The run-up to the holiday season is underway, and the best streaming services are giving subscribers plenty of reason to skip the office party or awkward family gatherings and instead spend the evening at home streaming some of the latest movies.
For me, this week’s headliner is the Netflix debut of “Relay.” This well-crafted thriller is one of 2025’s most overlooked gems, and I can’t wait for more people to discover it on Netflix. Other highlights include the PVOD arrival of Oscar-hopeful “It Was Just An Accident” and over on Peacock, psychological horror “Him” is streaming from Friday (December 19).
I’ve combed through all the most high-profile new additions across streaming services over the next seven days and picked out the most noteworthy new movies so you can spend more time watching and less time scrolling through content libraries. Plus, be sure to check out our companion guide covering all the best new TV shows this week.
‘It Was Just An Accident’ (PVOD)
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One of 2025’s most acclaimed movies, a frontrunner for Best International Feature Film at the upcoming Academy Awards, and winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, “It Was Just An Accident” has quite the buzz. Now, it’s swapping a limited theatrical run for premium streaming, which should ensure that even more people can discover this 98%-rated Iranian thriller movie.
Written and directed by Jafar Panahi, this awards contender focuses on a former political prisoner, Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), who faces a complex moral dilemma when he encounters the man whom he believes to be his former tormentor and torturer. Grappling with his own sense of morality and his desire to take revenge, the situation is complicated because the man in question fiercely denies being Vahid’s imprisoner. Laced with dark humor and political commentary, “It Was Just An Accident” has been hailed as one of 2025’s very best films.
Buy or rent on Amazon from December 16
‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ (PVOD)
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The “Now You See Me” movies have always been guilty pleasures of mine, combining ludicrous twists with heist-style hijinks, and with a sprinkling of preposterous sleight of hand, adding to the over-the-top magic. Are these movies high art? Most certainly not, but they’re great fun all the same, and the third installment, “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t” sticks to the formula to great effect. The whole gang is back, including Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan and Morgan Freeman. Plus, there’s some new blood, too.
Set a decade after “Now You See Me 2,” The Four Horsemen, a group of globe-trotting magicians who are basically superspies, haven’t been seen for 10 years. When they suddenly remerge and team up with a new generation of illusionists, a dangerous plan is concocted to steal the world’s largest diamond from a South African dealer (Rosamund Pike), whose jewelry operation is a front for an international crime syndicate.
Buy or rent on Amazon from December 16
‘The Running Man’ (PVOD)
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“The Running Man” struggled to pick up much momentum in cinemas, and recouping its eyewatering $110M budget is currently looking as unlikely as me completing a marathon. Now that it’s heading to PVOD, distributor Paramount Pictures will surely hope for a second wind that sees Edgar Wright’s latest movie limp over the finish line. Based on the novel by Stephen King, and starring Glen Powell, I’m a little surprised this action-thriller didn’t have more impact. Perhaps it’s the overall uneven quality that kept many viewers away in theaters.
Set in a future dystopia, in a society split between the ultra-wealthy and those struggling to make ends meet (arguably it’s a fictional future that is alarmingly similar to our real world!), Ben Richards (Powell) is a desperate man who agrees to go on a deadly game show, named “The Running Man,” to earn enough money to afford urgently needed medical care for his young daughter. The eponymous game show requires him to survive 30 days while being hunted by a group of ruthless killers.
Buy or rent on Amazon from December 16
‘Him’ (Peacock)
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One of the things I find most frustrating in a movie is when it wastes an idea that sounds pretty fantastic on paper, and “Him” is certainly guilty of such a sin. This psychological horror has its moments, but it never manages to bring its numerous promising elements together into a truly satisfying whole. Still, there are some great individual scenes, and a strong, sinister performance from Marlon Wayans, which might be enough to hold your attention.
Cam Cade (Tyriq Withers) is a rising football star, tapped to be the next quarterback for the legendary San Antonio Saviors. But when an unprovoked attack threatens his promising career, he’s invited to train at the isolated compound of his hero, multi-championship winning QB Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans). At this secluded location, he is pushed to his breaking point and learns that to become the GOAT, some major sacrifices must be made.
Watch on Peacock from December 19
‘Relay’ (Netflix)
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“Relay” is a gripping and supremely sharp thriller that deserved more attention when it landed in theatres in August. I’m delighted to see it arrive on Netflix this week, which will give it the chance to earn the larger viewership it most certainly deserves. If you’re after a movie stuffed with twists and compelling sequences that keep the tension levels high, then look no further. “Relay” offered plenty of both. Plus, it’s another vehicle for Oscar-winning Riz Ahmed to show his talents. Even better, the dependable Sam Worthington and Lily James offer strong support.
Sarah Grant (James) is a whistleblower who discovers her employer, a powerful pharmaceutical company, is hiding the findings of a damaging safety assessment. When threatened by the powerful institute, she employs the help of a dedicated fixer (Ahmed), who facilitates deals between companies and whistleblowers. The unnamed fixer follows a careful set of rules to avoid the situation going south, but when he gets too invested in Sarah’s plight, he starts disregarding these strict rules, with some pretty disastrous consequences.
Watch on Netflix from December 19
‘The Great Flood’ (Netflix)
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Netflix’s latest original movie might not be the cheery viewing you’re looking for over the holiday season, but it certainly does look compelling if the pre-release trailers are any indication. It also features Park Hae-soo, who you might recognize from Netflix’s own uber-popular series “Squid Game.” So between the hooky premise and the recognisable face in the cast, I won’t be surprised to see this one make quite a splash on the streamer.
In this sci-fi disaster movie, a devastating flood has sent the world spiralling into chaos. In the middle of the dangerous event, water levels are rapidly rising within a high-rise apartment building, trapping a researcher (Kim Da-mi) and her young son. The movie focuses on their desperate battle for survival, and along the way, the fate of humanity itself rests in the balance. Let’s just hope “The Great Flood” can live up to its clear potential and isn’t another Netflix original that sounds interesting in concept but ultimately sinks due to poor execution.
Watch on Netflix from December 19
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