5 best new movies to stream this weekend on Netflix, HBO Max, Peacock and more
The best streaming services are serving up a ton of great new movies this weekend, but narrowing down which ones are worth your precious streaming time can quickly become a headache. That's why we're highlighting all of the hits and none of the duds to make your next movie night one to remember.
Leading the pack this week is Adam Sandler's long-awaited sequel "Happy Gilmore 2" on Netflix, which is all but guaranteed to crash the streamer's top 10 on a wave of nostalgia. Also worth noting is Disney's live-action adaptation of "Lilo & Stitch" made its debut on premium streaming this week.
Meanwhile, HBO Max just got A24's offbeat horror comedy led by Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega: "Death of a Unicorn." Peacock has a rare Christmas thriller, "Violent Night," that's surprisingly fun even with such a hokey premise. For something less fun and more funny (in a bad way), Netflix got the "Until Dawn" video game adaptation that's pretty much only tied to its inspiration in name only.
So without further ado, let's dive into the best new movies on streaming to watch this weekend.
I have a confession: I watched "Happy Gilmore" for the first time this week. My mom thought Adam Sandler was annoyingly unfunny, so his movies were quietly banned from our household growing up. All the talk of Netflix's upcoming sequel convinced me to finally sit down and see what all the fuss was about, and while I'm still not convinced that the world really needed a sequel, I'm always happy to be proven wrong.
It's been nearly 30 years since we last saw Sandler's Happy on the green, but it doesn't look like much has changed. He's still just as loud, impulsive, and foul-mouthed as ever. Everyone's favorite hot-headed golf champion comes out of retirement and rejoins the pro golf circuit, this time to cover the cost of his daughter's ballet school in a new underdog adventure.
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Given the nostalgia factor and Sandler's enduring fanbase, it's a safe bet this long-awaited sequel will shoot straight to No. 1 on Netflix's most-watched list.
Watch it now on Netflix
What happens when you accidentally run over a unicorn with your car? Pure chaos, as Elliot Kintner (Paul Rudd) and his teenage daughter Ridley (Jenna Ortega) discover in A24's horror comedy titled (what else?) "Death of a Unicorn."
While en route to an important business trip where Elliot hopes to seal a lucrative deal, the pair mows down an honest-to-goodness unicorn. But the real madness begins after they haul the creature's body to the lavish estate of Elliot's eccentric boss, Odell Leopold (Richard E. Grant).
At the sight of the mythical beast, Leopold's family gets dollar signs in their eyes and immediately starts cooking up ways to exploit the unicorn's mystical healing powers. Elliot and Ridley try to stop them, but end up having their hands full with an even bigger threat: a vengeful herd of unicorns out for revenge.
Watch it now on HBO Max
Love 'em or hate 'em, the latest Disney animated classic to get the live-action treatment, "Lilo & Stitch," arrived on premium video-on-demand platforms this week. Me? I'm holding off until it eventually comes to Disney Plus in a few weeks, but fans eager to relive all the nostalgia and chaotic charm will be happy to know they can now watch it from the comfort of their couch.
The story follows largely the same beats as the 2002 original. When a dog-like alien on the run from intergalactic police crashlands in Hawaii, he forms an unlikely friendship with a lonely young outcast named Lilo (Maia Kealoha). She hopes he will help heal her broken family, but instead, his troublemaking ways only drive her already-stretched-thin sister/guardian, Nani (Sydney Agudong), to her breaking point.
Director Dean Fleischer Camp, whose excellent "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" stole my heart, brings his signature blend of warmth and humor to this project. And having Chris Sanders, the original's co-creator and director, return to voice Stitch adds a welcome sense of continuity that longtime fans are sure to enjoy.
Buy or rent now on Prime Video and Apple
You've heard of Christmas in July, but when it comes to "Violent Night," don't expect the feel-good yuletide classics you grew up with. This bloody, adrenaline-fueled Christmas thriller unfolds on Christmas Eve, when a ruthless team of mercenaries (led by John Leguizamo's cold-hearted Scrooge) crashes the Lightstone family's celebration to hold them hostage and steal millions from their vault.
But their plans take an unexpected turn when Santa Claus (David Harbour of "Stranger Things" fame) gets caught in the ray while delivering presents. And this isn't the jolly ol' Saint Nick you're familiar with: He's a hardened, take-no-prisoners, one-man killing machine.
Determined to protect young Trudy Lightstone (Leah Brady), the only one in her family who still believes in him, Santa unleashes a brutal, darkly hilarious beatdown. I didn't have high hopes when I went into "Violent Night" last Christmas, but it instantly became one of my go-to Christmas films. If you enjoy festive movies with a gritty edge, this unconventional holiday thriller is a must-watch.
Watch it now on Peacock
"Until Dawn" is one of the worst video game movie adaptations in recent memory. It sits alongside "Borderlands" as a rare failure in a veritable golden age of video games on the big screen. But even bad movies can be entertaining if you're in the mood for a good laugh.
Honestly, to even call this an adaptation of the hit PlayStation horror game feels like a stretch. It takes only the broadest inspiration, with the characters, setting, and tone all overhauled beyond recognition.
Gone is the secluded, snowy mountaintop cabin beset by ancient horrors that stalk the forest. Instead, we follow a group of friends trapped in a remote house that's caught in a time loop. Each reset brings fresh horrors, and the group must survive the night again and again to have any hope of escaping their horrible fate. It's admittedly a fun premise for a video game, but as a movie, "Until Dawn" falls far short of its inspiration.
Watch it now on Netflix
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