Club Benefits
This week’s slate of new movies arriving across all the best streaming services has been confirmed, and it’s a solid collection of flicks that offer you an excuse to avoid the winter weather and stay indoors streaming fresh films instead.
On premium streaming, the latest big-screen adventure for SpongeBob SquarePants arrives, alongside an action-thriller sequel starring Gerard Butler. While on Netflix, there’s a charming comedy-drama directed by Scarlett Johansson, and HBO Max debuts “The Smashing Machine,” a sports biopic that sees Dwayne Johnson deliver an awards-caliber performance.
There’s a movie to suit (almost) every taste down below, and to help you save some time browsing streaming libraries, I’ve combed through the latest releases and picked out the most noteworthy new additions. Plus, don't forget to check out our guide to the top new TV shows you can stream this week.
‘The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants’ (PVOD)
The latest big-screen outing for everybody’s favourite underwater-dwelling sponge arrives on premium streaming this week, and by most critics' accounts, it offers enjoyable family entertainment. While the joy of the original SpongeBob movie will never be topped (or is that just my own childhood nostalgia talking?), “Search for SquarePants” packs another deep-sea adventure for the absorbent, optimistic sponge and his best pal, Patrick Star.
After being too scared to ride an intense roller coaster at the Binkki Bottom amusement park, SpongeBob is desperate to display his bravery to Mr. Krabs. This quest to prove he’s not a chicken leads to an encounter with The Flying Dutchman, a spooky pirate ghost, and soon SpongeBob and Patrick find themselves on an adventure to the ocean’s deepest depths.
Watch on Amazon (buy/rent) from January 20
‘The Smashing Machine’ (HBO Max)
While Josh Safdie is on top of the world with his movie “Marty Supreme,” recently being crowned A24’s highest-grossing movie in America, his brother Benny hasn't enjoyed the same success since the Safdie Brothers directing team went their separate ways. Benny Safdie’s first solo directorial effort was a box office bomb last October, grossing less than half of its pricey $50 million budget. Perhaps, it’ll find its audience now that it’s arriving on HBO Max.
The biographical sports movie sees Dwayne Johnson shed his larger-than-life “The Rock” persona to deliver a genuinely strong dramatic performance. Johnson plays Mark Kerr, a pioneer in the MMA scene, competing in the emerging UFC in the late 1990s. Focusing on his rise up the ranks, and also his complicated relationship with partner Dawn (Emily Bunt), it’s a largely conventional but well-crafted biopic. Both Johnson and Blunt received Golden Globe nominations for their performances.
Watch on HBO Max from January 23
‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’ (Hulu)
“Springsteen Deliver Me From Nowhere” is another 2025 biopic that struggled to light up the box office. This Bruce Springsteen-focused drama appeared to be riding a wave that may have already crashed. Hollywood has churned out so many similar musical biopics in recent years that audiences are clearly feeling fatigued. Still, with “The Bears’” Jeremy Allen White in the lead role, and a more focused approach to storytelling than some of its contemporaries, “Deliver Me From Nowhere” does at least offer something a little different.
Allen White gives an excellent performance as the musical titan, with Jeremy Strong providing strong support as manager Jon Landau. The movie primarily focuses on the recording of the legendary “Nebraska” album. It’s an interesting cinematic choice, but it does leave “Deliver Me From Nowhere” feeling less like a celebration of an extraordinary career and more like a slice-of-life picture, only giving you a limited perspective on “The Boss’” full story.
Watch on Hulu from January 23
‘Eleanor the Great’ (Netflix)
It might have flown under the radar, but Scarlett Johansson recently made her directorial debut with “Eleanor the Great,” a charming comedy-drama that audiences loved. It scores an impressive 93% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. While critics weren’t quite so hot on the flick (scoring it 67%), it does still mark Johansson’s transition from in front of the camera to behind the lens as an overall success story.
Oscar nominee June Squibb plays the eponymous Eleanor, a 94-year-old woman with a real mischievous streak. After her best friend and roommate passes away, Eleanor moves from sunny Florida to New York City to live with her daughter, Lisa (Jessica Hecht). After a misunderstanding, she finds herself in a Holocaust survivors group, and spins a little white lie that rapidly grows out of control. Also starring Erin Kellyman, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Rita Zohar, “Eleanor the Great” is a charming movie anchored by the excellent Squibb.
Watch on Netflix from January 24
‘Greenland 2: Migration’ (PVOD)
One of 2026’s first theatrical releases is already swapping the big screen for at-home streaming this week, and it’s a great pick if you’re looking for some excitement. This action-thriller sequel once again sees Gerard Butler and Morena Baccarin play survivors of a devastating interstellar comet, but while the first “Greenland” was all about finding a way to survive the end of the earth, “Greenland 2: Migration” focuses on what comes afterwards.
Set five years after its predecessor, in “Greenland 2,” John Garrity (Butler) and his family have survived the planetary devastation in an underground bunker, but when this protected haven is destroyed, John and his family must venture to the ruined surface in search of a new place to call home in a shattered world. If you want to catch up on the first “Greenland” before diving into the sequel, then it’s currently streaming on HBO Max.
Watch on Amazon (buy/rent) from January 27
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