Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services in the world, with more than 220 million subscribers. And just what do those people tend to watch? In particular, what is the most popular movie on Netflix?
Each week, the streaming service releases a list of its 10 most-watched movies over the preceding seven days. Below, we’ve listed the top 10 movies in the U.S. from May 1 to May 7, along with general information about each film, such as genre, rating, cast, and synopsis.
Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best shows on Netflix, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+. For Netflix fans, check out the 10 most popular shows on Netflix right now.
The Family That Preys is Tyler Perry’s version of Dynasty. Alice Evans (Alfre Woodard) comes from the working class, while Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates) is a wealthy socialite. The two women have managed to stay good friends over the years despite their class differences. However, their lives slip into turmoil because of their children’s mistakes.
Alice’s daughter, Andrea (Sanaa Lathan), is married, but begins an affair with Charlotte’s son, William (Cole Hauser), who is also married and wants to take over the family construction company. When family secrets and turmoil threaten the livelihoods of both families, Alice and Charlotte team up to save their children from destruction.
Considering his size, strength, and charismatic personality, Dwayne Johnson is the perfect actor for a G.I. Joe movie. “The Rock” joined the G.I. Joe franchise in G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the sequel to 2009’s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Johnson stars as heavy machine gunner Marvin F. Hinton, known by the call sign Roadblock. Many of the G.I. Joes, including the leader known as Duke (Channing Tatum), are deemed traitors and killed by an airstrike in Pakistan presumably sent by the U.S.
However, the airstrike was actually ordered by a member of the villainous organization, Cobra. Roadblock survives the attack and rallies the surviving troops on a mission to clear their names and exact vengeance on Cobra. Retaliation is an action movie with The Rock, so expect witty one-liners and loud explosions.
In 1995, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro were already acting royalty. However, the two legends never appeared on-screen together until they faced off in Michael Mann’s masterpiece Heat. De Niro plays Neil McCauley, a professional thief who lives by one phrase: “Don’t let yourself get attached to anything you are not willing to walk out on in 30 seconds flat if you feel the heat around the corner.”
De Niro is planning one final job with his crew to score big and disappear. Standing in Neil’s way is Lt. Vincent Hanna of the LAPD (Pacino), a dedicated cop who loves the law more than his family. Vincent is obsessed with taking down Neil, and Neil is not afraid to take out Vincent if he gets in the way of his job. If you’re going to watch any scene from Heat, watch De Niro and Pacino square off in the diner. It’s an acting master class.
In one of her first roles after Game of Thrones, Emilia Clarke went from Queen of Dragons to an FBI informant in Above Suspicion. Based on Joe Sharkey’s nonfiction book, Clarke stars as Susan Smith, a down-on-her-luck woman looking for a way out of her life of crime and drugs in Pikeville, Kentucky.
Smith eventually links up with FBI Agent Mark Putnam (Jack Huston), who is new to the town and she becomes an informant for a high-profile case. Despite being married, Putnam eventually starts a romantic relationship with Smith, which sets off a series of events that leads to a tragedy. Expect a lot of sex, drugs, and violence in this gritty crime thriller.
Head back to prehistoric times and meet the Croods, a cave family that survives several natural disasters due to their refusal to leave their cave. Grug Crood (Nicolas Cage) is the overprotective father who believes new is “bad.” Grug’s family is made up of teenage daughter Eep (Emma Stone), wife Ugga (Catherine Keener), son Thunk (Clark Duke), young daughter Sandy (Randy Thorn), and grandma Gran (Cloris Leachman).
When an earthquake destroys their home, the Croods are eventually rescued by Guy (Ryan Reynolds), a more evolved caveman who takes a liking to Eep. Grug doesn’t trust the new addition to the crew, but it’s clear that Guy and his methods work, and if the Croods want to survive, they will have to do the one thing they’ve refused over the years: adapt.
If you see your buddy’s wife with another man, what do you do? Would you come forward and tell him? That’s the situation presented in The Dilemma. Nick (Kevin James), an intelligent engineer, and Ronny (Vince Vaughn), a sharp businessman, are preparing for a crucial presentation that would take their auto design firm to the next level.
While preparing to propose to his girlfriend, Ronny sees Nick’s wife, Geneva (Winona Ryder), kissing another man named Zip (Channing Tatum). As he investigates the affair, Ronny threatens the status of their presentation, hence, the dilemma in question. The Dilemma does exactly what it sets out to do: provide a few laughs from talented comedians in a B-level movie.
Alban Lenoir, who starred in the surprise action hit Lost Bullet and its sequel, is back for another French action thriller called AKA. Lenoir, a co-writer on AKA, stars as Adam Franco, a ruthless special ops agent tasked with infiltrating a dangerous criminal organization run by Victor Pastore (Eric Cantona).
While in the crime unit, Adam unexpectedly forms a bond with Pastore’s young son. This complicates matters when Adam must choose between protecting the young boy or bringing down his father. With exciting hand-to-hand combat sequences and impressive action sequences, AKA is perfect for fans craving more John Wick-like stories.
Aca Scuse me? In 2012, the world of a cappella took over mainstream culture with Pitch Perfect. The film follows aspiring DJ Beca Mitchell, a freshman at Barden University who would rather get lost in her music than make friends. After she’s discovered singing in the shower, Beca is invited to audition for an all-female a capella group, the Barden Bellas, which she accepts.
The ragtag Bellas come from all different backgrounds, but they slowly start to gel as a unit when Beca forces them out of their comfort zone. Even if you don’t like a capella music, you’ll be singing Cups (When I’m Gone) and throwing your fist in the air like it’s The Breakfast Club by the end of Pitch Perfect.
The power of Tom Hanks is still strong in 2023 as A Man Called Otto finds itself on top of the Netflix charts after its debut a few days ago. In the second adaption of the 2012 novel A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, Hanks stars as Otto Anderson, an old grumpy widower with no hope in life. Not wanting to live anymore, Otto decides to commit suicide by hanging.
However, Otto is interrupted by his new neighbor, Marisol (Mariana Treviño), and her children. With each suicide attempt comes an interruption from Marisol, who constantly needs Otto’s help. The film will tug on your heartstrings as he forms a friendship with Marisol. Through these interactions, Otto slowly realizes he has more to live for than he thought.
Editors' Recommendations
- Best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO, and more
- The best shows on Netflix in May 2023
- The best romance movies on Netflix right now
- The best movies on Hulu right now (May 2023)
- The best dramas on Netflix right now
