We've only got a few weekends left before the back-to-school season kicks into high gear, and Netflix has plenty of blockbusters to add to your watchlist in the meantime. Whenever I have no clue what to watch, I make a beeline to the top 10 most-watched movies list. Sure, they won't all be winners, but it's a nice way to cut through the noise quickly.
With that in mind, we're here to help you figure out what to watch by narrowing down the three best movies to watch in the Netflix Top 10 movies list. This list includes a recent action movie starring Tom Cruise, a new Netflix family movie, along with another earworm-filled animated caper from 2023.
This article is based on the Netflix top 10 list of most-watched movies in the U.S. as of 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, August 14. And for even more recommendations on what to watch across the best streaming services, check out everything new on Netflix this month.
'Jack Reacher' (2012)
Before Alan Ritchson took over as Jack Reacher in the award-winning Prime Video show, "Reacher", Tom Cruise first brought the hulking former military policeman turned vigilante to audiences on the big screen in 2012. Now the original "Jack Reacher" has crashed the Netflix top 10 (along with its not-quite-as-beloved sequel, "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back").
Directed by frequent Cruise collaborator, Christopher McQuarrie — who also helmed the last three "Mission: Impossible" films — "Jack Reacher" is a high-octane thrill ride with Cruise in top action hero form. After a sniper in Pittsburgh guns down five seemingly random people on a park path, the police tap Jack Reacher to run an independent investigation to uncover the assailant's identity.
Watch it now on Netflix
'Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie' (2024)
One of SpongeBob Squarepants' best pals takes the limelight in this high-stakes spinoff, "Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie",
In this latest animated caper, marine researchers appear out of the blue and scoop Bikini Bottom up from the ocean floor. After watching their hometown disappear before their eyes, Sandy and SpongeBob decide to set out to rescue their friends, embarking on a new quest to the surface world —Texas, specifically — to do so. The flick debuted at the start of the month and has hung around in the Top 10 ever since.
Watch it now on Netflix
'Trolls: Band Together' (2023)
The Trolls are back in "Trolls Band Together," the latest in DreamsWorks' animated series based on the wild-haired toy dolls of the same name. If you don't have young'ins in your life demanding to watch the Trolls movies a zillion times, they're simple but fun eye and ear candy. A star-studded cast that includes some bonafide pop stars come together and essentially sing karaoke along to a kaleidoscope of colorful visuals and playground humor.
In "Trolls Band Together," Branch (Justin Timberlake) and Poppy (Anna Kendrick) set out to rescue his brother Floyd (Troye Sivan) and, in the process, uncover the grouchy, music-hating Branch's past life as a member of the boyband BroZone. Eric Andre, Daveed Diggs, and Kid Cudi voice the other members, which is not a mash-up I knew I needed until now. This latest Trolls adventure also serves as a de facto NSYNC reunion, with the boy band performing their first original song in decades during the movie.
Watch it now on Netflix
Netflix top 10 movies right now
- "The Emoji Movie" (2017)
- "Night School" (2018)
- "Trolls: Band Together" (2023)
- "Inside the Mind of a Dog" (2024)
- "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back" (2016)
- "Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie" (2024)
- "Jack Reacher" (2012)
- "The Lorax" (2012)
- "White Chicks" (2004)
- "The Cat in the Hat" (2003)
