5 top new movies to stream this week on HBO Max, Disney Plus, Hulu and more (May 27-June 2)
The major players like Netflix and Prime Video are sitting out the next seven days, but their rivals are picking up the slack with HBO Max, Disney Plus, Hulu and Peacock offering new flicks for subscribers to enjoy.
There's no contest when it comes to picking my personal highlight this week: HBO Max's 'Mountainhead' has all my attention. This sharp comedy-drama comes from 'Succession' creator Jesse Armstrong, and the trailer presents a similar tone to his award-winning black comedy series.
Other noteworthy newcomers include the Disney Plus debut of 'Captain America: Brave New World' and family flick 'Dog Man' on Peacock.
Here's a guide to the most noteworthy new additions across streaming platforms this week, and if you want to watch some TV instead, we have a rundown of the top new TV shows you can stream this week as well.
Josh Hartnett stars in this sky-high action comedy that appears to take pretty clear cues from 'Bullet Train.' That's not a bad source of inspiration and Tom's Guide's own Martin Shore labeled it 'the wildest movie I've seen in 2025' and also called it 'an absolute riot.' This glowing write-up has definitely convinced me to add it to my watchlist this week.
In 'Fight or Flight,' Hartnett plays a skilled mercenary who boards an international flight bound for San Francisco. But he's not on this plane to watch movies and eat questionable food, he's been tasked with identifying an elusive hacker known as 'The Ghost.'
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The job gets even trickier when it becomes clear the plane is filled with assassins, and these contract killers have both 'The Ghost' and Hartnett's Lucas Reyes in their crosshairs, forcing an uneasy alliance.
Buy or rent on Amazon from May 27
'The Seed of the Sacred Fig' is one of the best movies of last year you (probably) didn't see. It's a gripping political thriller that competed for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize. The work of writer/director Mohammed Rasoulof, the twisting narrative unfolds with almost unbearable tension, and the performances are electric.
The movie centers on Iman (Missagh Zareh), a judge in the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, who struggles with increasing paranoia as the Iranian city falls into a state of political unrest following the death of a young woman.
As the outside situation deteriorates, things within Iman's home also take a turn when a handgun given to him for protection by the government goes missing. He suspects that his wife and daughter may have taken it, and things only go south from there.
Watch on Hulu from May 27
The fourth Captain America solo movie sees the superhero mantle passed over to Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) following the events of the Disney Plus series 'The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.' So long, Steve Rogers.
While 'Captain America: Brave New World' is far from a truly vintage entry in the long-running Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's a step up from some of the franchise's recent duds. It's a mostly enjoyable blockbuster, even if it feels extremely routine after 30+ MCU movies.
In this new world full of sinister threats originating from Earth and beyond, Sam is still finding his footing now that he's taken up the Captain America role. But he's forced to learn on the job as he's drawn into a major international incident when freshly elected U.S. president Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) is targeted in a mysterious assassination attempt.
Watch on Disney Plus from May 28
The whimsical 'Dog Man' series by Dav Pilkey is a childhood staple for millions, so it's no surprise the canine police officer's first big-screen outing has been warmly embraced by viewers of all ages. Packing a charming but very silly story and vibrant animation courtesy of Dreamworks, it's got all the ingredients to be a firm family favorite, and this week it arrives on Peacock.
Based on a graphic novel series, it sees a police officer and his faithful pooch fused together after an explosive injury (don't worry, it's less grisly than it sounds). Reborn as Dog Man, the human-dog hybrid must embrace his new identity while also stopping a feline supervillain, Petey the Cat, from unleashing chaos on Ohkay City. The movie includes the voice talents of Peter Hastings, Pete Davidson, Isla Fisher, Lil Rel Howery and Ricky Gervais.
Watch on Peacock from May 30
I'm a 'Succession' superfan, so it's probably no surprise that 'Mountainhead' on HBO Max is my most anticipated new movie of the week.
This satirical comedy-drama comes from Jesse Armstrong, the creator of the award-winning HBO show, and the man behind the excellent British comedy 'Peep Show.' Armstrong knows how to write biting dialogue and craft memorable and compelling characters, even if they're also often unlikable.
'Mountainhead' is a confined movie that sees a group of wealthy tech billionaires (Steven Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef) meet in a plush mountainside lodge where an international crisis unfolds around them. Based on the trailer, it looks packed with snappy exchanges that scream vintage Jesse Armstrong. In many ways, it appears to be something of a spiritual sequel to 'Succession.' Consider me fully sold.
Watch on HBO Max from May 31
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Forbes
2 minutes ago
- Forbes
‘The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox' Release Schedule—When Do New Episodes Drop?
Hulu's newest true crime show has arrived. Following the success of limited series like 2025's Good American Family and 2022's The Dropout, viewers are now transported to Italy for one of the most infamous real-life murder cases involving an American student abroad: Amanda Knox. The series, which premiered on Aug. 20, stars Grace Van Patten (Nine Perfect Strangers, Tell Me Lies) as the American college student who becomes entangled in a high-profile investigation for the 2007 sexual assault and murder of Meredith Kercher during her study abroad year in Italy. Kercher, a 21-year-old British exchange student and one of Knox's three roommates, was found dead from a knife attack in their shared flat in Perugia, Italy. Knox and her Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were arrested and imprisoned for the crime. In 2009, both were convicted of the killing — Knox received a 26-year sentence while Sollecito received 25 years. Though the ruling was overturned in 2011, Knox's legal battle was far from over. In 2014, both Knox and Sollecito were reconvicted of murder, which was finally overturned in 2015. The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox follows 'the eponymous American college student, who arrives in Italy for her study abroad only to be wrongfully imprisoned for murder weeks later,' the synopsis reads. 'The series traces Amanda's relentless fight to prove her innocence and reclaim her freedom, and examines why authorities and the world stood so firmly in judgment.' Knox serves as an executive producer on the limited series, alongside Monica Lewinsky, Knox's husband, Christopher Robinson and Warren Littlefield (The Handmaid's Tale). 'This is not a show about the worst experience of someone's life,' Knox told The New York Times. 'This is the show of a person's choice to find closure on their own terms and to reclaim a sense of agency in their own life after that agency has been stolen from them.' The first two episodes of The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox are now streaming on Hulu, but when will new episodes be available on the platform? Here's everything you need to know, including the release time, episode count and more. When Do New Episodes Of The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox Come Out On Hulu? New episodes of The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox are released on Wednesdays at 3 a.m. ET/midnight PT on Hulu. Episode 3 will be available on the streaming site on Wednesday, Aug. 27. How Many Episodes Will Be In The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox? There will be eight episodes in the first season of Hulu's new limited series, The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. What Is The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox Release Schedule? The first two episodes of The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox premiered on Wednesday, Aug. 20. Meanwhile, the remaining six episodes will be released weekly until the anticipated Season 1 finale on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Check out the full release schedule with available episode titles below: How To Watch The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is exclusively available to stream on Hulu — or on Disney+ with one of the Disney+ Bundles. A basic Hulu subscription with ads costs $9.99 per month, while the Disney+ Hulu Bundle starts at $10.99/month. Hulu offers free trials for new and eligible returning subscribers, but the duration of the trial depends on the plan you choose. Visit Hulu's website to explore all available options so you can watch a portion of The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox for free. The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox is now streaming exclusively on Hulu. Watch the official trailer below.
Forbes
4 minutes ago
- Forbes
Amanda Knox And Grace Van Patten Spoke Often While Filming Hulu Series
Grace Van Patten delivers a remarkable performance portraying Amanda Knox in the new Hulu series about Knox's fight against an Italian legal system that believed she was involved in the brutal murder of her British roommate, Meredith Kercher, on November 1, 2007. Knox was wrongfully convicted later that year and spent nearly four years in prison for a crime she didn't commit. The American college student was studying abroad in Perugia, Italy, at the time and was convicted alongside her Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, in 2009. They were both fully exonerated by Italy's Supreme Court in 2015. Now, a decade later, Knox is sharing her story in the eight-episode series The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, created by K.J. Steinberg (This Is Us). The show is based on Knox's New York Times bestseller, Waiting to be Heard: A Memoir. In an interview ahead of the August 20 premiere, Van Patten shared her experience portraying Knox. Preparation included numerous conversations in person and over the phone, as well as a crash course in Italian. "There was constant communication, and I was able to ask her as many questions as I possibly could. She was extremely open with me, with anything I wanted to know about, which was so amazing and helpful because my only job was to help people understand her and who she was as a human, not just as a picture on the news with a headline above her face.' Fans recognize and love Van Patten as Lucy Albright in Hulu's Tell Me Lies (season three is coming soon), but this is her first time portraying a real person. Her performance deserves awards consideration; she truly captures Knox's complex range of emotions during this traumatic, life-changing ordeal. The result is a heartfelt, often infuriating story of an innocent young woman who endured a series of injustices by a flawed and corrupt legal system that pressured her into a confession after days of questioning her in a language she wasn't fluent in, with accusations based on tainted and mishandled evidence, all while her story was sensationalized by a cruel media. The truth about Kercher's murder eventually came out, and Rudy Guede was convicted and received a 30-year prison sentence in October 2008, though that sentence was reduced on appeal before he was released early for good behavior in 2021. Guede will be back in court this fall, facing sexual assault and violence charges from a former girlfriend. The limited series is executive-produced by Monica Lewinsky, Warren Littlefield (The Handmaid's Tale), and Knox, who, since her exoneration, has become a respected author of three books, a journalist, activist, and podcaster. Van Patten stars alongside Sharon Horgan, John Hoogenakker, Francesco Acquaroli, Giuseppe De Domenico, and Roberta Mattei. Side note: Van Patten's real-life sister Anna Van Patten portrays Knox's sister Deanna in the series. Van Patten wants viewers to understand how vulnerable Knox was during that time. She was portrayed by the media as a vixen, but in reality, she was a young, naive, innocent woman who had just begun an incredible adventure, only for this nightmare to happen. 'Hopefully, people are reminded while watching this that she was just a 20-year-old girl going through something absolutely unimaginable.' She shared that filming took place in Italy for two months, with the final four months in Budapest. Regarding her Italian language skills before preparing for the role, Van Patten said that she knew only basic Italian. 'I am Italian. My dad pretends to speak a little bit. Now that I know it, I don't think he does,' she laughed. 'I had about two months before we started shooting. I learned as much as I could while learning my lines and knowing what I was saying.' The series highlights how low Knox fell during that time; she was suicidal during her imprisonment. It also shows her incredible strength. When asked to describe her, Van Patten calls Knox resilient. 'She's extremely brave. What I found so beautiful about her was how willing she was to trust me to tell her story after millions of people tried to tell it for her,' Van Patten said. 'Her willingness to trust me to portray her emotions was an honor and made me even more motivated to do it correctly. She's so inspiring to me; her humor, her bravery, and her ability to maintain positivity in moments where it seems unimaginable. I admire her ability to forgive and not hold on to anger. You see all of these things play out through the series, from her life before the tragedy, during her time in prison, and even now. She's still dealing with it, but she has a beautiful mindset. She has tried to regain control and is doing so with empathy.' When asked why she believes Knox was accused of this brutal crime and how the situation spiraled so far out of control, Van Patten paused briefly before responding. 'That is a great question that I hope everyone asks after watching this, because it doesn't make sense. There is no answer. There was no evidence. I think it just highlights the differences in people and perspectives. These older Italian men who were part of the judicial system were not familiar with a person like Amanda. She was a young, free-spirited woman. It was a misunderstanding, and instead of just accepting it as a misunderstanding, they saw it as whatever they saw it as. It was a clash of two different belief systems and views on the world.'
Elle
32 minutes ago
- Elle
Amanda Knox's Real-Life Case Was a Lot More Complicated Than It Looks in the Hulu Series
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. It's been nearly two decades since the murder of 21-year-old British student Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy first became international news. However, most of the media attention was devoted to the suspects in this case, with lurid speculation and grisly details dominating the headlines. Almost immediately in November 2007, Kercher's roommate, Amanda Knox, became the face of this story, fitting the mold of guilty and innocent depending on the publication or news outlet. Knox was convicted and subsequently acquitted of Kercher's murder, not to mention various appeals and retrials in between. Now, an eight-part Hulu true crime drama will depict not only the events in the weeks before and after, but also the decade-plus fight to clear Knox and her then-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito's names. Considering there has already been a Lifetime movie, a Netflix documentary (that Knox was part of), the Matt Damon-starring Stillwater (which was inspired by Knox's story), and two memoirs penned by Knox, it might seem there isn't much left to say. However, Knox is a producer on The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox, alongside Monica Lewinsky, allowing Knox to have a voice alongside a collaborator whose entire character was also scrutinized by tabloids when she was in her early twenties. The series, created by K.J. Steinberg, sets out to show how Knox ended up behind bars, including how she became a suspect, the prolonged interrogation, the mishandling of evidence, and the ongoing trial-by-media, spanning 16 years. Tell Me Lies star Grace Van Patten plays Amanda with Sharon Horgan as Knox's mother, Edda Mellas. However, Kercher's family was not involved (Stephanie Kercher told The Guardian last year that the family found it 'difficult to understand' how the dramatized retelling serves any purpose). To help make sense of it all, below you'll find a guide to some of the real-life events depicted in The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox. However, if you don't know much about the case, be warned: There are some spoilers for the show ahead. Knox is studying at the University of Washington when she applies to spend an academic year abroad, opting for the picturesque Italian college town of Perugia. As reported by Rolling Stone, the 20-year-old Knox wants to 'expand her horizons' and 'live without a safety net' in her junior year. Knox rents a room in a cottage at 7 Via della Pergola, taking the last available spot in the four-bedroom accommodation. Kercher is also part of a study abroad program and has already moved in; the two other roommates are both Italian women in their late 20s. In the weeks after moving in, Kercher and Knox hang out with the guys living in the basement apartment below them. It is here they meet 20-year-old Rudy Guede, a basketball acquaintance of Kercher's new boyfriend, Giacomo Silenzi. On October 25, Knox and Kercher go to a Schubert recital at the local university, and when Kercher leaves at the intermission, 23-year-old student Raffaele Sollecito approaches Knox. The two immediately hit it off, with Sollecito hanging out at the bar (Le Chic) where Knox works later that same evening. Knox goes back to Sollecito's apartment that night, and the pair are inseparable for the next week. Knox is scheduled to work a shift at Le Chic on the evening of November 1, but owner Patrick Lumumba texts that it is so quiet that she doesn't need to come in. Knox and Sollecito cook, smoke a joint, and watch Amelie. They turn their phones off for the evening. The following morning, Knox leaves Sollecito's apartment to return to her place, where she showers, changes her clothes, and grabs a mop and bucket, to clean up a leaky pipe at Sollecito's. When Knox arrives home, the front door is ajar. Knox's two other roommates are away for the holiday weekend (All Saints' Day), and Kercher's door is closed. Knox explains her thought process after she finds drops of blood in an email sent to friends and family two days later (and shared with Rolling Stone), saying she believed it was 'nothing to worry about.' It is only when she sees feces in the toilet in the other bathroom that Knox panics that there might be an intruder. Knox calls Sollecito, whose apartment is a five-minute walk away. A broken window in another room suggests that someone had been there, and Kercher isn't answering her phone. Sollecito tries to break down Kercher's locked bedroom door, but it won't budge. They return outside, where Sollecito called the carabinieri (Italian military police). In the meantime, two postal police arrive with two cellphones that have been found in a bush half a mile away, which are registered to Knox's roommate, Filomena Romanelli. Then Romanelli, her boyfriend, and two of her friends arrive. One of Romanelli's friends breaks down Kercher's door, and Kercher's partially clothed body (which is covered with a duvet) is discovered inside. Someone had cut Kercher's throat, and her time of death is estimated to be between 8:30 P.M. on November 1 and 4 A.M. the following morning (the long timeframe is due to a delay in taking body temperature). While Kercher's British friends fly home to the UK, and Knox's two roommates hire lawyers, Knox voluntarily speaks with the Italian police without legal representation. Knox is interviewed multiple times over the next few days, and her phone is tapped. Paparazzi capture Knox kissing Sollecito outside the 'House of Horrors,' and her seemingly at-ease and amorous behavior in the days after the murder becomes a cornerstone in the court of public opinion. Knox's mother encourages her to fly home, but Knox thinks she can help with the investigation. But on the night of November 5, Knox accompanies Sollecito to the police station, and they are both interrogated for prolonged periods overnight. Sollecito admits that Knox could've left in the middle of the night while he slept, and the sleep-deprived Knox signs a confession that she was in the room next door to Kercher's when she was stabbed and that it was her boss, Patrick Lumumba, who killed Kercher. Knox, Sollecito, and Lumumba are all arrested. Patrons from Le Chic provide an alibi for Lumumba. Meanwhile, the Rome forensic police match the fingerprints in Kercher's bedroom to Rudy Guede, who is arrested in Germany on November 20. Lumumba is released and later sues Knox for slander. Then, Guede is extradited to Italy in December. Guede, Knox, and Sollecito are charged with murder. They will be held in detention until a trial date is set. A working theory in these early stages regarding the motive from 'public minister' Giuliano Mignini (whose job is part detective, part district attorney) is that Kercher was killed in a satanic ritual. Later, this is downgraded to 'a drug-fueled sex game that went awry' (as per The New York Times). Leaks are common from the start, with security footage from a lingerie shop or theories from the prosecution ending up in the news Guede has an expedited trial, which comes with a reduced maximum sentence. He is found guilty of sexual assault and murder. He is sentenced to 30 years. Knox and Sollecito are now formally indicted on murder charges. In the lead up to this indictment, Knox's family speaks about how much Knox is being vilified by the tabloid press, with many publications twisting the childhood nickname 'Foxy Knoxy' (that Knox earned when she played soccer) to have sexual connotations. Knox and Sollecito's trial begins January 16, and the prosecution is still maintaining it was a 'drug-fueled sex game gone awry.' Sollecito's lawyer counters that they were 'two lovebirds in the first week of their romance,' not a couple looking for excitement. Knox is also painted as a 'she-devil' who manipulated Sollecito into doing whatever she wanted. The trial doesn't conclude until December, and during these 12 months, Knox remains a fascination for the media—represented as a temptress and an innocent. Knox testifies that the police hit her during the interrogation, and the Italian justice system is now under the international microscope. The defense argues that DNA evidence is contaminated (due to how many people walked through the crime scene) and that the evidence is mainly circumstantial. Regardless of these factors and an emotional appeal by Knox, in December, a jury of six civilians and two judges finds Knox and Sollecito guilty on all counts. Knox receives a sentence of 26 years (she has an additional guilty verdict for slander against Lumumba), and Sollecito gets 25 years. The appeal trial begins for Knox and Sollecito. Both defense teams are focusing on DNA evidence, including traces of Sollecito's DNA on Kercher's bra clasp (which wasn't discovered at the crime scene until 47 days after the murder) and traces of Kercher's DNA found on the alleged murder weapon—a bread knife recovered from Sollecito's kitchen. After being behind bars for nearly four years, Knox and Sollecito are acquitted on October 3. Slander against Lumumba is the only charge for which Knox receives a guilty verdict (the three-year sentence has already been served by this point). The DNA evidence that was vital in convicting the pair in 2009 now helps overturn the verdict; independent experts successfully argued that contamination was a possibility. The prosecution team states that they will appeal this appellate court verdict to the Italian Supreme Court. Knox returns to Seattle the following day, where the press are waiting outside her family home. Guede's conviction of sexual assault and murder is upheld, though his sentence has already been reduced from 30 to 16 years. On Valentine's Day, the prosecution team files an appeal to the Italian Supreme Court (Court of Cassation) to seek a new trial for Knox and Sollecito. The Italian justice system allows for various appeals on both the defense and prosecution side. In this instance, if the acquittal is reversed, then Knox can be tried in absentia. 'We're not considering that possibility; for us, she has been acquitted. That's how the system works, but for us it's a hypothesis far into the future,' says one of Knox's lawyers, Luciano Ghirga. Two days later, it is reported that Knox has sold a tell-all memoir to HarperCollins for nearly $4 million. The Court of Cassation (the Italian Supreme Court) overturns Knox and Sollecito's acquittal on March 26, meaning they will have to stand trial again. HarperCollins says they will still release Knox's memoir, Waiting to Be Heard, as planned, on April 30. The retrial begins September 30 with neither Knox nor Sollecito present in the Florentine court. While Sollecito attends some court hearings, Knox remains in the U.S. throughout this new trial as she is afraid that if she returns to Italy, authorities will put her in prison again. On January 30, Knox and Sollecito are re-convicted of murder. Knox's new sentence is 28 and a half years, Sollecito's is still 25 years. The process continues to swing between courthouses, and the pair can appeal this latest twist. The following day, a teary Knox appears on Good Morning America, saying she 'will never go willingly back' to Italy and plans to fight any extradition attempt. In a verdict that shocks Italy, the Court of Cassation overturns the convictions of Knox and Sollecito, rather than sending the case back down to the lower court. They are cleared of all charges (except for Knox's slander charge). They will not face a retrial. Neither Sollecito nor Knox is present in court to hear the verdict. In September, the Court of Cassation explains its verdict is informed by the 'culpable omissions of investigative activity' and 'contradictory evidence.' The Netflix documentary Amanda Knox premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival. Knox, Sollecito, Mignini, and freelance reporter Nick Pisa (whose regular coverage included salacious exclusive stories for The Daily Mail that fueled the perception of Knox) participated in this account of the events. The documentary goes on to receive two Emmy nominations. The European Court of Human Rights orders Italy to pay €18,400 (approximately $21,000) in damages for failing to provide Knox with access to a lawyer during the November 2007 interviews. However, they found no evidence of the 'inhuman or degrading treatment' that Knox alleged took place during the interrogations. Knox returns to Italy for the first time in nearly a decade. In the years since her conviction was overturned, Knox has been working with nonprofits like the Innocence Project. At the Criminal Justice Festival in Modena, she serves as a keynote speaker and is a guest on a panel discussing trials by media. Knox marries author Christopher Robinson. In an interview with the New York Times, Knox announces the birth of her first child, Eureka. Knox remains close with Catholic priest Don Saulo, who was the chaplain at Cappane prison where Knox was incarcerated for four years. Don Saulo helps facilitate a meeting in the summer of 2022 with prosecutor Mignini. The latter was instrumental in painting Knox as a sex-crazed vixen, but Knox wants to meet face-to-face. Her family voices objections to Knox writing to and meeting with the prosecutor. 'But I was haunted by this 'Why?' question. Why did this happen to me? If they had done their job correctly, I would be a footnote in Meredith's story,' Knox tells The Guardian. Knox also reunites with Sollecito during this trip in the town of Gubbio, which was where they had planned to visit 15 years earlier. On her podcast, Labyrinths, Knox explains the slander conviction is one that some people see as 'proof that I am a liar and I am an unsavory person and that I have something to hide and I've never told the full truth about what happened to Meredith and only somebody who was involved in the crime would ever even make statements that implicated themselves and others.' It is why she has fought to have it overturned. Knox is convicted again of this charge in an appellate court in Florence, Italy. The highest court (Court of Cassation) in Italy upholds the slander conviction against Knox. Knox releases her second memoir, Free: My Search For Meaning.
