From 'Furiosa' to 'The Union,' 15 movies you need to stream right now

Brian Truitt, USA TODAY
Updated ·5 min read

Love movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY's Watch Party newsletter has all the best recommendations, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now and be one of the cool kids.

After you hit up the back-to-school sales with your kids, why not head home for a trip through the Wasteland with Furiosa?

George Miller's latest "Mad Max" vehicle leads a noteworthy pack of new movies on Netflix, Peacock, Max, Hulu, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Disney+ and Paramount+. August is packed with streaming options for film lovers of all tastes, from action comedies to all-star heist movies. There are recent theatrical releases, like Sydney Sweeney's holy horror flick and a Tom Hardy/Austin Butler biker gang drama, but also original flicks such as a superspy rom-com with Halle Berry and Mark Wahlberg.

Here are 15 notable new movies you can stream right now:

'Abigail'

Vampire ballerina girl Abigail (Alisha Weir, left) looks to take a bite out of kidnapper Sammy (Kathryn Newton) in the horror movie "Abigail."
Vampire ballerina girl Abigail (Alisha Weir, left) looks to take a bite out of kidnapper Sammy (Kathryn Newton) in the horror movie "Abigail."

In the over-the-top horror comedy, Melissa Barrera, Kathryn Newton and Dan Stevens star as members of a motley kidnapping crew hired to watch over a ballerina girl (Alisha Weir). She's revealed to be – uh-oh! – a vicious vampire who turns the tables on her captors in a blood-soaked tale that's much twistier than it seems.

Where to watch: Peacock

'The Bikeriders'

Tom Hardy (left) and Austin Butler play members of a motorcycle club that takes a criminal turn in "The Bikeriders."
Tom Hardy (left) and Austin Butler play members of a motorcycle club that takes a criminal turn in "The Bikeriders."

Jeff Nichols' gripping crime drama centers on a motorcycle club of Midwestern outsiders whose dealings turn criminal when they invite new blood into the group. Austin Butler is the wild-at-heart troublemaker, Jodie Comer is his worried girlfriend, but Tom Hardy shines as the bikers' mercurial, Brando-esque leader.

Where to watch: Peacock

'Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga'

Anya Taylor-Joy stars as the title warrior of the prequel "Furiosa," taking on the role Charlize Theron played in 2015's "Mad Max: Fury Road."
Anya Taylor-Joy stars as the title warrior of the prequel "Furiosa," taking on the role Charlize Theron played in 2015's "Mad Max: Fury Road."

The busy backstory of Charlize Theron’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” heroine, now played by Anya Taylor-Joy, gets told in this explosive, world-building epic. A charismatically evil Chris Hemsworth is a highlight in this adrenalized revenge thriller full of post-apocalyptic hot rods, gorgeous demolition-derby carnage and demented confidence.

Where to watch: Max

'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire'

OG heroes Winston (Ernie Hudson, far left), Ray (Dan Aykroyd), Janine (Annie Potts) and Peter (Bill Murray) are back in action in "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire."
OG heroes Winston (Ernie Hudson, far left), Ray (Dan Aykroyd), Janine (Annie Potts) and Peter (Bill Murray) are back in action in "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire."

More nostalgic than coherent, the latest "Ghostbusters" installment features a massive cast and throwbacks galore. Mckenna Grace leads the newer heroes and Bill Murray heads up the old crew against the new big bad Garraka, a horned phantom who represents a chilly existential threat to New York City (and pretty much all mankind).

Where to watch: Netflix

'Immaculate'

Young nun Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney) finds unholy horror when she joins an Italian convent in "Immaculate."
Young nun Cecilia (Sydney Sweeney) finds unholy horror when she joins an Italian convent in "Immaculate."

"The First Omen" isn't the only option for nun horror in 2024. Sydney Sweeney stars in this unholy chiller as a young American novice who joins an Italian convent and navigates increasingly unnerving episodes, including finding out she's pregnant. (Fun fact: She's a virgin!) Things just get worse from there, all leading to a bleakly bonkers climax.

Where to watch: Hulu

'The Instigators'

An ex-con (Casey Affleck, left) and a desperate father (Matt Damon) try to pull off the high-stakes robbery of a corrupt politician and find themselves pursued by cops and crooks alike when it goes awry in "The Instigators."
An ex-con (Casey Affleck, left) and a desperate father (Matt Damon) try to pull off the high-stakes robbery of a corrupt politician and find themselves pursued by cops and crooks alike when it goes awry in "The Instigators."

The heist comedy features Matt Damon as a desperate father and Casey Affleck as a snarky ex-con partnered up for a robbery that gets bungled, leading to cops and crooks alike coming after them. It's got issues but not in the supporting cast, led by Hong Chau as the very understanding therapist of Damon's on-the-lam dad.

Where to watch: Apple TV+

'Jackpot!'

Awkwafina plays a new Los Angeles resident who has a winning lottery ticket but to become a billionaire, she has to team with a lottery protection agent (John Cena) and avoid being killed in the futuristic action comedy "Jackpot!"
Awkwafina plays a new Los Angeles resident who has a winning lottery ticket but to become a billionaire, she has to team with a lottery protection agent (John Cena) and avoid being killed in the futuristic action comedy "Jackpot!"

There's a fun dystopian Looney Tunes quality to Paul Feig's action comedy, which imagines a future LA where lottery winners have to stay alive till sundown to keep their cash. Awkwafina plays a struggling actress with her life on the line, and John Cena is in earnest goofball mode as the protection agent hired to keep her safe.

Where to watch: Prime Video

'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes'

Noa (played by Owen Teague, center) goes on a quest with Raka (Peter Macon) and Mae (Freya Allan) to save his clan in the sci-fi adventure "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes."
Noa (played by Owen Teague, center) goes on a quest with Raka (Peter Macon) and Mae (Freya Allan) to save his clan in the sci-fi adventure "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes."

Will humans and simians ever get along? That existential question is revisited in the latest "Planet of the Apes" adventure, a sprawling coming-of-age sci-fi tale that follows young chimp Noa (Owen Teague) on a quest to save his friends and family who partners with a mysterious girl named Mae (Freya Allan).

Where to watch: Hulu

'Knox Goes Away'

Michael Keaton stars as a hitman diagnosed with dementia in the thriller "Knox Goes Away."
Michael Keaton stars as a hitman diagnosed with dementia in the thriller "Knox Goes Away."

Michael Keaton directs and stars in the nifty crime thriller as a hitman diagnosed with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a fast-acting and fatal form of dementia. He's determined to use his final days to help out his estranged son (James Marsden), though the cops are also in hot pursuit after a botched job.

Where to watch: Max

'La Chimera'

Tomb raider Arthur (Josh O'Connor) falls for live-in maid Italia (Carol Duarte) in the dramedy "La Chimera."
Tomb raider Arthur (Josh O'Connor) falls for live-in maid Italia (Carol Duarte) in the dramedy "La Chimera."

Josh O'Connor, one of the best things about the aces tennis flick "Challengers," is also superb in this Italian dramedy. He plays a British tomb raider who gets out of jail and travels to Italy to meet up with friends, find love and plunder some stolen artifacts in a narrative that turns into quite the emotional cautionary tale.

Where to watch: Hulu

'Love Lies Bleeding'

A gym manager (Kristen Stewart, right) falls for a bisexual bodybuilder (Katy O'Brian) in the romantic thriller "Love Lies Bleeding."
A gym manager (Kristen Stewart, right) falls for a bisexual bodybuilder (Katy O'Brian) in the romantic thriller "Love Lies Bleeding."

Romance sparks between pumped-up Midwestern bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O'Brian) and introverted gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart), but that's also when murderous trouble arises in director Rose Glass' sultry and sweaty neo-noir thriller. If it's not too early to start talking Oscar nods, O'Brian is phenomenal in a star-making turn.

Where to watch: Max

'One Life'

Anthony Hopkins plays a London broker who leads the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children in the World War II biopic "One Life."
Anthony Hopkins plays a London broker who leads the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children in the World War II biopic "One Life."

The moving period biopic tells the story of London broker Nicholas Winton, who saved hundreds of Jewish children in Prague with Nazi forces on the march in 1938. Johnny Flynn plays Winton as a young man racing to help the kids while Anthony Hopkins is the older Nicholas recalling his humanitarian efforts and wishing he could have done more.

Where to watch: Paramount+

'Tarot'

Avantika stars as a member of a group of college friends trying to escape fate in the horror movie "Tarot."
Avantika stars as a member of a group of college friends trying to escape fate in the horror movie "Tarot."

OK, it's not the greatest, but kids wanting to dip their toes into horror could do worse. On-the-rise youngsters like Avantika ("Mean Girls") and Jacob Batalon ("Spider-Man: Homecoming") star in the PG-13 film about college pals who use a cursed deck of tarot cards and discover their eerie readings are coming to bizarre and fatal fruition.

Where to watch: Netflix

'The Union'

Sparks fly again for a New Jersey construction worker (Mark Wahlberg) when he's recruited by his long-lost high school sweetheart (Halle Berry), now a spy, for a dangerous intelligence mission in the action comedy "The Union."
Sparks fly again for a New Jersey construction worker (Mark Wahlberg) when he's recruited by his long-lost high school sweetheart (Halle Berry), now a spy, for a dangerous intelligence mission in the action comedy "The Union."

A New Jersey construction worker (Mark Wahlberg) runs into his high school sweetheart (Halle Berry) in a bar. He thinks she wants to get back together, but instead, she's now a superspy who recruits him for a dangerous mission to retrieve a stolen list of secret agents. Cue the rom-com shenanigans, globetrotting action and A-list flirting.

Where to watch: Netflix

'Young Woman and the Sea'

Daisy Ridley plays pioneering British swimmer Trudy Ederle in the period biopic "Young Woman and the Sea."
Daisy Ridley plays pioneering British swimmer Trudy Ederle in the period biopic "Young Woman and the Sea."

Like "Nyad," but better and way more rousing. "Star Wars" alum Daisy Ridley is hugely engaging in this extremely Disney-fied biopic as pioneering athlete Trudy Ederle, who conquered Olympic disappointment, misogyny and jellyfish to become the first woman to swim across the English Channel in 1926.

Where to watch: Disney+

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: New movies on Netflix, Amazon, Max, Peacock, Hulu to stream now

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next