Netflix is often praised for its vast selection of movies and shows, but when it comes down to it, Hulu holds its own with an equally impressive library. From award-winning comedy and drama to binge-worthy reality TV, Hulu offers something for every viewer.
One of Hulu’s biggest advantages is its ability to stream movies shortly after their theatrical release, making it a go-to option for movie buffs. Whether you’re into horror, sci-fi, comedy, or drama, Hulu has something for everyone. If you’re looking for what to watch on Hulu without the hassle of endless scrolling, we’ve compiled the best movies to stream right now.
Here are our top picks for what to watch on Hulu:
Director(s): Fede Álvarez
Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renau
Genre: Sci-Fi/Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 59m
Rotten Tomatoes: 80% (Critics), 85% (Audience)
Whether or not you’re a fan of the original Alien movies (and let’s be honest, what sci-fi fan isn’t?), Alien: Romulus has a lot to offer as both a science-fiction parable as well as a creature-based horror thriller. Starring a game cast including Cailee Spaeny and David Jonsson, Romulus is set after the events in the original film, and follows a space crew who have their own encounter with the series’s terrifying Xenomorphs.
Director Fede Álvarez does a nice job balancing moments with high fan appeal alongside his own original takes on the chest bursting body horror that make the series so iconic in the first place. Even as the seventh entry in the series, Romulus feels fresh and frightening.
Director: Michael Mohan
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Simona Tabasco
Genre: Horror
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 29m
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% (Critics), 58% (Audience)
In this religious horror flick, Sydney Sweeney stars as a devout American nun who travels to a convent in Italy. What first seems idyllic quickly devolves into a nightmare as Sweeney’s character learns that not all is right at this convent.
Combining body horror and a surprising, mostly shocking ending, the film is solid horror fare. Thanks to its star, it’s all the more watchable.
Director: John McTiernan
Cast: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia
Genre: Action
Rating: R
Runtime: 2hr 11m
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (Critics), 94% (Audience)
In this iconic 80s action movie, Bruce Willis plays John McClane, a New York cop who must save his estranged wife from a terrorist takeover during their holiday party. With Alan Rickman perfectly cast as villain Hans Gruber, the skyscraper everyone is trapped in becomes a veritable playground for McClane as he climbs elevator shafts and shimmies through air ducts on a mission to save the hostages and put a stop to the takeover.
Forget the debates about whether or not this constitutes a Christmas movie. What matters is that the movie still delivers more than 30 years after its release. (And, for the record, it’s definitely a Christmas movie).
Director: Brian Duffield
Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Elizabeth Kaluev, Zack Duhame
Genre: Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 33m
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% (Critics), 56% (Audience)
In this horror-sci-fi-thriller, Kaitlyn Dever plays anxious homebody Brynn, who must survive an extraterrestrial home invasion. No One Will Save You showcases writer/director Brian Duffield’s penchant for high-concept thrills to great effect, and it’s a shame that this movie didn’t have a wider release as it would have been a blast to watch in a crowded theater.
One thing the film proves (even on a laptop or home TV) is how Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart, Short Term 12) can command any screen she’s on — even without much dialogue.
Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
Cast: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch
Genre: Action/Drama/History
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 15m
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (Critics), 99% (Audience)
The Woman King is inspired by the true story of the Agojie, an all-female group of warriors who were responsible for protecting Dahomey, the 1800s African Kingdom. In this historical action movie, Viola Davis plays General Nanisca, who is training the next wave of warriors.
If you’re looking for a great action movie with some truly badass sequences, The Woman King is a great option — and it’s super fun to see Viola Davis in a role like this. Just wait til she stops a bullet with her sword.
Director: Matt Mitchener, Charles Todd
Cast: Josiah Johnson, Jamel Johnson, Jalen Rose, The Kid Mero
Genre: Satire
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: 1h 21m
Rotten Tomatoes: n/a
This satirical film explores the world of NBA Twitter through the eyes of social-media personality Josiah Johnson (King Josiah) and his co-star Jamel Johnson. The buddy-cop mystery uncovers the culture of memes, viral moments, and digital fandom that have turned basketball into a 24/7 phenomenon. Filled with humor, unforgettable stories, and internet chaos, the film offers a unique look at how social media has reshaped the NBA experience—perfect for fans, meme lovers, and anyone immersed in online culture.
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Idris Elba
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 11m
Rotten Tomatoes: 72% (Critics), 77% (Audience)
Do you like anime? Do you want to watch giant robots beat up on kaiju (giant monsters)? In Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, you get all that and more. It’s as fun as it sounds, especially in the hands of a stylistic pro like Guillermo del Toro.
Sure, there’s a plot to Pacific Rim about some unlikely heroes who have to be brought into the fray to battle the monsters emerging from the ocean, but at the end of the day, you’re there for the robots, and Pacific Rim delivers. The entire movie is big, bold, and badass.
Director: Jonathan Dayton
Cast: Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell, Toni Collette
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 42m
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% (Critics), 91% (Audience)
An indie film that scored big with audiences, Little Miss Sunshine is an ensemble film about the Hoover family and their road trip to help their daughter (Abigail Breslin) win a children’s beauty pageant. Featuring an all-star cast including Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Alan Arkin, and Paul Dano, the film deftly balances comedy and drama.
It’s chock-full of heart, with a great soundtrack to boot. If you want a movie that makes you laugh even as it tugs on your heart strings, Little Miss Sunshine is the ideal choice.
Director: Jessica Yu
Cast: Awkwafina, Sandra Oh, Jason Schwartzman
Genre: Comedy
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 39m
Rotten Tomatoes: 82% (Critics), 79% (Audience)
When a gameshow obsessee named Anne (Awkwafina) has to team up with her mess of a sister (Sandra Oh) to help with their mother’s gambling debt, hilarity ensues. Quiz Lady succeeds in large part thanks to the chemistry of its leads. Awkwafina is excellent — as is the rest of the cast, which includes Sandra Oh and Jason Schwartzman, as well as a great performance from Will Ferrell.
The writing is fun, there are some nice slapstick moments, and there’s even a great message about sisterhood at the movie’s heart.
Director: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon
Cast: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill
Genre: Comedy, Animated
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 29m
Rotten Tomatoes: 82% (Critics), 50% (Audience)
In this raunchy animated comedy, the happy life of Frank the sausage (Rogen) and his supermarket pals is upended when he realizes that, after being purchased, he will be eaten. Featuring a game cast of voice actors including Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, and Nick Kroll, this is an adult animated comedy that wants you to know it’s adult for pretty much every second of its hour-and-a-half runtime.
The film actually has some interesting depth underneath its sophomoric gags and profanity. That being said, amidst all of the anthropomorphic sexualizations of food, you may never look at your food the same way again.
Director: Jared Hess
Cast: Jon Hede, Efren Ramirez, Tina Majorino
Genre: Comedy
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1hr 36m
Rotten Tomatoes: 72% (Critics), 74% (Audience)
Napoleon Dynamite is the sort of movie you either love or hate. Weird, droll, and immediately quotable, it tells the story of an alienated teen named Napoleon who endeavors to help his friend win the class presidency. With its opening credits styled on plates of food, llamas, tater tots, and cringe, rural characters, the film is a bizarrely endearing story that you can’t help but be charmed by.
This offbeat comedy became a cult classic for a reason, and experiencing it again will remind you just how much it affected popular culture at the time. Vote for Pedro and stream it today!
Director: Jim Henson
Cast: David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Toby Froud
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: PG
Runtime: 1hr 41m
Rotten Tomatoes: 77% (Critics), 86% (Audience)
In many ways, Labyrinth was a product of its time. Featuring Jim Henson puppets, David Bowie, and plenty of vibes, this surreal fantasy film about a young girl (Jennifer Connelly) who must rescue her half-brother from Jareth the Goblin King (Bowie) is quite the trip. It certainly is much darker family fare than we get nowadays, a phantasmagoric odyssey that doesn’t shy away from some frightening moments.
If you haven’t seen the film in a while, it’s definitely worth a rewatch, especially as rumors have started that director Robert Eggers’s next project is a potential reboot/sequel in the Labyrinth world. Judging from his work on Nosferatu, a Eggers-helmed Labyrinth film would be just as vibey as Henson’s original.
Director: Alex Proyas
Cast: Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, Alan Tudyk
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 55m
Rotten Tomatoes: 57% (Critics), 70% (Audience)
A summer blockbuster with substance, I, Robot is a fun rewatch at a time where AI is now a major part of public discourse in the technosphere. Starring Will Smith as a detective in the year 2035 investigating an alleged suicide in a robot-filled future, this is a film that despite it’s action movie trappings still has a message to deliver its audience.
Loosely inspired by the short stories by Isaac Asimov, the film is a lot of fun, with Alan Tudyk giving an impressive performance as a humanoid robot named Sonny. Almost two decades after its initial release, much of the film’s world-building and design still hold up.
Director: Matthew Goodhue
Cast: Lisa Ambalavanar, Sydney Craven, Andrew Horton
Genre: Comedy/Horror
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 1hr 33m
Rotten Tomatoes: 61% (Critics), 70% (Audience)
There are two types of people in this world: people who love the sound of a murderous sloth getting its own movie, and those who don’t. If you’re one of the former, I’ve got good news for you: Slotherhouse is streaming on Hulu.
In Matthew Goodhue’s campy horror comedy, senior Emily Young adopts a pet sloth in order to win the vote of her sorority and become sorority president. The only problem? The sloth starts killing people. Sometimes in movies, what you see is what you get. In the case of Slotherhouse, it’s anything but slow.
Director: Adam Cooper
Cast: Russell Crowe, Karen Gillan, Marton Csokas
Genre: Thriller/Crime/Drama
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 51m
Rotten Tomatoes: 42% (Critics), 82% (Audience)
In this thriller, Russell Crowe plays a detective with memory problems racing to remember a decades-old case with high-stakes repercussions as the man convicted of the crime is on death row. If it sounds like Memento, it’s because it is a bit like Memento — but it’s nevertheless an entertaining mystery worth two hours of your time.
Featuring solid visuals and a great performance by Russell Crowe, there’s a lot to like about Sleeping Dogs, even if it lives in the shadow of one of Christopher Nolan’s greatest works.
Director: Marc Forster
Cast: Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Mack Bayda
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 2hr 6m
Rotten Tomatoes: 70% (Critics), 97% (Audience)
Tom Hanks might be considered America’s dad, but just because you’re America’s dad doesn’t mean that you’re always sunshine and rainbows. In A Man Called Otto, Hanks stars as widdower Otto Anderson — America’s grumpiest man — who forges an unlikely friendship with Marisol, a pregant woman played by Mariana Treviño.
The film’s characterizations are its greatest strengths, as both actors really bring a lot of empathy to their respective characters. Fair warning, though: the ending may just make you bawl your eyes out.
Director: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 56m
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% (Critics), 72% (Audience)
Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke are two of the best actors of the last few decades, and in Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, that fact is on full display across the film’s 2-hour runtime. In this crime thriller, Hoffman and Hawke play brothers who plan to rob their family’s jewelry store in a simple heist that goes horribly wrong.
Directed by Sidney Lumet, the film is a total thrill to experience. The narrative unravels out of order, keeping you on the edge of your seat even up to its bleak, tragic ending. By the time the credits roll, you’ll be reminded that Lumet, too, is one of film’s often unsung GOATs.
Director: Joe Carnahan
Cast: Frank Grillo, Naomi Watts, Mel Gibson
Genre: Action/Sci-Fi/Thriller
Rating: R
Runtime: 1hr 40m
Rotten Tomatoes: 74% (Critics), 77% (Audience)
With its time loops and special agents, Boss Level belongs to a fun lineage of films ranging from Edge of Tomorrow to Source Code. In it, Frank Grillo plays Roy Pulver, a character trapped to relive his death again and again Groundhog Day-style unless he can find and stop the ones responsible for his murder.
The end result is a movie that isn’t the most original idea for a film (as the previous, reference-heavy paragraph gives away), but that doesn’t take away from its charm. Grillo gives a solid performance that allows viewers to empathize with his character, and director Joe Carnahan goes hard on the video game-inspired action sequences. In other words, it’s hella fun.