The year might be relatively young but that doesn’t mean streaming services are lacking for 2026 releases. Whether the film went straight to a streaming platform or whether it hit theaters and can now be watched from home, there’s a slew of impressive 2026 movies to check out today.
The Bluff
Prime Video has more movies than any other streaming service and that includes their own original projects. One of their latest is The Bluff, a swashbuckling action flick starring Priyanka Chopra and Karl Urban.
The Bluff centers on Chopra’s Ercell, a former pirate who has her quiet life on a remote island interrupted when her old captain shows up looking for revenge. That sets the tone for a bunch of fun action.
Ultimately, reviews for The Bluff were pretty mixed, with it sitting at 57% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, while critics felt the story is pretty thin, they praised the charisma of the cast and the impressive action sequences.
Shelter
There has been a running joke among movie lovers in recent years about Jason Statham films. The actor keeps starring in projects where he plays a former tough guy who tries to live a normal life, only to be pulled back in.
That’s the case again in Shelter, where Statham portrays former government assassin Michael. His isolated life off the coast of Scotland is upended when he protects a young girl from an agency that’s set out to eliminate both of them.
It’s clear that Shelter doesn’t do anything different with the genre, yet it’s a formula that works, so sticking with it makes sense. Statham is as good as he normally is, leading to the film being met with relatively solid reviews.
Cold Storage
Not many films this year have a more interesting cast than Cold Storage. It features Stranger Things star Joe Keery, modern horror scream queen Georgina Campbell, and iconic action movie legend Liam Neeson.
The comedy horror is based on a novel of the same name and focuses on a group of people who have to contain the release of a parasitic fungus that leaks out of an abandoned military base. The unique mix of actors is what makes the movie work so well.
Reviews were strong, with critics praising the cast and the fact that the movie fully leans into the campy nature of it all. Cold Storage came and went in theaters without much impact, but it feels like the kind of film that’ll become a hit on streaming.
The Rip
The Rip feels like a movie that was destined to be a Netflix hit. It instantly stands out for featuring Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as the leads since the two are known for their close friendship and for working together on big projects.
The supporting cast is where The Rip truly stands out, though. Oscar nominee Teyana Taylor, Emmy winner Steven Yeun, Emmy winner Kyle Chandler, Scott Adkins, and Sasha Calle make up an impressive group who all put in solid performances.
The Rip focuses on a group of cops in the narcotics unit who stumble upon a large sum of cash and have their allegiances tested when they start to suspect the others of planning to steal it. The intense action movie makes for a great night-in viewing.
The Wrecking Crew
Jason Momoa and Dave Bautista are two of the most prominent actors around and when they get together, it tends to be great. Whether it’s in Dune or on the Apple TV+ series See, the two tend to deliver.
That was the case again with their latest project, The Wrecking Crew. This Prime Video original action movie sees Momoa and Bautista portray estranged brothers who come back together to investigate the murder of their father in Hawaii.
Angel Manuel Soto makes sure the action is well done, while the supporting cast of Jacob Batalon, Morena Baccarin, Temura Morrison, and more bring a ton of charm to make sure the comedy works.
Pavane
Netflix typically offers a steady diet of South Korean movies and TV shows and 2026 is no different. One of their latest offerings is Pavane, a romance that’s based on the novel Pavane for a Dead Princess.
The premise of Lee Jong-pil’s film centers on three strangers, two men and a woman, who meet while working at a department store and find solace in one another.
Their relationship helps each of them find the meaning of love and understand more about themselves along the journey. While there aren’t a lot of reviews for Pavane on Rotten Tomatoes, critics have been very positive about it.
War Machine
War Machine is one of those movies that arrives on Netflix and kind of takes the platform by storm. It helps that the star is Alan Ritchson, who has made waves in recent years as the star of Reacher.
War Machine centers on a combat engineer (Ritchson) who leads his unit into battle against a massive killing machine. There’s an interesting twist thrown in as well that keeps this from being your standard action fare.
That twist worked, as it has had people talking about the film since it hit Netflix. War Machine was praised for its throwback action and Ritchson’s performance, making it one of the best action flicks of the young year.
People We Meet On Vacation
Based on the 2021 novel of the same name, People We Meet on Vacation looks like it’s going to remain among the best romantic comedies of the year, even though it arrived in early January.
The film tells the story of Poppy and Alex, two polar opposites who become close friends while on a road trip in college. They agree to go on vacation together each year, only for romantic feelings to develop that complicate things.
Their history is revealed through flashbacks, adding to the intrigue of seeing the story play out. Emily Bader and Tom Blyth are fantastic together, showcasing electric chemistry that’ll make this a consistent rewatch for many.
Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
Gore Verbinski blends sci-fi with comedy about as well as you can in Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die. Sam Rockwell stars as the protagonist, a man from the future who travels back in time to recruit patrons of a diner to fight a rogue A.I.
While plenty of movies are tackling the subject of artificial intelligence, not many have done it in such an intriguing way. The film manages to use a high-concept comedy to deliver a serious message while allowing the viewer to have fun the entire time.
Rockwell is great, as is the supporting cast of Zazie Beetz, Haley Lu Richardson, Michael Peña, Juno Temple, and more. Although it struggled commercially, this film was a hit with critics.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
The 28 Days Later series is one of the best and most consistent in horror history. The original is a classic, the 2007 sequel is solid, the 2025 movie is great, and this 2026 sequel might be the best of them all.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple comes from acclaimed director Nia DaCosta, who was behind the likes of Candyman and Little Woods. It tells another story set in this established universe and brings back Ralph Fiennes’ Dr. Ian Kelson.
Unfortunately, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple struggled at the box office. However, it holds a 92% Rotten Tomatoes rating and is the kind of thing that should find its rightful place as a hit thanks to the world of streaming.