Another weekend means a fresh wave of new movies across the best streaming services just arrived, including some of this year’s biggest blockbusters. But figuring out what to watch with so much to choose from can quickly become a headache.
That’s why we regularly comb through all the new movies on streaming to highlight the best of the bunch. The biggest newcomer this week is easily “A Minecraft Movie” on Max, though my top pick would have to be “Final Destination Bloodlines” arriving on premium video-on-demand streaming platforms.
On Netflix, you can check out “Kpop Demon Hunters,” a fun and vibrant new animated adventure from the studio behind the “Spider-Verse” films.
Over on Disney Plus, there’s a new live-action musical version of “Frozen” with new songs from the original movie’s songwriters. Lastly, Paramount Plus has a millennia-spanning love story starring Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun called “Love Me.”
So if you’re looking for what to watch this weekend, your search is over. Here are our picks for the best new movies on streaming to add to your watchlist.
‘Final Destination Bloodlines’ (PVOD)
Working as a prequel and a sequel, the long-awaited sixth “Final Destination” film reinvigorates the franchise by taking its iconic premise to a new level: If death hunts down those who cheat fate, what happens when those survivors have children?
While this generational angle adds a fun new layer, “Bloodlines” still delivers on all the inventive gore and over-the-top kills that fans have come to expect.
Like every movie in the series, “Bloodlines” kicks off with a jaw-dropping premonition where a character foresees a deadly catastrophe and manages to save a few would-be victims.
The twist this time is that a survivor’s grandchild, college student Stefani Reyes (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), finds herself in the crosshairs when death comes to collect his dues.
The time gap works in the film’s favor, making the familiar formula of death stalking survivors feel fresh again for one of the best entries in the series since “Final Destination 2.”
Buy or rent now on Amazon or Apple
‘A Minecraft Movie’ (Max)
Parents everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief: you don’t have to brave the Chicken Jockey frenzy in theaters to see “A Minecraft Movie” anymore, now that it’s landed on Max.
Whether you find this year’s biggest blockbuster delightfully entertaining or an exhausting barrage of meme fodder depends on your taste, but it’s hard to deny the cultural impact it’s had.
Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastian Hansen star as a scrappy group of misfits who stumble through a portal into the pixelated world of Minecraft. To survive their blocky new world, their imagination will be put to the test as they team up with Steve (Jack Black), a seasoned crafter who’s been stuck there for decades.
Director Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite”) brings his signature offbeat humor, while Jack Black once again proves he’s a comedic powerhouse capable of winning over a whole new generation of kids.
Stream it now on Max
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ (Netflix)
What happens when a chart-topping music genre crashes headfirst into an animated realm crawling with soul-sucking demons? That’s what we’ll find out in “KPop Demon Hunters,” Netflix’s latest animated adventure.
It’s from the same animation studio behind the “Spider-Verse” films and “The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” so if nothing else, this promises to be a stunning feast for the eyes.
“KPop Demon Hunters” follows superstars Rumi (voiced by Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo), who split their time between selling out stadiums and (what else?) slaying demons.
But they’re faced with their biggest challenge yet when a rival boy band turns out to be a group of demons in disguise. With the souls of their fans at stake, not to mention their reputation, the idols gear up to slay the day.
Watch it now on Netflix
‘Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical’ (Disney Plus)
Anyone counting down the days until “Wicked: For Good” will be excited to learn that one of Disney’s most popular movies of all time, “Frozen,” is getting the “Hamilton” treatment on Disney Plus.
The musical tells the same story as the animated film, only in a live stage format. You’d be forgiven for thinking this is the Broadway version based on the title, but it’s actually a taping of the show’s West End production at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, which ran from 2021 to 2024.
The show features 12 new songs written exclusively for the musical by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, who co-wrote the songs for both “Frozen” and “Frozen 2.”
And of course, there’s still all the original earworms from the movie, only this time with “Pretty Woman: The Musical” star Samantha Barks belting out “Let It Go” instead of Idina Menzel.
Watch it now on Disney Plus
‘Love Me’ (Paramount Plus)
For an offbeat romantic drama with a heavy helping of sci-fi, look no further than Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun’s “Love Me.”
Set in a future where humanity has gone extinct, it follows an unexpected duo: a weather buoy (voiced by Stewart) that becomes self-aware after a brief encounter with a passing satellite (Yeun). Yearning for a sense of self, the buoy calls itself “Me” and dubs the satellite “Iam.”
Me persuades Iam to study the remnants of the internet with her to better understand what it means to be human. Though Iam doesn’t realize it, Me begins to construct new identities for them both based on social media posts from a once-living couple.
As their bond evolves into something that resembles love, the cracks in their borrowed identities as well as their growing connection begin to show.
Watch it now on Paramount Plus
