It looks set to be a packed week of new movies across the best streaming services. There’s a little something for everybody across popular platforms, including Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV Plus and Peacock, and there’s also a summer superhero tentpole arriving on premium video-on-demand streaming.
The biggest newcomer is clearly the digital release of “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” The latest slice of the MCU may have lost the box office battle to “Superman,” but it makes for a great lead-in for next year’s “Avengers: Doomsday.” Meanwhile, I’ve got my eye on Apple TV Plus’ new romantic drama with “Ted Lasso” star Brett Goldstein, and I’m also looking forward to rewatching “Karate Kid: Legends” on Netflix, as I had a blast the first time.
If you’re in the mood to watch something fresh this week, I’ve rounded up the most noteworthy new releases to save you the trouble of wasting precious movie-watching time scrolling through streaming libraries. And don’t forget to check out our guide to all the top new TV shows this week.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ (PVOD)
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Marvel’s first family finally comes home to the MCU in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” This new big-screen attempt at bringing the foursome to the big screen is the most successful yet (granted, the competition isn’t exactly impressive), and introduces a new 60s-style Earth to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It might be Marvel on autopilot, but it’s well cast with Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach in the lead roles, and it sets the stage for the family’s next appearance in “Avengers: Doomsday.”
“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” takes the smart decision to skip the origin story and instead opens with the eponymous quartet four years into their roles as a superhero team. Our heroes are Reed Richards (Pascal), Sue Storm (Kirby), Johnny Storm (Quinn) and The Thing (Moss-Bachrach). Using their individual powers, which range from super-stretchiness to generating force fields, they must come together to defeat the planet-consuming Galactus.
Buy or rent on Amazon from September 23
‘Ballerina’ (Starz)
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“Ballerina,” or to use its ludicrously silly full name, “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina,” is a rare franchise spin-off that doesn’t feel created in a boardroom. Instead, it keeps the spirit of the mainline Wick movies alive, and fans will be pleased to know that Keanu Reeves has a more substantial role than expected. However, this is ultimately Ana de Armas’ movie, and she proves to be a capable action lead. The deliriously fun third-act sequence featuring an uber-powerful flamethrower is reason enough to watch this one.
Eva Macarro (de Armas) is a highly skilled assassin trained by the Russian mafia within the Ruska Roma, led by its fierce Director (Anjelica Huston). Tutoried in both the art of killing and ballet, Eva uses those skills to break free from the academy where she was raised and embark on a personal quest to avenge the death of her father. Along the way, she comes into conflict with John Wick (Reeves) and becomes the target of a lethal group of assassins.
Watch on Starz from September 25
‘The Surfer’ (Hulu)
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Nicholas Cage is one of the most interesting working actors in Hollywood right now. His recent career resurgence has seen him take on all sorts of weird and wonderful roles, and “The Surfer” is another high-concept movie that sees Cage in his element. It’s proved divisive with viewers when it hit theaters, but if you like your psychological thrillers with an uncomfortable edge, you won’t want to miss this unsettling but highly gripping movie.
Cage plays an unnamed man with grand plans to buy a swanky beachfront house, which happens to be his childhood home. When he attempts to show his son (Finn Little) the property and enjoy a spot of surfing, the locals refuse to let them catch some waves. Humiliated, the man refuses to go quietly and starts a conflict that rapidly descends and might ruin his entire life. “The Surfer” can be pretty brutal, as its protagonist takes a lot of punches (both real and metaphorical), but as the situation descends further, you’ll be drawn into the chaos.
Watch on Hulu from September 25
‘All of You’ (Apple TV Plus)
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For many viewers, Brett Goldstein will always be the shouty Roy Kent from “Ted Lasso,” but “All of You” appears to be setting the stage for the actor to flex different acting muscles. This romantic drama pairs him up with Imogen Poots, and based on the emotionally charged trailer, it looks like a tender tear-jerker that could become a sleeper hit for Apple. The flick is also written by Goldestein (alongside director William Bridges), and the actor notes they’ve been working on the movie for 10 years; let’s hope it was worth the wait.
Simon (Goldstein) and Laura (Poots) have been best friends since college, but the pair drift apart when Laura takes a new dating test that promises to match you with your soulmate. With years of unspoken feelings between them, they are faced with the prospect of breaking free from the fate set out in front of them, or reluctantly accepting they were never meant to be.
Watch on Apple TV Plus from September 26
‘M3GAN 2.0’ (Peacock)
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“M3GAN 2.0” makes the curious choice to shed the comedy-horror skin of its predecessor in favor of a sci-fi action approach with government conspiracies and globe-trotting spy hijinks. It’s a bizarre decision, and to be totally honest, I currently rank “M3GAN 2.0” as one of my least favorite movies of 2025. Its box office returns suggest a lot of viewers were turned off by the switch in tone, but if you still want to give it a shot, you can on Peacock this week.
Set two years after the first “M3GAN” movie, Gemma (Allison Williams) has become an advocate for government-enforced restrictions on A.I. However, when a new Android known as AMELIA, designed for covert military operations, goes rogue, Gemma is forced to resurrect the murderous doll M3GAN that previously tormented her and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw). And to stop AMELIA’s sinister plans, M3GAN is going to need a few high-tech upgrades.
Watch on Peacock from September 26
‘Ruth & Boaz’ (Netflix)
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I’ll admit “Ruth & Boaz” was a Netflix title that wasn’t on my radar until I sat down and combed through the new releases this week. Now that I’ve done some research, I have a feeling Netflix subscribers could warmly embrace this original movie. It’s a modern-day retelling of the Biblical story of Ruth and Boaz, and may be another well-regarded addition to the streaming service’s faith-based content library.
Ruth (Serayah) is a singer who decides to walk away from a record deal and leave the Atlanta music scene altogether. Alongside her late boyfriend’s mother, Naomi (Phylicia Rashad), she moves to Tennessee with hopes of starting over afresh. There, she takes a job at a local vineyard and meets the co-owner, Bo “Boaz” Astra (Tyler Leply). He falls for Ruth immediately, but as Ruth slowly begins to let love back into her life, her past resurfaces.
Watch on Netflix from September 26
‘Karate Kid: Legends’ (Netflix)
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Critics and viewers did not see eye-to-eye when it came to “Karate Kid: Legends.” On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a poor 58% score from critics, while audiences awarded it a strong 90%. Consider me on the side of the viewers with this one, because I found “Karate Kid: Legends” to be a supremely enjoyable and pleasantly warm summer crowd-pleaser. It may reheat ideas from past movies in the franchise, but new protagonist Ben Wang is easy to root for, and I love how it mixes the original timeline with the 2010 remake.
In “Karate Kid: Legends,” Li Fong (Wang) moves from China to New York with his mother (Ming-Na Wen). Leaving behind his friends and his beloved kung fu teacher, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan). Li finds solace in a new friendship with native New Yorker Mia (Sadie Stanley) and her pizza-shop owning father (Joshua Jackson). But when the shop is threatened with closure, Li enters the local karate tournament to save the day. Original franchise star Ralph Macchio also returns, and there’s a cameo for “Cobra Kai’s” William Zabka.
Watch on Netflix from September 27
