This week’s slate of top new movies arriving across the best streaming services is a diverse selection, ranging from an animated movie that stands as the highest-grossing movie of 2025 (so far) to a biopic that explores the creation of a popular dating app. There’s also the latest family-friendly outing from Disney's Pixar, and a compelling post-apocalyptic horror that was more than 20 years in the making.
“28 Years Later” shambling onto Netflix is my personal pick of the week. The divisive ending didn’t quite work for me, but otherwise, I was hooked by this bleak vision of a dystopian United Kingdom. However, considering its box office returns, it’s hard to ignore the streaming debut of “Ne Zha 2,” which became a rare movie to gross more than $2 billion worldwide.
Whatever type of movie you’re in the mood for this week, the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and more have new options for you to consider. Meanwhile, if you’re eager for something to binge-watch, here’s a guide to the best new TV shows arriving on streaming platforms this week.
‘Ne Zha 2’ (PVOD)
“Ne Zha 2” might just be the most successful movie you’ve (potentially) never heard of. This Chinese animated adventure movie is the highest-grossing movie of 2025 (so far), amassing more than $2 billion at the global box office, with the vast majority of its eyewatering total coming from its home region. It’s broken all sorts of records along the way, and now this smash hit is heading to premium streaming after a relatively modest U.S. theatrical run last month.
Based on Chinese mythological characters, it centers on two legendary figures, Ne Zha and Ao Bing. After a great catastrophe destroys their bodies, they are given new life, but with a catch: The two spirits must share Ne Zha’s body and complete a series of trials within seven days. The movie has enjoyed a strong critical reception, but its audience scores are truly remarkable. It’s currently rated 98% on Rotten Tomatoes, and its box office popularity speaks for itself.
Buy or rent on Amazon from September 16
‘Elio’ (Disney Plus)
From an animated movie that soared into the stratosphere to one that struggled to get off the ground, Disney Plus is getting Pixar’s latest effort this week, “Elio.” This sci-fi adventure flick underperformed at the box office, but I suspect it’ll enjoy a much warmer reception on Disney’s streaming service and should make for great family entertainment as the fall season arrives. Don’t let its relative lack of financial success dissuade you from watching, because this is another charming Pixar outing that manages to tug at the heartstrings in all the right ways.
The movie’s loveable hero is the eponymous Elio, an underdog day-dreamer, with big ambitions of exploring the stars. But he doesn’t have to wait until he’s a full-grown adult to become a space explorer, as one day, a quirky group of extraterrestrials abducts him from his hometown. Taken to the Communiverse, a place where all the galaxy’s lifeforms meet to share knowledge, he’s mistaken for Earth’s leader and must save the whole universe from a vengeful threat with a personal grudge.
Watch on Disney Plus from September 17
‘Swiped’ (Hulu)
Aiming to be “The Social Network” for the dating app world, “Swiped” tells the inside story of Bumble, and its “visionary founder,” Whitney Wolfe Herd (Lily James). While the dramatization of Facebook’s creation went on to be an Oscar-winner and is often ranked among the best movies of the 2010s, “Swiped” is unlikely to leave quite such a lasting legacy with its current Rotten Tomatoes score sitting at a particularly pitiful 17%.
Forced out from her role at Tinder, where she was a co-founder and marketing lead, Herd struck out on her own to create Bumble, a dating app that puts the power in the hands of its female users. Finding success in the male-dominated tech industry is no easy feat, but Herd’s innovation and drive helped her become the young female self-made billionaire in history. It sounds like a story ripe for a buzzy biopic, but critics have accused the movie of failing to explore beyond the surface level.
Watch on Hulu from September 19
‘Eden’ (PVOD)
Looking for a movie with a star-studded cast this week? You’re in luck because “Eden” brings together Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney and Daniel Brühl, all under the direction of Oscar-winning filmmaker Ron Howard. Despite all this A-list talent, it failed to make much of an impression in theatres, but this survival thriller could find a new lease on life via premium streaming.
Based on true events, and set in the 1930s, “Eden” follows a group of Europeans who settle on a remote island in Galápagos after becoming disillusioned with the decadent society around them. Their goal is to create a new way of life in this uninhabited paradise, but it soon becomes clear that the greatest threat to their new haven isn’t the uncharted wilderness, but each other. Creating a utopian colony is tricky, and a power struggle leads to betrayal and violence.
Buy or rent on Amazon from September 19
‘28 Years Later’ (Netflix)
After decades of development hell, the second sequel to 2002’s “28 Days Later” finally arrived back in the early summer, and it was worth the wait. “28 Years Later” picks up, you’ve guessed it, almost 30 years after the Rage virus has turned the British Isles into a desolated wasteland cut off from the rest of the world. Unfortunately, time hasn’t healed things, and the situation remains bleak with infected wandering the countryside and survivors forced into increasingly small communities.
On a remote, well-fortified island just off the mainland, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) lives with his son Spike (Alfie Williams) and bedridden wife Isla (Jodie Comer). Taking his son on a rite-of-passage trip to the zombie-plagued mainland, Jamie and Spike discover the infected have mutated to become even deader. Recapturing the gritty look and tone of the original, “28 Years Later” is a pulse-pounding ride, and with the next sequel, “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” landing in cinemas early next year, now is the time to watch on Netflix if you skipped it in theatres.
Watch on Netflix from September 20
More from Tom's Guide
- Netflix just added a new Liam Neeson action-thriller movie
- 7 Netflix shows and movies you need to watch this week
- I watched this underrated movie on Hulu and I’m obsessed
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
