Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
The first update of 2024 for this article sees two new Netflix Originals – Good Grief and Society of the Snow – added to our guide alongside the first three John Wick films. We’ve also updated our ‘coming soon’ section with the latest information available to us.
2024 has landed and, with it, a whole ream of new Netflix movies are set to join the streaming giant’s back catalog. This year isn’t wasting any time, too, with five (!) new movies debuting on Netflix just in the first week of 2024 (well, as long as you live in the US, anyway).
So, what flicks have joined the movie ranks of the world’s best streaming service? Two new Netflix Originals that sit in wildly different genres, plus the first three films in the John Wick franchise. The latter trio are sure to join our best Netflix movies article in the near future, but you’ll have to read on to find out if the other two stand a chance of securing a spot in that article.
But we digress. If you’re searching for the biggest new Netflix movies to launch on the platform since mid-December 2023, we’ve got you covered. Read on to see which films have joined Netflix’s film library over the last four weeks.
New Netflix movies: January 2024
Good Grief
Release date: January 5
Director: Dan Levy
Cast: Dan Levy, Ruth Negga, Luke Evans, and Himesh Patel
Schitt’s Creek alumnus Dan Levy makes his feature film directorial debut with this tear-jerking romantic dramady that puts an unusual spin on the grief-laden film formula.
Levy plays Marc, whose whole world comes tumbling down when his husband Oliver (Evans) suddenly dies. Embarking on a trip to Paris with best friends Sophie (Negga) and Thomas (Patel) to try and heal, Marc and his pals’ European excursion winds up revealing some hard truths that none of them were ready to hear.
Critics reacted positively to Good Grief pre-release, with the film landing a 74% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Judging by its 62% audience score, viewers seem to have enjoyed what’s on offer, too, though some have criticized its schlocky narrative and character development aspects.
Society of the Snow
Release date: January 4
Director: J. A. Bayona
Cast: Enzo Vogrincic, Agustin Pardella, Esteban Bigliardi, Simon Hempe, and Rafael Federman among others
Bayona’s latest cinematic effort tells the harrowing, real-life tale of the passengers of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571. The plane, which was charted to take a rugby team to compete in a Chile-based tournament, crash lands in the Andes, forcing the 29 survivors (of 45 people on board) to resort to extreme measures to stay alive and pray for rescue.
With its 90% Rotten Tomatoes score, Society of the Snow is a devastatingly great return to form for Bayona, whose most recent films – and critical flops – include Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Marrowbone. A difficult but necessary watch, Society of the Snow is one of four Netflix movies with 90% or above Rotten Tomatoes ratings we recommend you watch this month.
John Wick 1 to 3
Release date: January 1 (US only)
Director: Chad Stahelski (all three movies)
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Lawrence Fishburne, and Halle Berry among others
Everyone’s favorite dog-loving assassin has finally shot his way onto Netflix US. The first three installments of the beloved John Wick film series are viewable on the streaming giant stateside as of New Year’s Day 2024 so, if you’ve been sleeping on Lionsgate smash hit franchise, now’s as good a time as find out how to watch the John Wick movies in order and then, well, stream them.
For the uninitiated: Keanu Reeves plays the titular character, who’s a retired assassin mourning his recently deceased wife. To ensure he doesn’t spend the rest of his days alone, his late partner gifts him a puppy as a parting present – only for said animal to be killed in cold blood when Wick’s home is invaded (the thugs steal his pride and joy Mustang, too). Seeking revenge, the legendary hitman embarks on a quest for retribution, unaware that doing so will pull him back into the life he left behind.
With all four movies to date – John Wick: Chapter 4 released in May 2023 – raking in a combined haul of $1 billion globally, the action-thriller films has been a worthwhile risk for Lionsgate. A prequel TV show, The Continental: From the World of John Wick, is also available to stream on Peacock (US) and Prime Video (internationally), while a movie spin-off titled Ballerina is also set to arrive in theaters in June.
NB: UK viewers can catch John Wick: Chapters 1 and 2 on Sky, and John Wick: Chapter 3 on Prime Video. Australian fans can watch John Wick: Chapter 1 on Netflix and Prime Video, with Chapters 2 and 3 also available on Prime Video.
New Netflix movies: December 2023
Rebel Moon – Part 1: A Child of Fire
Release date: December 21
Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Sofia Boutella, Ed Skrein, Michiel Huisman, Charlie Hunnam, Djimon Hounsou, Ray Fisher, Doona Bae, Star Nair, Anthony Hopkins, Fra Fee, and E. Duffy among others
Fan-favorite writer-director Zack Snyder made his long-awaited return with Rebel Moon, an epic space-fantasy Netflix franchise that the streamer hopes will stand alongside the likes of Marvel’s cinematic juggernaut and Star Wars.
The first entry in that burgeoning franchise is Rebel Moon – Part 1: A Child of Fire, which tells the tale of a band of freedom fighters who attempt to stop the tyrannical Motherworld from destroying an idyllic moon-based farming settlement of Veldt for standing against the latter.
In our Rebel Moon Part 1 review, we called it “Zack Snyder’s most ambitious movie yet, but it’s not his best one” – and it seems many critics agree with us. Per Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently sits on an abject 24% from reviewers, but its 60% audience rating suggests general viewers liked it. Rebel Moon – Part 2: The Scargiver, one of 2024’s new Netflix movies, will arrive on April 19.
Maestro
Release date: December 20
Director: Bradley Cooper
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Carey Mulligan, Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, and Sarah Silverman
Produced by Todd Phillips, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, and leading man Bradley Cooper (who also directs and stars in the film), Maestro focuses on the life and legacy of West Side Story composer Leonard Bernstein. Judging by the prosthetics used to transform Cooper into the much older Bernstein, we expect this entry in our new Netflix movies list to be a shoo-in for next year’s Best Makeup and Hairstyling Oscar, too.
In fact, with 79% and 64% critics and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes, Maestro might make a play for numerous gongs on the 2024 awards circuit. Many have praised Carey Mulligan’s towering performance as Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre, so expect the esteemed actor to grab some prizes for this flick, at the very least.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget
Release date: December 15
Director: Sam Fell
Cast: Thandiwe Newton, Zachary Levi, Bella Ramsey, Jane Horrocks, Miranda Richardson, Imelda Staunton, and Nick Mohammed among others
Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm in 2000’s Chicken Run, Ginger (Newton) has finally found her dream – a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world in Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.
When she and Rocky (Levi) hatch a little girl called Molly (Ramsey), Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. However, back on the mainland, the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. This time around, instead of breaking out, they’re breaking in. That’s right, get ready for everyone’s favorite anthropomorphic chickens (and rats!) to ruffle some feathers by performing their own egg-cellent heist.
Dawn of the Nugget received a mixed reception out of the 2023 London Film Festival, but it seems to have turned a corner – ratings wise – since then. Indeed, its 80% critics and 74% audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes suggest it’s one of the new Netflix movies worth watching, especially with the kids.
Leave the World Behind
Release date: December 8
Director: Sam Esmail
Cast: Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, and Myha’la
This apocalyptic sci-fi thriller was an enticing alternative to the swathe of Christmas movies we were bombarded with in late 2023.
Leave the World Behind, which is based on Rumaan Alam’s book of the same name, tells the story of married couple Amanda (Roberts) and Clay (Hawke), whose vacation is interrupted by the mysterious G.H. (Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la). The two visitors bring news of an impending cyberattack and seek refuge in the home, which Amanda and Clay have rented for the weekend, G.H. and Ruth claim is theirs. As the disaster unfolds, the two families become trapped in a terrifying and escalating situation.
With its 76% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, Leave the World Behind is a rare Netflix film whose story seems to stack up well against its starry cast. Well, as long as you’re not one of the casual viewers who helped to give it a tepid 34% audience rating. If that was you, try watching one of these 5 survival thrillers instead.
New Netflix movies: what’s coming in 2024?
These are this year’s new Netflix movies whose release dates or launch windows we know about. We’ll be updating this list in the weeks and months ahead, too, so be sure to continue checking with us for more details when we have them:
- Lift (January 12)
- From the Ashes (January 18)
- The Kitchen (January 19)
- Sixty Minutes (January 24)
- Badland Hunters (January 26)
- Orion and the Dark (February 2)
- The Heartbreak Agency (February 14)
- Through My Window: Looking at You (February 23)
- Spaceman (March 1)
- Damsel (March 8)
- 24 Hours With Gaspar (March 14)
- Irish Wish (March 15)
- Rebel Moon – Part 2: The Scargiver (April 19)
- Ultraman: Rising (June 14)
- Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (mid-2024)
- The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (late 2024)
For more Netflix-based coverage, read our best Netflix shows and best Netflix documentaries guides. Alternatively, find out how to sign up to Netflix or get the lowdown on whether it’s worth cancelling your Netflix subscription.