The Top 10 Movies Right Now, According to Streaming Data
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After years of post-COVID uncertainty, are the movies finally back? Judging by July’s box office returns, that certainly seems to be the case: Debuting in theaters within weeks of one another, The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day both have experienced record-breaking runs (the latter even claimed the largest opening weekend of all time, banking $360 million in the U.S. alone).
But if you ask me, the biggest box office success story of the year was much more unpredictable than seeing a movie from the world’s most beloved director (or starring the most popular superhero) make bank: Obsession, a gnarly, R-rated horror flick produced on a budget of less than $1 million, went on to make more than $262 million in ticket sales—a true word-of-mouth phenomenon. On the other hand, with numbers like that, it’s no surprise to see Obsession topping the streaming charts now that it is available to watch at home. Here are the other streaming movies that drew eyeballs last month, according to data from JustWatch.
Obsession (2026)
Arriving out of nowhere from first-time director Curry Barker, who got his start making sketch comedy videos on YouTube, Obsession debuted to higher-than-expected box office returns its opening weekend, and then just never stopped making money. It seems horror fans couldn’t get enough of the story of a hapless teenager (Michael Johnston) who gets more than he bargains for when he picks up a “One Wish Willow” gag toy and expresses his heart’s desire: that his friend Nikki (Inde Navarrette) would fall in love with him. His wish comes true, and then some—with blood-splattering results. Stream Obsession on Peacock.
Project Hail Mary (2026)
In this crowd-pleasing sci-fi, Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who is blasted into the firmament in a last-ditch effort to save the world. Grace is the only person on Earth who might know how to protect the sun from a cosmic infection that threatens all life, but he’s definitely not an astronaut and doesn’t see himself as a hero either. Will he rise to the occasion and learn something about his inner strength and resilience while saving us all from death? My money is on, “yeah, probably.” Project Hail Mary is streaming on Prime Video and MGM+.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (2026)
Legendary director Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean) is back with a satirical, gleefully maximalist science fiction comedy that takes on AI, social media addiction, VR, and the modern world itself. Sam Rockwell plays a man from the future who shows up in an LA diner demanding that customers help him save the future from an artificial intelligence that is about to be born. Being a time traveler, Rockwell has tried this many times before and has always failed, but this time, it’s going to be different—or everyone is going to die again. Part Terminator, part Black Mirror, Don’t Die is a throw-everything-at-the-wall movie that goes so far over the top, you’ll be forced to submit to its weird logic and style out of sheer exhaustion. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die is streaming on Hulu, or you can rent it from Prime Video.
The Sheep Detectives (2026)
A family movie with enough darkness to balance out all the cute sheep, The Sheep Detectives tells the tale of an English farmer played by Hugh Jackman who reads mysteries to his flock of sheep every night. When he’s found dead, the authorities attribute it to natural causes, but his sheep know better, and they set out to find the culprit using what they’ve learned from all those whodunnits. If you like the Babe movies, you’ll like The Sheep Detectives, and if you think you’re too cynical to get into a movie like this, you’re probably wrong: It is charming and fun. The Sheep Detectives is streaming on Prime Video.
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)
A sleeper hit from 2019, Ready or Not followed a woman (Samara Weaving) who went to meet her fiancé’s parents and wound up being hunted by them—their next target in a game of demonic ritual sacrifice dating back generations. The unlikely sequel picks up mere minutes after the first movie ended, with the other ultra-rich, ultra-powerful families in thrall to the same evil turning up to kick off round two. With a killer cast (including Sarah Michelle-Gellar, Elijah Wood, and director David Cronenberg) and a darkly hilarious skewer-the-rich vibe, it’s bloody good fun. You can stream Ready or Not 2 on Hulu.
Troy (2004)
Why is a 22-year-old, vaguely remembered Brad Pitt historical action flick suddenly appearing on the streaming charts? It makes sense when you consider that Troy essentially serves as a prequel to 2026’s The Odyssey. This flashy but shallow epic from director Wolfgang Petersen stars Pitt as the legendary warrior Achilles, who sets sail in the service of his king, Agamemnon (Brian Cox), to lay siege against the title city to recover Helen (Diane Kruger), wife of the Spartan King Menaelus (Agamemnon’s brother), from her “captors,” Hector and Paris, young princes of Troy. If you’ve studied your myths (or if you’ve seen Christopher Nolan’s new film), you know how it all turns out (it involves a horse). You can stream Troy on Peacock.
Masters of the Universe (2026)
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with He-Man—me and all of the other boys born between 1975 and 1982. I dreamed of seeing the musclebound hero on the big screen, but I was merely nonplussed by the 1987 Dolph Lundgren-starring adaptation, which looked nothing like the toys and cartoons. Turns out I just needed to wait 40 years, because the 2026 version, from Kubo and the Two Strings and Bumblebee director Travis Knight, is, if anything, too faithful to the campier aspects of the franchise, with a tone that walks the line between serious action epic and Barbie-style sendup. As a result (or perhaps just because 40 years is a really long time to expect people to care about a Hercules knock-off), the movie bombed at the box office—but perhaps it will find its audience of now-middle-aged men on streaming. You can watch Masters of the Universe on Prime Video.
The Long Walk (2025)
This chilling adaptation of one of Stephen King’s earliest novels feels ripped from the capitalist hellscape of 2026: In an alternate 1970s U.S., a fascist government has taken over and, as a means of control, stages an annual “contest” known as The Walk, wherein a group of 50 boys is forced to compete in a non-stop, cross-country walking contest. The winner gets one wish granted, while the losers all get a bullet in the head. Two contestants (played by Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson) are competing for their lives, closely watched by the ruthless Major (played by Mark Hamill in full villain mode). Stream The Long Walk on HBO Max.
Pressure (2026)
If you haven’t heard of Pressure, ask your dad: This WWII flick, starring a post-Oscar Brendan Fraser as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, is prime Dad Movie material. It focuses on the lead-up to the Normandy invasion and is all about Eisenhower working closely with meteorologist (no, really) James Stagg (Andrew Scott) to determine if the conditions will be right to launch their planned invasion. Though it got good reviews, this one underperformed in theaters, but its modest charms seem right at home on streaming. You can stream Pressure on Peacock.
Independence Day (1996)
It’s no mystery why this oversized alien invasion blockbuster hit the streaming charts in July. Even 30 years later, everyone likes to spend their July 4th watching Will Smith throw around one-liners as stuff blows up real good all around him (all capped off with a rousing speech from President Bill Pullman). You can stream Independence Day on Hulu.
