The 10 most popular movies on Netflix right now | Digital Trends (2024)

Genre

Animation, Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy

Stars

Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day

Directed by

Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath

Watch on Netflix

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. Movieis 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 appears 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).

Genre

Comedy, Western

Stars

Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson

Directed by

Seth MacFarlane

Watch on Netflix

Seth MacFarlane rarely stars in live-action movies, so A Million Ways To Die in the Westwas a significant pivot for theFamily Guycreator. MacFarlane plays Albert Stark, a meek and timid sheep farmer living in Old Stump, Arizona, in 1882. After Albert refuses to defend himself in a duel, his girlfriend, Louise (Amanda Seyfried), leaves him for a wealthy businessman (Neil Patrick Harris).

Albert’s luck changes when he meets Anna (Charlize Theron), a beautiful woman and an excellent shooter. Yet Anna holds a dark secret: Her husband is Clinch Leatherwood (Liam Neeson), a vicious outlaw who abuses his wife. When Clinch arrives in Old Stump, he’s not thrilled to see Albert hanging with Anna. It’s time for Albert to stand up for himself; otherwise, Clinch will kill him.

Genre

Action, Adventure, Science Fiction

Stars

Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Zoë Kravitz

Directed by

Neil Burger

Watch on Netflix

Based on the novel by Veronica Roth,Divergentis a young-adult action film set in a dystopian Chicago. In Divergent, society is divided into five factions: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite. When teenagers turn 16, they take an aptitude test to determine which faction they should join. Tris Prior (Shailene Woodley) takes the test and receives a shocking result: Tris is Divergent, meaning she has attributes from every faction. This also makes Tris dangerous, forcing her to conceal her secret.

At the Choosing Ceremony, Tris chooses Dauntless, the faction known for fearless warriors. Despite her initial struggles, Tris eventually becomes one of the faction’s top students thanks to help from Four (Theo James), a Dauntless instructor. After learning about a secret plot to start a war among the factions, Tris teams up with Four to stop the revolt before it destroys society.

Genre

Drama, Family

Stars

Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson

Directed by

Stephen Chbosky

Watch on Netflix

The feel-good movie of 2017 might be Wonder, Stephen Chbosky’s coming-of-age drama based on the novel of the same name. Auggie Pullman (Jacob Tremblay) is a 10-year-old boy with rare facial deformities. This disease has prevented Augie from attending school with other children. To hide his face, Augie frequently wears an astronaut helmet in public.

After being home-schooled all of his life, Augie’s parents (Owen Wilson and Julia Roberts) enroll him in a private school, Beecher Prep, ahead of the fifth grade. At first, school is tough for Augie, who struggles to make friends. As the year progresses, Augie slowly gains the confidence to come out of his shell, resulting in new friendships. When the end credits roll, Wonder’s inspiring message will tug at your heartstrings.

Genre

Action, Drama, War

Stars

Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey

Directed by

Noam Murro

Watch on Netflix

After defeating King Leonidas and the Spartan army, King Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his Persian forces turn their attention toward conquering Greece. Xerxes plans to wipe the Greeks out at sea thanks to his dominant Persian fleet led by the merciless commander Artemisia (Eva Green). Knowing war is imminent, Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton), a Greek general, prepares for battle.

Themistocles knows losing at sea will lead to the end of Greece. Therefore, the Greek general must unite the entire country to win this war, meaning he must ally with Ephialtes (Andrew Tiernan) and Queen Gorgo (Lena Headey) of Sparta. No matter what happens, Themistocles and the Greeks will not go down without a violent fight to the death.

Genre

Animation, Family, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

Stars

Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell

Directed by

Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

Watch on Netflix

Enter the world of the famous plastic construction toys in The Lego Movie. Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt), an ordinary construction worker, accidentally falls into a pit at the construction site and finds the magical Piece of Resistance. Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), a master builder, mistakenly identifies Emmet as “The Special,” the person who will save the Lego world.

Wyldstyle recruits Emmet to go on a mission to stop Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from conquering the world with “Kragle,” better known as superglue. Joining Emmet and Wyldstyle are Batman (Will Arnett), Benny (Charlie Day), MetalBeard (Nick Offerman), Unikitty (Alison Brie), and Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman). Emmet never thought of himself as extraordinary. Now, he must rise to the occasion and become the hero of Bricksburg.

Genre

Fantasy, Comedy, Animation, Science Fiction, Family

Stars

Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Steve Martin

Directed by

Tim Johnson

Watch on Netflix

An alien race called the Boov, led by Captain Smeck (Steve Martin), conquers Earth, moving all the humans to the Australian Outback. Tip (Rihanna), a young teenage girl, manages to evade capture with her cat. While searching for supplies, Tip meets Oh (Jim Parsons), a clumsy alien on the run from the Boovs after accidentally sending a message to their enemies, the Gorg.

Oh needs to find a place without Boovs, so he agrees to help Tip find her mother. As Tip and Oh embark on their adventure, the duo learns the importance of family and what it means to have a home. However, the duo must hurry before the Gorg arrive on Earth and threaten the entire Boov race.

Genre

Science Fiction, Horror, Action

Stars

Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada

Directed by

Takashi Yamazaki

Watch on Netflix

In 1945, Japan is still reeling from the effects of World War II. Kamikaze pilot Kōichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki) returns to the Japanese base at Odo Island, with many of his comrades believing he abandoned his duty. That night, Godzilla attacks the base. Shikishima has a chance to shoot Godzilla but hesitates and is knocked unconscious.

Shikishima learns the next day that he and Sōsaku Tachibana (Munetaka Aoki) are the only survivors. Riddled with guilt, Shikishima sets out to defeat Godzilla and make up for his wrongdoings. On an estimated budget of $10 million, Godzilla Minus Onefeatures some of the best visuals of 2023, winning the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

Genre

Thriller, Horror, Action, Mystery

Stars

Bérénice Bejo, Nassim Lyes, Léa Léviant

Directed by

Xavier Gens

Watch on Netflix

In Under Paris, Marine researcher Sophia Assalas (Bérénice Bejo) and her teammates are searching for a shortfin mako shark nicknamed Lilith in the North Pacific Ocean. The expedition ends tragically, as Sophia’s entire team, including her husband Chris (Yannick Choirat), dies at the hands of Lilith. Sophia is the only one to escape, though she gives up her research.

Three years later, Sophia works at an aquarium when she’s approached by Mika (Léa Léviant), an environmentalist, with a shocking revelation: Lilith is in the River Seine. To make matters worse, Paris is the host of the World Triathlon Championships, with the competitors planning to swim in the Seine. With little time to spare, Sophia must overcome her fears and get back in the water to stop Lilith from turning the Seine into a graveyard.

Genre

Romance, Comedy, Crime

Stars

Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio

Directed by

Richard Linklater

Watch on Netflix

Inspired by a true story, Hit Manstars Glen Powell as Gary Johnson, a lowly college professor who spends his free time working sting operations for the New Orleans Police Department. Gary fixes the equipment used to watch and listen to conversations between undercover cops and suspects. After one of the cops is suspended, Gary becomes the fake hitman and works to entrap criminals. Gary takes on fake personas catered to each criminal’s personality to better elicit confessions.

Much to the department’s surprise, Gary is a natural. During an operation, Gary, who is under the persona of “Ron,” meets Madison (Adria Arjona), a woman looking to kill her husband to escape an abusive marriage. Gary takes pity on Madison and convinces her to call off the hit. Gary begins a romantic relationship with Madison, but a dark secret threatens to thwart his personal and professional lives.