So, what’s everyone been watching this week?
Each week, the most popular streamed movies come down to a few things — sheer buzz, smart marketing and PR campaigns, star power, critical acclaim, or a slow burn, word-of-mouth phenomenon that leads uninterested people to finally watch it out of spite. Just to get a sense of what everyone’s streaming, we’ve used data from streaming aggregator Reelgood, which gathers those coveted viewership numbers from hundreds of streaming services in the U.S. and UK.
With Top Gun: Maverick and Jurassic World: Dominion now in cinemas, people are heading back to the previous instalments to remember what the hell happened. But there’s a fair few cinematic releases finally on streaming too, including The Northman, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, and The Lost City.
But just because a lot of people are watching something doesn’t make it…good. Here they are, the 10 most streamed films of the week, where to watch them, and what Mashable critics thought.
Kelly McGillis, rudely not asked to be in “Top Gun: Maverick.”
Credit: Paramount / Kobal / Shutterstock
If you feel the need for speed enough to go and see the new Top Gun: Maverick, you’re probably revisiting the original at home. Stacked with a Kenny Loggins-fuelled soundtrack and That Volleyball Scene, Tony Scott’s 1986 elite fighter pilot action classic is taking streamers back to the danger zone.
What we thought (of Top Gun: Maverick not the OG): How do you bring an action hero from the ’80s into the 2020s without him feeling like a fossil? Incredibly, the team behind Top Gun: Maverick has managed it. — Kristy Puchko, Deputy Entertainment Editor
How to watch: Top Gun(opens in a new tab) (the original) is now streaming on Prime Video(opens in a new tab) and Paramount+(opens in a new tab).
Alexander Skarsgård stars as Amleth.
Credit: Aidan Monaghan
Robert Eggers’ Viking epic has hit streaming, with plenty of folks sitting down to embark upon the bloody Nordic tale of Prince Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård) on his fate-determined quest to avenge the murder of his father, King Aurvandil War-Raven (Ethan Hawke) by his uncle Fjölnir (Claes Bang), and be reunited with his mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman).
What we thought: With The Northman, Eggers explores the myths of Vikings in a historical epic that is star-stuffed, action-packed, and yet far from the crowd-pleasing likes of Gladiator. — K.P.
How to watch: The Northman(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Peacock.(opens in a new tab)
Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum hit the jungle.
Credit: Paramount Pictures
True story, on a recent flight, I took one look around the plane on an aisle walk and saw almost every single screen watching Robert Zemeckis’ The Lost City. Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe star in this action-adventure romantic-comedy hinged around a romance novelist and her book’s cover model who find themselves on an island in the Atlantic on a quest to find a mythic crown.
What we thought: The Lost City perseveres through a barrage of half-hearted bits and bungled punchlines, becoming an adventure that’s inoffensively entertaining and easy enough to enjoy. — K.P.
How to watch: The Lost City(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Paramount+.(opens in a new tab)
Mads Mikkelsen takes over as Grindlewald.
Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures
The third Fantastic Beasts instalment, following Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Secrets of Dumbledore is yet another cinematic release to hit streaming. In this film, a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) and their wizard and witch pals must thwart the evil plans of dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald’s (now Mads Mikkelsen).
What we thought: If I wanted to watch the wizarding world unite against a Muggle-hating dark wizard, I’d just watch the original Harry Potter films instead. You might as well do the same. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore is now streaming on HBO Max.(opens in a new tab)
5. Emergency
This night did not go according to plan.
Credit: Quantrell Colbert / Amazon Content Services LLC
After premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, director Carey Williams’ Emergency has hit streaming on Prime Video. Best friends and college seniors Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and Sean (RJ Cyler) plan to hit a string of Spring Break parties but find their apartment door absent-mindedly left open by their roommate, Carlos (Sebastian Chacon), who is playing video games with headphones on. No one knows how she got there, but there’s a white young woman, Emma (Maddie Nichols), semiconscious on the floor. Should they call the cops? As two Black men and one Latino man, they’re concerned about what the police will think and do. What the three decide to do to make sure Emma is safe but far from their apartment will have them racing all over town.
How to watch: Emergency(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Prime Video.(opens in a new tab)
6. Fire Island
Keegan (Tomás Matos), Luke ( Matt Rogers), Max (Torian Miller), Noah (Joel Kim Booster), Erin (Margaret Cho) and Max (Torian Miller).
Credit: Jeong Park / Searchlight
Directed by Andrew Ahn and written by star Joel Kim Booster, Fire Island is one of the buzziest releases this week. Putting a queer twist on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the film updates the classic novel as a gay rom-com set in the iconic Pines — LGBTQ mecca and safe haven. Best friends (Booster and Bowen Yang) will have a legendary summer thank you very much.
How to watch: Fire Island(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Hulu.(opens in a new tab)
Everyone’s gotta catch up on WTF happened in the last one…
Credit: Universal Pictures
With the latest chapter of the Jurassic World trilogy hitting cinemas, folks are returning to the second, streaming Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom this week. This is the one where the U.S. Senate is debating whether or not to save the dinosaurs from a catastrophic volcanic eruption on Isla Nublar, where Jurassic World closed in the first one after the shit hit the fan. It’s gonna be one hell of a logistics exercise.
What we thought: Moment-to-moment, Jurassic World can be pleasantly odd. Chris Pratt gets to show off his physical comedy chops all too briefly, in a scene that seems inspired by Leonardo DiCaprio’s Wolf of Wall Street crawl. And whatever else you think of the much-ballyhooed Indoraptor, there’s no denying she’s got a flair for drama. I swear she winked in one of her scenes. — Angie Han, former Deputy Entertainment Editor
How to watch: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on fuboTV.(opens in a new tab)
8. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Power up.
Credit: Paramount Pictures / Sega
Idris Elba voicing Knuckles? People want to see it.
How to watch: Sonic the Hedgehog(opens in a new tab) 2 is now streaming on Paramount+.(opens in a new tab)
Dale (voiced by Andy Samberg) and Chip (voiced by John Mulaney).
Credit: Disney Enterprises
Disney’s animated chipmunk pals have been plunged into real-world Los Angeles in Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, with Andy Samberg and John Mulaney voicing the titular two.
What we thought: Sure, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers is a rollicking romp, full of fan service for animation lovers. It’s fluffy entertainment for the whole family. But it’s also a reboot that takes aim at the concept of animation reboots, but then refuses to pull the trigger. — K.P.
How to watch: Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Disney+.(opens in a new tab)
Buckle up.
Credit: Universal Pictures
Michael Bay gonna Michael Bay. If you’re looking for a bank robbery gone wrong resulting in a high-speed chase across Los Angeles with extremely expensive stunts and the acting talents of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Eiza González, knock yourself out with Ambulance.
What we thought: Even with its rough spots, Ambulance is a raucous thrill ride with streaks of Bay brilliance. Its massive cast collides with charisma and conflict. Gyllenhaal dazzles as a dashing bastard. Action sequences range from brutal to absolutely bonkers, but never lose the thread of fun. — K.P.
How to watch: Ambulance(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Peacock.(opens in a new tab)
