It seems like Netflix’s presence at awards shows is growing every year, and now that the 2026 Oscar nominations are out, that presence continues to grow. Six Netflix original films earned 18 nominations this year, including Train Dreams and Frankenstein for Best Picture, Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for KPop Demon Hunters, and Best Documentary Feature for The Perfect Neighbor. The streaming giant’s combination of original films and a diverse library of films from other production houses makes for a reliable source of non-stop entertainment, even if it can sometimes be difficult to narrow down what to watch.
In addition to these Oscar nominees, Netflix is also home to the mockumentary Best in Show, starring the legendary Catherine O’Hara (along with Eugene Levy, Christopher Guest, Jennifer Coolidge, and more). We recommend a watch in honor of O’Hara, who passed away in January.
If you prefer to opt for a series, browse our selection of the best TV shows to watch on Netflix.
Learn more: Where to watch all the 2024 Oscar winners
Best of Show (2000)
Christopher Guest directed Best in Show, a mockumentary about people entering the prestigious Mayflower Kennel Club dog show. The largely improvised film features an ensemble of actors who often appear in Guest’s films: Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Michael McKean and, of course, Catherine O’Hara. (The film is so beloved that O’Hara, who died on January 30, received a tribute at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on February 3.)
Casino Royale (2006)
The debate over which actor is the best James Bond has existed for decades, but you can decide for yourself who is the best 007 now that Netflix has released 25 James Bond films from across all eras, including Goldfinger, From Russia With Love, No Time To Die and Casino Royale. (We suggested Casino Royale here because if you like a modern action film, Daniel Craig’s version of Bond, especially in Casino Royale, has it all: excitement, romance, glamour, high stakes card games… The film truly revived the franchise. Hot alert!)
The Perfect Neighbor (2025)
Directed and produced by Geeta Gandbhir, The Perfect Neighbor is a poignant documentary about the murder of Ajike Owens, a Florida woman shot and killed on June 2, 2023 by her neighbor, Susan Louise Lorincz. The film’s use of police camera footage and 911 calls exposes the neighborhood conflicts stemming from Lorincz’s erratic and disturbing behavior and the escalating tension that led to the murder.
Demon Hunters KPop (2025)
Netflix’s original animated film, KPop Demon Hunters, premiered in June and quickly rose through the ranks to become the most-watched original film of all time on the platform. The film, about a KPop group who perform by day and hunt demons in their free time, has an already certified Platinum soundtrack thanks to hits like “Golden” and “Soda Pop.” The film stars Arden Cho, May Hong, and Ji Young Yoo as the titular girl group tasked with battling a demonic boy band. (Can’t get enough of the film? Check out the sing-along theatrical version and lyric videos that are also available to stream.) The film was also honored with two Golden Globes this year for Best Original Song and Best Animated Feature and landed two Academy Award nominations.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the first Spider-Man animated feature film in the Marvel canon, and the film follows Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) as he becomes the new Spider-Man and teams up with other Spider-People from various parallel universes to save his universe from the Kingpin (voiced by Liev Schreiber). The other Spider-Men in the film are played by Jake Johnson, John Mulaney, Kimiko Glenn and Nicolas Cage. The rest of the cast is also top notch.
Support Me (1986)
Stand By Me, based on a short story by Stephen King and directed by Rob Reiner, is the story of four 12-year-old boys (played by River Phoenix, Wil Wheaton, Jerry O’Connell and Corey Feldman) who hear about a dead body on the outskirts of town and go on an adventure to find it. The film was nominated for an Academy Award and has often been hailed as a classic and timeless coming-of-age story. The film will be available to stream on Netflix until February 28.
Jay Kelly (2025)
George Clooney and Adam Sandler received Golden Globe nominations for their performances in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, which arrived on Netflix in December. Clooney plays the title character, a movie star struggling with his age, career and relationships during a trip to Europe.
The Sting (1973)
1973’s Academy Award-winning The Sting stars Robert Redford and Paul Newman, who reunite with director George Roy Hill, with whom they previously collaborated on the hit film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. In The Sting, Redford and Newman are two con men who plot to defraud a mob boss, played by Robert Shaw. Set in the middle of the Great Depression, with ragtime music by Marvin Hamlisch, the film is a memorable classic.
Train to Busan (2016)
In the great horror thriller Train to Busan, a father finds himself trapped on a train from Seoul to Busan filled with zombies. As he tries to protect his daughter and escape the infected, the film delivers thrills and has been hailed as one of the best zombie films in recent years.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
A few years ago, Netflix had huge success with its stylish series Ripley, which starred Andrew Scott as suave conman Tom Ripley. Before this series, there was the critically acclaimed 1999 film version, The Talented Mr. Ripley, also based on the story by Patricia Highsmith. In the film, also available on Netflix now (so you can compare and contrast performances!), Matt Damon plays the amoral and ruthless Ripley, who finds her way into the lives of a group of wealthy friends using false identities. The ruse eventually turns deadly once they realize his crime.
Frankenstein (2025)
Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein received five Golden Globe nominations this year and nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Supporting Actor for Jacob Elordi. The film, a reimagining of the Mary Shelley classic, is pure del Toro, filled with the dark, fantastical style the director is known for.
Priscilla (2023)
Sofia Coppola directed the 2023 biopic Priscilla, which chronicles the life of a young Priscilla Presley who was just a teenager when she met her future husband, Elvis Presley. Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi play the volatile couple in this Golden Globe-nominated film. If you’re a fan of their performances, they also appear in two other Netflix originals on our list – Spaeny co-stars in Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, and Elordi plays the creature in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Mystery at Knives Out (2025)
Daniel Craig returns for the third time as Benoit Blanc in the latest film in the Knives Out mystery series, Wake Up Dead Man. This time around, the charming detective has been summoned to small-town New York to investigate the death of a monsignor at a small church, and everyone in the sprawling A-list ensemble is a suspect. The film stars Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Josh O’Connor, Mila Kunis, Kerry Washington and others. Why not make it a double feature and watch 2022’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, also on Netflix, while you’re at it?
Dream Trains (2025)
Joel Edgerton stars in Train Dreams, an Oscar-nominated drama that has recently been making the rounds at film festivals and receiving near-universal acclaim. The film takes place about a century ago; Edgerton plays Robert Grainier, a Pacific Northwest logger struggling to build a life for himself and his family. The story is adapted from the short story of the same name by Denis Johnson and costars Felicity Jones, Kerry Condon and William H. Macy.
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Godzilla Minus One is an Academy Award-winning Japanese-language film written and directed by Takashi Yamazaki. Set in 1945, the story centers on Kōichi Shikishima, a young pilot struggling with PTSD in the post-World War II era. After surviving an encounter with Godzilla, he and others realize that the kaiju is preparing to attack Tokyo. A sequel to the Sony film has also just been announced; Godzilla Minus Zero is expected in theaters at the end of 2026.
Watch Godzilla Minus One on Netflix
Ip Man (2008)
Ip Man is one of the most iconic martial arts film franchises of the last two decades. Starring Hong Kong martial arts master Donnie Yen (maybe you recognize him as Caine, the blind assassin in John Wick: Chapter 4), Ip Man and its sequels are the biographical films about the life of Yip Man, the kung fu master who taught Bruce Lee. Blending biography, drama and action, Ip Man and its three sequels received critical acclaim and are highly regarded entries in Hong Kong cinema. All four films arrived on Netflix in October.
28 years later (2025)
28 Years Later is the third film in the zombie series about a viral outbreak that has ravaged England and placed it under quarantine with almost no contact with the rest of the world. Although the first film, 28 Days Later, from 2002, just left Netflix, you can still watch it 28 years later, the story of a young boy who ventures far from the safety of his village and has his first encounter with “the infected.” The fourth film in the franchise, recently released 28 years later: The Temple of Bones, is also expected to be available on the platform at some point this year.
The Injury Locker (2008)
Released in 2008, The Hurt Locker won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow was the first woman to receive this award). The film, which stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty and Ralph Fiennes, follows a team of soldiers who defuse and dispose of explosives while deployed to Iraq. The film received critical acclaim for its depiction of the stress and psychological consequences of war.
Rebel Ridge (2024)
The Netflix original Rebel Ridge won an Emmy this year for best TV movie. The action film stars Aaron Pierre as an ex-Marine who, in an effort to post his cousin’s bail, has his bail money stolen by corrupt cops, and the ordeal turns into a thrilling, action-packed showdown. Don Johnson has gone from playing suave cops like Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice to playing morally compromised officers of the law in the present day, and in Rebel Ridge he received praise for playing a wildly corrupt Louisiana police chief at the heart of the film.
The Old Guard (2020)
Based on the comic by Greg Ru cka, the action-fantasy game The Old Guard stars Charlize Theron as a group of immortal mercenaries who can regenerate even after being killed. When they are tracked and hunted by a pharmaceutical company that plans to study them, they fight back to protect themselves. The first film, released in 2020, was so successful that a sequel, The Old Guard 2, was created in 2025 with Uma Thurman in the role of Theron’s new adversary.
One of these days (2025)
One of Them Days is pure comedy gold. This is the perfect movie (rated R) when you’re looking for something silly and fun and filled with great jokes and performances. The film is part of the “Desperate best friends embark on a mission with a deadline” genre (see also: Booksmart, Plan B) as best friends Dreux (Kiki Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA in her first film) try to track down the rent money that was stolen by Alyssa’s boyfriend before the end of the day. When they realize the money is missing, they desperately try to make all the money they need in one day, which leads them to sell a pair of stolen Jordans and hold an art show to sell some of Alyssa’s paintings. The film, which arrived on Netflix in March, features hilarious cameos from Katt Williams, Janelle James and Lil Rel Howery. Rumor has it that a sequel is in the works.
Ballerina (2023)
Netflix’s K-drama collection has some hidden gems, including Ballerina, a 2023 revenge story about a former bodyguard seeking justice for her friend. Jang Ok-ju will stop at nothing to make offenders pay in this action-packed thriller. (Don’t confuse this Ballerina with the recent release of the same name starring Ana de Armas, which is also an action-packed revenge story – that one isn’t on Netflix, at least not yet.)
Rez Ball (2024)
A powerful story about a New Mexico high school basketball team, Rez Ball takes viewers on a journey with the Chuska Warriors. When a tragic event hits the team, they face challenges on and off the field, but still aim for a championship title. Co-written by Sydney Freeland and Sterlin Harjo (co-creator of Reservation Dogs), the film is based on the novel Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation.
Hitman (2024)
The 2024 action comedy was one of several films starring Glen Powell that helped cement his status as a leading man. The film, co-written by Powell and director Richard Linklater, stars Powell as a nerdy professor drawn into a secret investigation. Disguising himself as a hitman, he adopts a new persona for each client – until he falls in love with a woman (Adria Arjona) who hires him to kill her abusive husband.
My Octopus Teacher (2020)
My Octopus Teacher, released in 2020, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for telling the personal and poignant story of the friendship between a man and an octopus he meets while diving. Filmed over a year, Craig Foster documented the kinship he formed with the octopus who repeatedly and playfully approached him. The film explores the often invisible personality of a creature found in nature which ultimately gives Foster insight into nature and his own relationships. If you’re inspired by the natural world, director Pippa Ehrlich’s follow-up feature film, Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey, is now also on Netflix.
The only girl in the orchestra (2024)
The Only Girl in the Orchestra won this year’s Academy Award for Best Documentary Short, and you can watch the 35-minute film exclusively on Netflix. The film tells the story of Orin O’Brien, the first woman hired to perform in the New York Philharmonic (by Leonard Bernstein, no less). Often ogled for her looks and attracted attention because of her gender, she rose above it all, remaining true to her creative principles to become one of the orchestra’s most renowned musicians for decades.
Watch The Only Girl in the Orchestra on Netflix
1917 (2019)
Sam Mendes’s critically acclaimed 1917 Oscar-winning World War I film was notable for being shot with the intention of making it appear as if the entire film was shot in two long, continuous takes. The film stars George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman as British soldiers traveling through a dangerous combat zone rigged by the Germans in an attempt to deliver a message to their superiors warning them of an impending attack. The film’s supporting cast includes Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong and Richard Madden.
Ma Rainey’s Black Butt (2020)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is dedicated to the memory of Chadwick Boseman, who made his final on-screen appearance in the film before his death in 2020. The film stars Boseman as Levee Green, a member of blues singer Ma Rainey’s (Viola Davis) band, and is set amid one of the group’s conflicting and turbulent recording sessions in 1920s Chicago. Taylour Paige, Colman Domingo and Glynn Turman co-star in the film adapted from August Wilson’s 1982 play.
Watch Ma Rainey’s Black Butt on Netflix
His three daughters (2024)
Gender: Drama
Rating:R
In His Three Daughters, Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne and Elizabeth Olsen play three estranged ex-sisters who come together in their dying father’s small New York apartment to care for him in his final days. Writer-director Azazel Jacobs coaxes incredible performances from each actress for this intimate, moving and often funny study of family dynamics.
Watch His Three Daughters on Netflix
Rustin (2023)
Colman Domingo earned an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in this film about a man whose legacy has often been overlooked in civil rights history. Bayard Rustin fought alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and helped organize the 1963 March on Washington and the Freedom Rides, among other major historical events.
Rustin’s outspoken activism and homosexuality made him a target, not only for his political opponents, but sometimes even for his allies. The film explores the life of a man whose legacy has long been overlooked.
Watch Rustin on Netflix
Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Always Be My Maybe stars Ali Wong and Randall Park as Sasha and Marcus, childhood best friends who grew up next to each other in San Francisco. The two argue after trying the “friends with benefits” thing when they were teenagers, but 15 years later, they meet again – uncomfortably – when Sasha returns to her hometown for work.
As Marcus struggles with his feelings for Sasha, she leaves and dates Keanu Reeves (playing a hilarious, exaggerated version of himself) as she tries to figure out how she feels about her old friend. Charming and sweet, the film is a reliably funny romantic comedy thanks to its leads and excellent supporting performances from Michelle Buteau, Vivian Bang and Reeves.
Watch Always Be My Maybe on Netflix
Master (2023)
This biographical film earned seven Oscar nominations, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Picture. Maestro tells the story of conductor Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) and his relationship with actress Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). In addition to starring in the romantic drama, Cooper also directed and co-wrote the film and produced it alongside Hollywood legends Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg.
Watch Maestro on Netflix
The Lost Girl (2021)
Based on the novel by Elena Ferrante, The Lost Daughter stars Olivia Colman as a woman traveling alone to a seaside resort where she observes a mother and daughter. They send her into a sort of spiral, reminding her of her own experiences as a young mother. The screenplay was adapted and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal in her directorial debut.
Watch The Lost Girl on Netflix
Snow Society (2023)
The award-winning film, Society of the Snow, is based on true events and adapted from the book of the same name. In 1972, a Uruguayan rugby team boarded a plane to Chile for a match. The plane crashed in the Andes Mountains, leaving survivors dealing with injuries, illness, cold temperatures and death. Not everyone succeeds, and those who face death make agonizing choices about how to live.
Watch The Snow Society on Netflix
Pop’s Biggest Night (2024)
If you weren’t there at the time, it’s hard to explain how huge We Are the World was. Recorded by a supergroup of popular musicians – assembled on the fly on the night of the 1985 American Music Awards – the charity single to benefit famine victims in Ethiopia sold more than 20 million copies and featured artists like Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Diana Ross. (It seems impossible to imagine so many megastars gathering in one room for something like this today.)
Luckily for us, there were cameras rolling the entire time as dozens of the world’s most famous musicians staged the epic, all-night recording session. The recently departed Quincy Jones proves to be the real star of the evening, battling a studio full of nerves, ego and a little too much wine to produce something truly special.
Watch Pop’s Biggest Night on Netflix
Leaving the World Behind (2023)
A gripping and disturbing psychological thriller, Leave the World Behind chronicles the strange events that occur during a family getaway to a lavish rental home. A power outage renders their phones, televisions, and other electronic devices useless, and two strangers show up at the door. TikTok has been flooded with clips and analyzes of this apocalypse film, with people pondering potential “hidden messages” and real-life parallels. Check it out and see what you do with it.
Watch Leave the World Behind on Netflix
Nimone (2023)
This animated drama, based on the graphic novel of the same name, is set in a futuristic medieval world, in which a knight (Riz Ahmed) is accused of a crime. A teenage shapeshifter named Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) – whom he was trained to destroy – might be his only hope of proving his innocence.
Watch Nimona on Netflix
Swimmers (2022)
This biographical film tells the story of two sisters, Yusra (Nathalie Issa) and Sarah Mardini (Manal Issa), who flee war-torn Syria. Amidst all the conflict and upheaval, Yusra works to achieve her dream of swimming in the Olympics. It is a touching story of hope and survival.
Watch Swimmers on Netflix
All is calm on the Western Front (2022)
A World War I drama based on the classic novel of the same name, this epic depicts the s horrors of war through the eyes of 17-year-old German soldier Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer). Initially enthusiastic about joining the army, despite his parents’ wishes, Bäumer receives a violent awakening. All Quiet on the Western Front was a dominant force at the 95th Annual Academy Awards, as it was nominated for nine Academy Awards and ultimately won four, including Best International Feature Film.
Watch All Quiet on the Western Front on Netflix
Rome (2018)
Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma won him the Academy Award for Best Director in 2018 (the film also won two other Oscars that year), a first for a foreign language film. Its inclusion in the awards ceremony marked the first time that a film distributed by a streaming platform was eligible for major awards. The film, set in the early 1970s, stars Yalitza Aparicio as the live-in housekeeper of a wealthy Mexico City family as she deals with her own pregnancy, problems within the family she works for, and escalating political unrest in the city around her.
Watch Rome on Netflix
