Back in the Blockbuster era, we used to have to wait nearly half a year to be able to watch a theatrically released movie at home. Now, not so much: That window has shortened to an average of just 30 days, if it exists at all—consider the recent surprise smash Five Night’s at Freddy’s, which debuted with more than $75 million in ticket sales even though you could watch it on Peacock the same day.
And that’s not all that’s different. While low-budget direct-to-video movies have long been a thing, these days most streaming services are producing majorly expensive movies with major stars and keeping them out of theaters almost entirely.
With that in mind, here are some of the best movies released in 2023—with particular emphasis on recent theatrical releases—that are already streaming for “free” (that is, with a subscription to one of the leading streaming services, as opposed to paying for a one-off digital rental).
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
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The Spider-sequel continues to remind us that superhero movies can be diverse, groundbreaking, and joyful—even amidst the staleness that’s set in in other corners of the Marvel universe. Miles Morales is back, and reunited with Gwen Stacy for a beautifully animated journey into the multiverse.
Where to stream: Netflix
Asteroid City
Wes Anderson, at his most Wes Anderson-y, turns his distinctive sensibilities to the 1950s (where his heart and visual style have always lived), where we’re privy to the development of a play in a retro-futuristic world.
Where to stream: Peacock
Infinity Pool
Writer/director Brandon Cronenberg (son of David) brings a palpable rage and an unmistakable sense of style to this blend of sci-fi and horror, even as it muddies those genre classifications like the best of his famed father’s work. A couple vacationing in a strange country leave their resort and run afoul of the law, only to learn that, for a price, they can outsource the punishment to clones of themselves.
Where to stream: Hulu
A Haunting in Venice
Kenneth Branagh’s third Poirot adaptation is the best of the bunch: an atmospheric and thoroughly spooky tale of murder in a crumbling Venetian palazzo on Halloween. Tina Fey joins the cast as Agatha Christie mainstay Ariadne Oliver, while recent Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh plays the medium who kicks things off.
Where to stream: Hulu
Creed III
The third Creed movie, and the directorial debut of star Michael B. Jordan, proves that this branch of the Rocky-verse is entirely self-sufficient; we’re entirely Stallone-free, and Donnie Creed’s doing just fine on his own.
Where to stream: Prime Video
Evil Dead Rise
In the truest spirit of the Evil Dead franchise, Rise is a gnarly, gory thrill ride that shifts the setting from cabins in the woods to a crumbling high rise. Here, it’s an entire family falling under the curse of the Necronomicon.
Where to stream: Max
How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Turning a non-fiction work into an action-thriller, How to Blow Up a Pipeline follows eight individuals committed to bombing an oil pipeline in two separate locations. The movie, like the book, makes the case that property damage isn’t the worst thing in the face of environmental catastrophe, but that the level of commitment involved to carry out such an act takes a deeply personal toll.
Where to stream: Hulu
Elemental
Possibly Pixar’s most purely romantic film, Elemental is also one of its most visually inventive (which is, of course, saying a lot). Given the level of detail on display, it benefits from multiple viewings—and the sweet story, which grafts an immigrant narrative onto a world where the four elements are embodied as different cultures, goes down easy each time.
Where to stream: Disney+
Knock at the Cabin
Working from the novel by Paul Tremblay, M. Night Shyamalan’s latest offers up a horrifically effective no-win scenario: a couple (Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge) are spending a relaxing vacation in the titular cabin when a bunch of very intense weirdos, lead by Dave Bautista,arrive at the door to explain that the family must sacrifice one of their own if the world is to survive.
Where to stream: Prime Video
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
Possibly the nadir of this year’s Marvel output, but this movie still works as a goofy thrill ride through a sub-microscopic universe. More Michelle Pfeiffer is always pretty great, anyway.
Where to stream: Disney+
Rye Lane
Dom (David Jonsson) and Yas (Vivian Oparah) are each getting over breakups in this South London-based romantic comedy. It feels simultaneously like a much-needed update to Before Sunrise, and something entirely new.
Where to stream: Hulu
Scream VI
Six movies in, and the Scream series is still going strong as the reliable slasher series moves to New York, and manages to avoid the curse of that other horror franchise that once headed off to the Big Apple (looking at you, Jason Takes Manhattan). Though Neve Campbell is missed, the next generation of Ghostface’s hunters (and prey) prove they’re more than up to the task of quipping wittingly and dying bloodily.
Where to stream: Paramount+
Shazam: Fury of the Gods
Another DC box office flop that plays just fine at home. While it doesn’t have quite the heart of its predecessor, the Shazam sequel offers up plenty of goofy fun and a trio of supervillains comprised of Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu, and Rachel Zegler.
Where to stream: Prime Video, Max
Theater Camp
A tribute to summer camp and theater kids wrapped in a Christopher Guest-style mockumentary, Theater Camp finds a bunch of budding thespians arranging a play in tribute to the struggling camp’s comatose founder, played by Amy Sedaris. It’s a lot of fun in a heavy year at the movies (and in general).
Where to stream: Hulu
Linoleum
A surprising, idiosyncratic science fiction movie starring Jim Gaffigan as the recently unemployed host of a science education show who finds new purpose when a rocket crashes in his backyard. He decides to rebuild it and, as things start getting more and more bizarre, his family (and us, as viewers) are left questioning whether he’s having a breakdown.
Where to stream: Hulu
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
I wasn’t expecting much out of a comedic spin on the beloved role-playing game, but this Chris Pine/Michelle Rodriguez-led movie manages an impressive blend of action and thrills, without ever taking itself too seriously. D&D fans will pick out plenty of references, but others won’t be alienated.
Where to stream: Prime Video, Paramount+
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
It’s not an instant classic, and doesn’t offer up many surprises, but it largely does what it says on the tin: It’s a big and colorful and goregeously animated and definitely about the Mario Bros. Chris Pratt might not be our nation’s favorite acting Chris, but he does just fine as Nintendo’s Italian-American plumber.
Where to stream: Peacock
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3
A bright spot among Marvel’s increasingly unreliable output, James Gunn’s trilogy capper sticks the landing, turning the spotlight onto the Bradley Cooper-voiced talking raccoon Rocket. The animal-heavy story generates genuine human emotion, and offers some closure to the title team.
Where to stream: Disney+
Fast X
With the Fast endgame in sight, sort of—only two(?) more movies and also some spin-offs—this one doesn’t break any much new ground. It does, however, set up a convincing familial villain in Jason Momoa’s Dante Reyes. If it feels a little bit like we’re spinning our wheels until Fast 11-3, well…
Where to stream: Peacock
The Little Mermaid
None of Disney’s live-action remakes has quite been able to top the animated original, but this new spin on The Little Mermaid is probably the best of the lot. Halle Bailey is delightful as Ariel, and the movie has plenty of action and heart (and a deviously fun performance by Melissa McCarthy as sea witch Ursula) to fill the grossly expanded running time.
Where to stream: Disney+
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
It’s not the worst Transformers film, but it’s also a huge step down from 2018’s Bumblebee, which rebooted the series into something far more charming and less frenetic. Still, there’s still some of that old all-spark in the movie, at least before it turns into the traditionally murky giant CGI robot fight in the last act.
Where to stream: Paramount+
The Flash
Whether it works best as a sincere superhero epic or as a complete train wreck has been a subject of debate since its release this summer (I fell asleep). Either way, it’s key for fans of DC movies up until now, and sees Michael Keaton return as Batman, probably for the last time.
Where to stream: Max
Enys Men
Set in 1973 on a Cornish island, Enys Men plays with the folk horror aesthetic without ever feeling like a pastiche. Mary Woodvine plays a wildlife volunteer seeking a rare flower on the island, an investigation which leads her on an increasingly surreal, and harrowing, journey.
Where to stream: Hulu
Insidious: The Red Door
Another sequel that might not represent the best of the series, the final(?) installment of the Insidious saga boasts more than a couple effectively creepy moments, and provides a generally satisfying wrap-up to the whole demonic affair. We’ve already established that time moves differently in “the Further,” and that knowledge sets the stage for some clever call-backs.
Where to stream: Netflix
The Nun II
An improvement on the first one, this sequel (a spinoff of The Conjuring franchise) finds that movie’s reluctant hero, Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga), stepping up and hunting the demonic nun who pops up every so often in these movies. Slight, but fun.
Where to stream: Max
Cocaine Bear
Remember when everyone was crazy about Cocaine Bear? Me neither. But trust: As director, Elizabeth Banks does everything she needed to do with this horror-comedy based on the true-ish (which is to say, not very true at all) story of a bear who eats a bunch of cocaine goes on a rampage. The premise sells itself, really.
Where to stream: Prime Video
Haunted Mansion
Lakeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, and Jamie Lee Curtis star in this latest adaptation of the Disney ride. It’s cute, falling somewhere between the not-great early-aughts Eddie Murphy version and the pretty good pandemic-era Muppets version in terms of quality.
Where to stream: Disney+
When Evil Lurks
In the world of this Argentinian horror gem, demonic possession is common, and contagious. It’s brutally effective in its extremely gnarly gore effects, humanizing its main characters so that when the hammer falls, it’s that much harder to take. Not for the squeamish.
Where to stream: Shudder
Air
A movie helmed by and starring Ben Affleck, and about the business deal that gave birth to the Air Jordans, doesn’t necessarily sound thrilling, but Affleck’s assured direction and an impressive cast (Matt Damon, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman, Marlon Wayans, etc.) make the movie. It could be argued that Michael Jordan’s deal with Nike solidified sneaker culture in this country, and set the bar for every celebrity endorsement deal since. I guess that’s worth immortalizing on film?
Where to stream: Prime Video
A Thousand and One
Set over 11 years, this one follows convicted felon Inez de la Paz (an amazing Teyana Taylor), who kidnaps her son from foster care as soon as she’s released from prison, and then struggles to make the life for them that she never experienced herself. One of the year’s best under-the-radar films.
Where to stream: Prime Video
The Killer
Michael Fassbender stars in David Fincher’s latest, which is somehow also a Netflix original (though it did get a limited theatrical release). Fassbender plays a professional assassin embroiled in a manhunt, with a story that eschews some of the seriousness of Fincher’s other films in favor of a more action-forward (but still plenty icy and cerebral, with a, uh, killer use of voiceover narration).
Where to stream: Netflix
Rustin
Another film dropping first on Netflix. Colman Domingo plays the queer civil rights leader in the run-up to the 1963 March on Washington. There’s buzz he may pick up an Oscar nomination for his performance, and the film is pretty good too.
Where to stream: Netflix
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
Though it doesn’t really add anything new to the franchise, the second sequel to one of the biggest indie films of all time has that old amiable charm as it updates us on the lives if Toula Portokalos and her extended family.
Where to stream: Peacock
Quiz Lady
Awkwafina and Sandra Oh star as two sisters is this wild road trip comedy in the best tradition of ’90s gems like Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion. One is tightly wound, the other a complete mess. They’re forced to work together to cover their mother’s gambling debts, a problem complicated when the loan shark kidnaps a dog to hold hostage in exchange for the cash. Good thing Awkwafina’s character is a quiz show savant who drowned her childhood sorrows in binge-watching a Jeopardy-esque game show with a big cash prize. (I won’t spoil the famy, many cameos from familiar funny folks, including one that kinda broke my heart.)
Where to stream: Hulu
Nyad
Annette Benning plays real-life swimmer Diana Nyad in this biopic dramatizing her efforts to swim from Cuba to Florida without the protection of a shark cage. The performances from Benning and co-star Jodie Foster (playing her swimming coach) are already earning Oscar buzz.
Where to stream: Netflix
John Wick: Chapter 4
Keanu Reeves is back as the lead in our most reliable, and most violent, action-movie franchise. What more needs to be said?
Where to stream: Starz
Plane
Look, sometimes you just want a Gerard Butler movie involving a plane crash and hostile rebels. Butler plays a pilot who teams up with Mike Colter’s escaped prisoner in hope of escaping hostile territory. A fairly effective low-rent action movie that isn’t quite as lazy as its name.
Where to stream: Starz
They Cloned Tyrone
John Boyega, Teyonah Parris and Jamie Foxx team up in this excellent mash-up of comedy, sci-fi, crime thriller, and blaxploitation satire in which the trio stumbles on a conspiracy to control Black folks via a cloning experiment. It’s frequently laugh-out-lout funny, but also sharp in its social commentary.
Where to stream: Netflix