monkey ending explained, and check out our list of the best Hulu shows to watch right now.
The Pickup (Prime Video)
Available: US/UK
Watch now: Prime Video
Prime Video's latest action comedy might just be the perfect, lightest watch for this weekend. With Eddie Murphy, Eva Longoria, Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer leading the cast, you can be sure that The Pickup is packed with great comedic talent, which blends into the exciting action sequences.
Directed by Tim Story, the film follows Russell and Travis, two drivers on a cash pickup job that doesn't go exactly as planned. The pair are ambushed by a gang of armed criminals, and they are asked to help them with carrying out a huge robbery. Russell and Travis must put aside their differences and work together if they want to survive.
The Pickup is available to stream on Amazon Prime from August 6. For more, check out our list of all the best movies on Prime Video right now.
Freaky Friday (Disney Plus)
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Disney Plus
With the long-awaited sequel Freakier Friday hitting cinemas this week, the best thing you can do is give Disney's teenage classic a (re)watch. You won't regret it – over twenty years later, Freaky Friday is still a hilarious and deliciously ridiculous body-swap film with unforgettable performances and some lovely messages about mother-daughter relationships that still resonates today.
In the original movie, we meet single mother Tess Coleman (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her teenage daughter Anna (Lindsay Lohan), who, after receiving cryptic fortunes at a Chinese restaurant, wake up the next day with their bodies swapped. Until they find a solution, they are forced to impersonate each other, with hysterical results.
Freaky Friday is available to stream on Disney Plus. For more, see our list of the best TV shows on Disney Plus.
New TV shows
Wednesday season 2 (Netflix)
Available: US
Watch now: Netflix
One of Netflix's most popular shows is finally back, ready to break more viewership records, get pigtails back in fashion and launch a viral dance on TikTok. Wednesday Addams can do it all. The first few episodes of Wednesday season 2 are out now, with Jenna Ortega reprising the lead role alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia Addams, Luis Guzmán as Gomez Addams, Isaac Ordonez as Pugsley Addams, and Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester.
As we are welcomed back to Nevermore Academy, Wednesday will have to face some new challenges. As we saw in the first trailer, that includes a time-bomb mission to save Enid, Addams Family secrets, and the sour-faced hero reluctantly becoming a Nevermore celebrity.
Wednesday Season 2 Part 1 is available to stream on Netflix from August 6. For more, see our Wednesday season 2 release schedule, and check out the best Netflix shows to watch right now.
Platonic season 2 (Apple TV Plus)
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Apple TV Plus
We can't think of a better way to spend our weekend than alongside Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, two of the funniest people in Hollywood. If the first season of Platonic flew under your radar back in 2023, now is the perfect time to catch up, as season 2 premiered this week. And throw in Rogen's The Studio too if you haven't watched it already on Apple TV Plus – it might be the best comedy show this year.
In this second chapter of Platonic, created by Francesca Delbanco and Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), we reunite with these two platonic friends, who are now facing very different midlife crises as Rogen's character has second thoughts about his upcoming wedding.
Platonic season 2 is available to stream on Apple TV Plus from August 6. For more, check out our lists for the best movies on Apple TV Plus and the best TV shows on Apple TV Plus.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our list of the best Netflix movies or the best movies on Disney Plus.
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