The 10 most popular movies on Netflix right now
This article contains affiliate links; if you click such a link and make a purchase, Digital Trends and Yahoo Inc. may earn a commission.
Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services in the world, with nearly 270 million subscribers. And just what do those people tend to watch? In particular, what is the most popular movie on Netflix? Each week, the streaming service releases a list of its 10 most-watched movies over a recent seven-day period to keep subscribers in the loop regarding its most popular titles.
Horror rules Netflix this week. The Deliverance, an exorcism thriller from Lee Daniels, is the No. 1 movie on Netflix. The teen comedy Incoming comes in at No. 2, followed by the animated Migration at No. 3. Untold: Sign Stealer, a documentary about Michigan’s sign-stealing scandal, debuted at No. 5, receiving a bump from the return of college football. Below, we’ve listed the top 10 movies in the U.S. from August 26 to September 1, along with general information about each film, such as genre, rating, cast, and synopsis.
Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best shows on Netflix, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+. For Netflix fans, check out the 10 most popular shows on Netflix right now.
10. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Metacritic: 46%
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 93m
Genre: Animation, Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy
Stars: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day
Directed by: Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath
Thanks to NBCUniversal’s deal with Netflix, one of the biggest titles of 2023 – The Super Mario Bros. Movie – is available to stream on Netflix. Based on the popular characters from the Nintendo games, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is an origin story for Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), two Italian-American brothers working as plumbers in Brooklyn, New York.
While fixing a water main leak, the two brothers are sent down the Warp Pipe into two kingdoms. Mario lands in the Mushroom Kingdom with Princess Peach (Furiosa‘s Anya Taylor-Joy), while Luigi ends up in the Dark Lands ruled by Bowser (Jack Black). Mario sets out to find Luigi and save the world from Bowser’s reign. The film also features other notable characters like Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen).
9. Logan Lucky (2017)
Metacritic: 78%
IMDb: 7.0/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 118m
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Action
Stars: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Daniel Craig
Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh returned to the heist comedy genre in 2017 with the vastly underrated Logan Lucky. West Virginia resident Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) loses his job at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina. Jimmy plans to exact his revenge by robbing the Speedway. Jimmy recruits his one-armed brother, Clyde (Adam Driver), sister, Mellie (Riley Keough), and demolition expert Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) to execute the heist.
Jimmy’s knowledge of the underground tunnels will allow the crew to get in and get out without raising alarms. However, construction problems force the crew to rob the track during the popular Coca-Cola 600 race on Memorial Day weekend. If that wasn’t enough pressure, a nosy FBI agent (Hilary Swank) threatens to thwart the operation.
8. Trolls Band Together (2023)
Metacritic: 53%
IMDb: 6.0/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 91m
Genre: Animation, Family, Music, Fantasy, Comedy
Stars: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Camila Cabello
Directed by: Walt Dohrn
The colorful furry animals return for a third outing in Trolls Band Together. Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) are officially a couple. Much to her surprise, Poppy learns that Branch was a member of her favorite boy band, BroZone, with his brothers Floyd (Troye Sivan), John Dory (Eric André), Spruce (Daveed Diggs), and Clay (Kid Cudi).
However, the brothers broke up after a bad concert. In the present, John Dory visits Branch to tell him that Floyd has been captured by Velvet (Amy Schumer) and Veneer (Andrew Rannells), two teenagers who will do anything to be pop stars. To save Floyd, Branch must reunite with his other brothers and reassemble the band.
7. The Emoji Movie (2017)
Metacritic: 12%
IMDb: 3.4/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 86m
Genre: Animation, Family, Comedy
Stars: T.J. Miller, James Corden, Anna Faris
Directed by: Tony Leondis
The symbols that convey emotions are the lead characters in The Emoji Movie. In the digital city of Textopolis, every emoji has but one has one facial expression, from happy and sad to angry and funny. The lone emoji who can make multiple expressions is Gene (T.J. Miller), the son of two “meh” emojis. Gene wants nothing more than to be an emoji with one expression.
With the help of his friends Hi-5 (James Corden) and Jailbreak (Anna Faris), Gene travels to the cloud to reduce his multiple expressions into one. While on their journey, the trio crosses paths with Smiler (Maya Rudolph), the original emoji who wants to delete malfunctions like Gene. When traveling through the different apps, the emojis discover a plot that could wipe out their existence, prompting Gene and his friends to step up and save the day.
6. Untold: The Murder of Air McNair (2024)
IMDb: 5.7/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 58m
Genre: Documentary, Crime
Stars: Steve McNair, Jeff Fisher, Brad Hopkins
Directed by: Rodney Lucas, Taylor Alexander Ward
Steve McNair was a rare underdog success story in football. Despite competing in lower-level college football, McNair excelled at quarterback on his way to becoming one of the best players in the country. McNair was selected in the 1995 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. The team moved to Tennessee soon after, and McNair led the upstart Titans to the Super Bowl in 2000 and won the league’s MVP in 2003.
McNair stepped away from the game in 2007 after a terrific 13-year career. Unfortunately for McNair, the story takes a dark turn. In 2009, McNair was allegedly shot dead by his mistress, who then killed herself. The murder-suicide shocked the entire NFL community. Fifteen years later, there are still unanswered questions surrounding McNair’s death. Who really killed McNair?
5. Untold: Sign Stealer (2024)
IMDb: 6.7/10
Rated: R
Duration: 88m
Genre: Documentary
Stars: Connor Stalions, Dave Portnoy, Tony Paul
Directed by: Micah Brown
For college football fans, the name Connor Stalions will ring a bell. Stalions is the former Michigan Wolverine staffer at the center of the 2023 sign-stealing scandal. Stalions’ job was to decipher the signs of Michigan’s opponents for three years. Is this cheating or a form of gamesmanship? In November 2023, Stalions resigned from his position. Michigan went on to go 15-0 in 2023 and win the national championship.
Because of the sign-stealing accusations, should there be an asterisk on Michigan’s championship? For the first time since his resignation, Stalions explains his version of events in Untold: Sign Stealer. Stalions does not hold back, sharing a behind-the-scenes look into what happened at Michigan. It’s up to the viewer to decide if what he did was cheating.
4. The Union (2024)
Metacritic: 44%
IMDb: 5.5/10
Rated: PG-13
Duration: 109m
Genre: Action, Comedy
Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, J.K. Simmons
Directed by: Julian Farino
Mike McKenna (Flight Risk‘s Mark Wahlberg) lives a simple life as a construction worker in New Jersey. One day, Mike’s ex-girlfriend from high school, Roxanne Hall (Halle Berry), reenters his life. Unfortunately for Mike, Roxanne is not here to rekindle their relationship. Instead, Roxanne is a spy in a secret organization called “The Union.” Since he lives a basic life, Mike is the perfect candidate to join the organization, since no one will expect him to be a spy.
Mike and Roxanne travel to Europe to retrieve a briefcase containing classified government intelligence about certain individuals. Thrust into the world of espionage, Mike goes along for an action-packed ride full of danger and excitement. Who knows? Mike might even get another shot at love if he plays his cards right.
3. Migration (2023)
Metacritic: 56%
IMDb: 6.6/10
Rated: PG
Duration: 83m
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family
Stars: Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Caspar Jennings
Directed by: Benjamin Renner
After The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Illumination released a second animated film in 2023 called Migration. Directed by Benjamin Renner from a script by The White Lotus‘ Mike White, Migration introduces the Mallard family: dad Mack (Kumail Nanjiani), his wife, Pam (Elizabeth Banks), and kids, Dax (Casper Jennings) and Gwen (Tresi Gazal).
The Mallard family resides in New England. Mack is very hesitant to fly south and migrate. After hearing about a group of ducks migrating to Jamacia, Mack has a change of heart and plans a family trip south. Shortly after the Mallards’ journey begins, things go haywire as their plan for a safe trip goes up in smoke. Now, Mack and his family must rely on their instincts and trust themselves to reach their destination.
2. Incoming (2024)
Metacritic: 38%
IMDb: 5.8/10
Rated: R
Duration: 89m
Genre: Comedy
Stars: Mason Thames, Ali Gallo, Kaitlin Olson
Directed by: Dave Chernin, John Chernin
In Incoming, one party can change someone’s life. Four high school freshmen — Benj (Mason Thames), Eddie (Ramon Reed), Connor (Raphael Alejandro), and Koosh (Bardia Seiri) — receive the opportunity of their young lives when they get the chance to crash a party. Benj sees the party as an opportunity to flirt with Bailey (Isabella Ferreira), the girl he likes.
The other guys view the party as a chance to make a name for themselves. The boys slowly ease into the night, but as the drinks start flowing, the party turns up several notches. Fights, drugs, and bodily injuries are just some of the hijinks that ensue. Forget sophomore year. Will these four freshmen make it to school on Monday?
1. The Deliverance (2024)
Metacritic: 38%
IMDb: 5.0/10
Rated: R
Duration: 112m
Genre: Horror, Thriller
Stars: Andra Day, Glenn Close, Anthony B. Jenkins
Directed by: Lee Daniels
Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels helms The Deliverance, his first directorial effort since 2021’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Inspired by the Ammons family haunting, The Deliverance stars Andra Day as Ebony Jackson, an alcoholic single mother of three who moved her family into a new home for a fresh start.
Child Protective Services must keep an eye on Ebony at all times because of her prior run-ins with the law. Shortly after arriving in the new house, the family experiences a series of supernatural events, leading them to believe the home is haunted. Unfortunately, things go from bad to worse after the demonic possession of the children. With her back against the wall, Ebony must conquer her own demons to save her kids.