The 7 best new movies and shows to stream this weekend

As another week comes to an end, we’re back with another batch of streaming recommendations. There are lots of movies to choose from this week, starting with Eddie Murphy’s first Beverly Hills Cop movie in 30 years, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, arriving on Netflix. Elsewhere on Netflix, anime movie The Imaginary finally gets an international release, while UK subscribers can also catch Bill Nighy’s Oscar-nominated turn in period drama Living.

Meanwhile, on Prime Video, Emma Roberts stars in NASA comedy Space Cadet, and UK audiences can revisit Michael Mann’s debut feature, Thief. Plus, over on Max, you can return to the MonsterVerse with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. As for TV, all six seasons of Lost are now streaming on Netflix in the US – and our writer thinks it’s still well worth your time.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Netflix

Eddie Murphy is back on the case as Detective Axel Foley for the first time in 30 years in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. This time, he’s teaming up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and his estranged daughter Jane (Taylour Paige), as well as some familiar faces (Judge Reinhold and John Ashton), after Jane’s life is threatened. Kevin Bacon also joins the franchise, while Paul Reiser and Bronson Pinchot reprise their roles from earlier movies.

The Imaginary

(Image credit: Netflix)

Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Netflix

After hitting Japanese theaters last December, new fantasy anime movie The Imaginary has made its international debut on Netflix. Directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, who previously worked on Studio Ghibli movies like Spirited Away and Porco Rosso, the movie follows Amanda and her imaginary friend Rudger, who share make-believe adventures. However, Rudger soon finds himself facing a mysterious threat when he arrives, suddenly, in the Town of Imaginaries, where forgotten imaginary friends end up. The film was made by Studio Ponoc, whose last release was Mary and the Witch’s Flower.

Space Cadet

Tom Hopper and Emma Roberts in Space Cadet

(Image credit: Prime Video)

Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Prime Video

Emma Roberts stars in Space Cadet, a new comedy from Prime Video. She plays Rex, a woman whose childhood dreams of going to space were dashed by a classic case of life not quite going to plan. When she decides to, uh, embellish an application to NASA’s astronaut training program, Rex gets accepted, against the odds, and thrown in at the deep end. Way over her head, can she stop the truth from getting out before lift off? Gabrielle Union and The Umbrella Academy’s Tom Hopper also star.

Lost season 1-6

Lost

(Image credit: ABC)

Available: US
Watch now: Netflix

If you missed it the first time around, there’s never been a better time to catch up on Lost – the hit supernatural mystery series is now streaming on Netflix in the US (controversial ending and all…). The show follows the survivors of a plane crash who find themselves stranded on a mysterious island in the Pacific Ocean. Contending with the island’s other inhabitants – both human and supernatural – Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Sawyer (Josh Holloway), and co. slowly realize that rescue or escape may not be on the cards.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Available: US
Watch now: Max

After taking the big screen by storm earlier this year, the latest MonsterVerse movie is now streaming on Max. After the explosive battle at the end of Godzilla vs Kong, the mighty pair are being kept apart for their own good, until a new threat means they may have no choice but to put their differences aside and fight together. Franchise regulars Rebecca Hall and Brian Tyree Henry and they’re joined by Dan Stevens, who plays a Monarch veterinarian and an old friend of Hall’s Dr. Ilene Andrews.

Living

(Image credit: Lionsgate)

Available: UK
Watch now: Netflix

Bill Nighy stars in Living, a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 movie Ikiru. It follows a local government bureaucrat in ’50s London who discovers that he’s terminally ill. After his diagnosis, he decides to take some time off work to finally experience life. Nighy was nominated for an Oscar for his performance after the film was released in 2022, and screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro also received a nod for his script. The cast also includes Sex Education’s Aimee Lou Wood and 3 Body Problem‘s Alex Sharp.

Thief

James Caan in Thief

(Image credit: MGM)

Available: UK
Watch now: Prime Video

Before Heat and Miami Vice, there was Thief, and Michael Mann’s debut feature, released in 1981, is now streaming on Prime Video in the UK. The late James Caan stars in the heist thriller as Frank, a professional safecracker who’s determined to go straight – just after he’s done one last job for the mob. Tuesday Weld, Willie Nelson, James Belushi, and Robert Prosky also star.

If there’s nothing here that tickles your fancy, then you might have to start looking into each streaming service’s back catalogue, which can be a daunting task given how many titles they each host. Fear not, though… if you’re a TV fan, then we’ve got you covered with our lists of the best Netflix shows, best Disney Plus shows, and the best Amazon Prime Video shows.