Netflix subscribers in the U.S.have had their hands full lately, between the thriller u locking down the No.1 spot on the TV side for a second straight week, the live-action A fighting its way up the charts, and a whole swath of new movies hitting the service that we’re still working our way through.
This week, we continue reaching into that vault, and the haul is still impressing us, ranked based on their low-high Rotten Tomatoes scores: a dystopian blockbuster starring Jennifer Lawrence that launched a massive franchise (and a thousand three-finger salutes), a white-knuckle, true-story trip around the moon, and another true story that proves that math can win baseball games.3 The Hunger Games The whole dystopian franchise hits Netflix this month Jennifer Lawrence had her first Oscar nomination at the tender age of 20, for , and donned the full-body blue makeup for ’s Raven right before taking on what would be one of her most iconic roles—rebellious Katniss Everdeen in Gary Ross’s .Ross's 2012 adaptation of the first book in Suzanne Collins's bestselling trilogy launched an epic franchise that has grossed $3.3 billion and defined a decade of dystopian blockbusters.
For the uninitiated: In the post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, the Capitol keeps its 12 districts in line with an annual televised battle royale fight to the death known as the Hunger Games.And when her little sister Prim’s name is drawn, which would surely mean her death, Katniss (Lawrence) volunteers to take her place.Alongside fellow District 12 citizen Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) and mentor Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson), Katniss learns to play the game—which means charming the sponsors, outwitting the conniving President Snow (Donald Sutherland), and, oh yeah, not dying in the brutal Hunger Games arena.
All five films, including 2023 prequel , start streaming on Netflix July 14.The Hunger Games PG-13 Adventure Action Sci-Fi Release Date March 23, 2012 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT Cast Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Wes Bentley, Toby Jones, Alexander Ludwig, Isabelle Fuhrman, Amandla Stenberg, Willow Shields, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Paula Malcomson, Rhoda Griffis, Sandino Moya-Smith, Raiko Bowman, Dwayne Boyd, Anthony Reynolds, Judd Lormand, Kimiko Gelman, Nelson Ascencio, Brooke Bundy Runtime 142 minutes Director Gary Ross Writers Billy Ray, Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins Producers Jon Kilik, Nina Jacobson Prequel(s) The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Sequel(s) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping Franchise(s) The Hunger Games Main Genre Action Budget $75 Million Studio(s) Lionsgate, Color Force Distributor(s) Lionsgate Where To Stream Hulu Executive Producer(s) Robin Bissell, Louise Rosner-Meyer, Suzanne Collins Powered by Expand Collapse 2 Apollo 13 Tom Hanks brings the troubled space mission back to Earth Screenwriter William Broyles Jr.and Director Ron Howard do an incredible job at adapting the words of real-life Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell and author Jeffrey Kluger's book into this nail-biting account of the iconic spacecraft's harrowing trip around the moon in 1970.
In the actor's pilot seat is America’s dad, Tom Hanks, who leads the film's all-star cast as Lovell, heading into space alongside fellow astronauts Fred Haise (Bill Paxton) and Jack Swigert (Kevin Bacon).The well-documented mission goes according to plan until an oxygen tank explodes, forcing the crew to abort the moon landing and head back to Earth, fast.Tensions run high inside the capsule as the team works with mission control on the ground, led by Flight Director Gene Kranz (Ed Harris), to figure out a way to re-enter Earth's atmosphere in the damaged Odyssey module without burning up.
Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your Knowledge New Netflix movies and shows in July 2026Trivia challenge From Enola Holmes to Heartstopper Forever — how much do you know about Netflix's biggest July 2026 arrivals? MysteriesDramaRomanceReality TVAdaptations Begin 01 / 8 Mysteries Enola Holmes 3 brings back Millie Bobby Brown as the young detective.Who plays her famous older brother Sherlock Holmes in the Netflix film series? ABenedict CumberbatchBHenry CavillCTom HiddlestonDKit Harington Correct! Henry Cavill plays Sherlock Holmes alongside Millie Bobby Brown's Enola in the Netflix film series.Cavill brings a warmer, more brotherly interpretation to the iconic detective than many previous portrayals. Not quite — it's Henry Cavill who plays Sherlock Holmes in the Enola Holmes Netflix films.
While Benedict Cumberbatch is famous for playing Sherlock in the BBC series, Cavill takes on the role in this franchise. Continue 02 / 8 Adaptations Netflix's Little House on the Prairie is a reimagining of a beloved classic.The original television series, which ran from 1974 to 1983, was based on the autobiographical book series written by whom? ALouisa May AlcottBLaura Ingalls WilderCWilla CatherDL.M.Montgomery Correct! Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote the beloved Little House book series based on her own childhood experiences settling on the American frontier.
Her books have inspired generations of readers and multiple screen adaptations. The correct answer is Laura Ingalls Wilder, who drew on her own pioneer childhood to write the Little House series.Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women, while L.M.Montgomery is known for Anne of Green Gables — easy mix-ups! Continue 03 / 8 Romance Heartstopper Forever is the concluding chapter of the beloved Netflix series. Heartstopper is based on a graphic novel series created by which author? ARainbow RowellBDavid LevithanCAlice OsemanDBecky Albertalli Correct! Alice Oseman created the Heartstopper graphic novel series, which began as a webcomic before becoming a bestselling book series and the basis for the hugely popular Netflix show.
Oseman also wrote the screenplay for the adaptation. The Heartstopper graphic novel series was created by Alice Oseman, who also serves as a writer on the Netflix adaptation.Rainbow Rowell and Becky Albertalli are both celebrated LGBTQ+ YA authors, but this particular story belongs to Oseman. Continue 04 / 8 Drama Ransom Canyon is a Netflix drama adapted from a series of Western romance novels. Which author wrote the Ransom Canyon book series on which the show is based? ANora RobertsBJodi ThomasCDiana GabaldonDKristin Hannah Correct! Jodi Thomas wrote the Ransom Canyon series, a collection of Western romance novels set in the Texas Panhandle.Thomas is a New York Times bestselling author celebrated for her richly drawn Texas settings and multigenerational stories. The Ransom Canyon novels were written by Jodi Thomas, a celebrated Western romance author known for her Texas-set stories.
Kristin Hannah and Nora Roberts are both massively popular romance authors, but Ransom Canyon belongs to Thomas's catalog. Continue 05 / 8 Reality TV Worst Neighbor Ever is a Netflix reality series.Based on its title and premise, what type of content does the show focus on? AHome renovation disasters caused by feuding neighborsBTrue stories and accounts of extreme, outrageous, or nightmare neighbor disputesCA competition where neighbors compete to win cash prizes for their communityDA hidden camera prank show staged in suburban neighborhoods Correct! Worst Neighbor Ever dives into real-life stories of outrageous and extreme neighbor conflicts, exploring just how bad living next door to the wrong person can get.It taps into a universally relatable fear with dramatic real-world cases. Worst Neighbor Ever is a Netflix reality series centered on true stories of extreme and outrageous neighbor disputes — not pranks or renovation competitions.
Neighbor conflict content has proven hugely popular with streaming audiences drawn to real-life drama. Continue 06 / 8 Survival Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea is a Netflix survival documentary.What distinguishes documentary survival content like this from scripted survival dramas on streaming platforms? ADocumentary survival content uses actors trained in wilderness skillsBIt is based on real events and features the actual people who lived through themCDocumentary survival shows are always filmed in real time as events unfoldDThey are produced exclusively for linear television before streaming release Correct! Survival documentaries like Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea are grounded in real events and typically feature the survivors themselves recounting their harrowing experiences.This authenticity is a key part of their appeal compared to scripted survival dramas. The defining quality of a survival documentary like Shipwrecked: Nightmare at Sea is that it's based on real events and features the actual people involved — not actors. Documentaries reconstruct events after the fact rather than filming them live as they happen. Continue 07 / 8 Thrillers 72 Hours is a Netflix thriller arriving in July 2026.
Thriller titles using a specific time frame — like 72 Hours — are a well-established genre convention.How many days does a period of 72 hours represent? A2 daysB4 daysC3 daysD5 days Correct! 72 hours equals exactly three days.The use of a tight, specific time window in a thriller title like 72 Hours immediately signals urgency and a race-against-the-clock narrative, a proven formula for keeping audiences on the edge of their seats. 72 hours equals three days — not two or four.
Thriller titles that use countdown time frames are a classic genre device designed to signal urgency and tension from the very first moment an audience sees the title. Continue 08 / 8 Drama The Hawk is a Netflix drama series arriving in July 2026.'The Hawk' as a title or nickname is often used in storytelling to suggest what kind of character archetype? AA deeply empathetic healer or caretaker figureBA sharp, watchful, and predatory or highly focused individualCA comic relief character known for clumsinessDA romantic lead defined by vulnerability and openness Correct! The hawk as a symbol traditionally evokes sharpness, keen observation, speed, and predatory focus — qualities often assigned to intense protagonists, skilled hunters, detectives, or dangerous antagonists in drama and thriller storytelling. The hawk as a symbolic archetype typically represents sharpness, vigilance, and predatory focus — not warmth or vulnerability.It's a title that immediately signals a protagonist or central figure defined by intensity and acute awareness of their surroundings. See My Score Challenge Complete Your Score / 8 Thanks for playing! Try Again Nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and winner of two (for Best Sound and Best Film Editing), has a 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Apollo 13 PG Drama History Release Date June 30, 1995 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT BUY Cast Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan, David Andrews, Xander Berkeley, Christian Clemenson, Brett Cullen, Loren Dean, Clint Howard, Ben Marley, Marc McClure, Tracy Reiner, Joe Spano, Mary Kate Schellhardt, Emily Ann Lloyd, Miko Hughes, Max Elliott Slade, Jean Speegle Howard, Michele Little, Chris Ellis, Tom Wood, Googy Gress Runtime 140 minutes Director Ron Howard Writers Al Reinert, William Broyles Jr., Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger Producers Brian Grazer Main Genre History Budget $52 million Studio(s) Universal Pictures Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Executive Producer(s) Todd Hallowell Powered by Expand Collapse 1 Moneyball How a spreadsheet outsmarted baseball I’m not a baseball fan (don’t come at me), but 2011’s excellent had me seriously considering throwing on a game or two and getting into the finer points of the game’s fascinating strategy.Necessity is the mother of invention, they say.So, when the struggling Oakland A's 2002 baseball team needed to work with a limited budget while still assembling a winning team, General Manager Billy Beane (best actor nominee Brad Pitt) turned to the unconventional (at the time) use of analytics to do so.
Beane recruits intelligent young Yale economics grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill, who got a supporting actor nod for his performance) as his assistant GM, whose use of sabermetrics brings together undervalued players whose strengths, the data suggest, would be great when combined with other overlooked players.The movie is a bit of a slow burn, but as the season plays out, we see the fascinating strategy put to practice.Is Beane and Brand's nerdy approach the future of baseball? Will it pay off and bring the A's to the World Series? Well, if you don't already know the answers to these questions (it's all in the source material, too—author Michael Lewis's 2003 nonfiction novel, ), we highly suggest watching this Oscar-nominated movie.
still holds an impressive 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.Moneyball PG-13 Drama Release Date September 23, 2011 Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming RENT Cast Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt, Stephen Bishop, Reed Diamond, Brent Jennings, Ken Medlock, Tammy Blanchard, Jack McGee, Vyto Ruginis, Nick Searcy, Glenn Morshower, Casey Bond, Nick Porrazzo, Kerris Dorsey, Arliss Howard, Reed Thompson, James Shanklin, Diane Behrens, Takayo Fischer, Derrin Ebert, Miguel Mendoza, Gerardo Celasco Runtime 134 minutes Director Bennett Miller Writers Aaron Sorkin, Steven Zaillian, Stan Chervin, Michael Lewis Producers Brad Pitt, Rachael Horovitz Main Genre Drama Budget $50 million Studio(s) Sony Distributor(s) Sony Executive Producer(s) Andrew S.Karsch, Mark Bakshi, Scott Rudin, Sidney Kimmel Powered by Expand Collapse Hot July movie nights There's still much to look forward to on Netflix in July, including the new Will Ferrell series , , and the first three movies.
But hopefully the three picks above will deliver something entertaining to your movie nights.And when the credits roll, How-To Geek's streaming coverage has plenty more recommendations where these came from.Netflix Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four Live TV No Price Starting at $8/month Visit Netflix Expand Collapse
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