Christopher Nolan may be dominating the big screen this month — at least until Spider-Man shows up on July 31 — but there's still plenty of new releases to watch at home. As we head into the weekend, plenty of genre movies and blockbusters are free to stream or rent and purchase digitally, including the latest Star Wars movie and Steven Spielberg’s most recent take on aliens.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is now available on VOD, continuing the story of Din Djarin and Grogu, this time on the big screen, all supported with a stunning score composed by Ludwig Göransson, who scored another win this summer with The Odyssey. While it may not feel like a Star Wars movie, it also doesn't feel like an overtly long episode of The Mandalorian, which is an achievement in itself.
Disclosure Day is also available to rent and purchase. Starring a stacked cast that includes Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, and Colin Firth, the movie is Spielberg's latest exploration of aliens coming to Earth, making it an important watch for anyone who has any sort of interest in the sci-fi genre, one he helped shape throughout his career. Happy watching!
1 Disclosure Day
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**Available on VOD** - Genre: Sci-fi
- Run time: 2hrs 25m
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Cast: Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colin Firth, Colman Domingo.
A Steven Spielberg movie is always worth a watch. Disclosure Day is no different, even though it's sparked plenty of conversation since its release. The story follows a whistleblower and a meteorologist who team up to reveal the existence of extraterrestrial life to the public despite plenty of government interference.
Per our Polygon review:
Besides the tight chase story, the other element to bring about that Spielbergian feel is the spectacle and that child-like sense of wonder. And as he did back in the 1980s, those feelings usually come from the same place. In Jurassic Park, it comes from the earlier encounters with dinosaurs like the Brachiosaurus and the Triceratops. In Disclosure Day, Spielberg makes use of ordinary animals doing some not-so-ordinary things to evoke the same feeling. And much like how E.T. and Close Encounters wait until the end to give you that epic sense of grandeur, Disclosure Day does that as well, though to explain more than that would give it away.
2 Masters of the Universe
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**Available on Prime Video** - Genre: Sci-fi
- Run time: 2hrs 12m
- Director: Travis Knight
- Cast: Nicholas Galitzine, Camila Mendes, Jared Leto, Alison Brie
Based on the beloved toys and cartoons of the ‘80s, Masters of the Universe follows Adam (Nicholas Galitzine), a prince from Eternia who’s sent back to Earth and must find his way back to his home planet to fulfill his destiny as He-Man.
Per our Polygon review:
From the colorful landscapes of Eternia to the vivid recreations of ‘80s armored warriors to the crisp and clear action sequences enhanced by Industrial Light & Magic, everything about Masters of the Universe is stunning to behold. So before Hollywood learns the wrong lesson from this summer and starts pumping out dark, creepypasta adaptations instead, take advantage of what might be your last chance to experience the magic of big-budget maximalist sci-fi fantasy spectacle for a very long time.
3 Blue Heron
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**Available on Criterion Channel** - Genre: Drama
- Run time: 1h 30m
- Director: Sophy Romvari
- Cast: Amy Zimmer, Eylul Guven
It’s early in the movie year, but Blue Heron has received plenty of critical acclaim, with some labeling it as one of their favorite dramas of the year. The story is a semi-autobiographical account of a young girl and her family’s dysfunctional dynamic, all made worse by her half-brother, whom his parents can’t control.
4 Scary Movie
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**Available on VOD** - Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 1h 36m
- Director: Michael Tiddes
- Cast: Marlon and Shawn Wayans, Regina Hall, Anna Faris
Scary Movie is back for a new generation. The new movie comes 13 years after Scary Movie 5 came out, reuniting or reintroducing audience members to Cindy and Brenda, played by Anna Faris and Regina Hall. Hall’s last film was the Academy Award-winning One Battle After Another, showing the expansive width of her career.
5 The Mandalorian and Grogu
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**Available on VOD** - Genre: Sci-fi
- Run time: 2hrs 12m
- Director: Jon Favreau
- Cast: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allen White, Sigourney Weaver
The Mandalorian and Grogu is Pedro Pascal's first movie in the Star Wars universe. It's a surprising statement for a guy who's been a very prominent figure in the Star Wars universe for the past seven years. The story follows Mando and Grogu on their journeys through the galaxy, with Favreau hopefully introducing the magic of puppetry to a new generation of viewers.
Per our Polygon review:
The Mandalorian and Groguavoids feeling like an extra-long episode of The Mandalorian (or three episodes strung together) by building a story across multiple acts with various twists and turns along the way and a climactic finale that goes beyond anything Disney Plus could ever muster. It's a movie with multiple acts that fit together to tell a larger story than the show ever has.
6 Chum
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**Available on AMC+** - Genre: Horror
- Run time: 1h 27m
- Director: Jonathan Zuck
- Cast: Alice Eve, Eric Michael Cole
It’s the summer, so there’s always a shark movie on. Chum takes things further by setting its sights on guests of a destination wedding in Malta, who, when their catamaran sinks, begin to be hunted by a massive white shark. The twists don’t stop there, with the survivors kidnapped by a fisherman who submits them to endless shark torture for his own ends.
7 Mortal Kombat 2
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**Available on HBO Max** - Genre: Action
- Run time: 1h 56m
- Director: Simon McQuoid
- Cast: Karl Urban, Adeline Rudolph, Jessica McNamee
Based on the beloved franchise that has raised various generations of gamers, Mortal Kombat 2 finally introduces the tournament that the games are based on. This time around, Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), one of the universe's most beloved characters, joins the in-movie universe.
Per our Polygon review:
The majority of the movie is taken up by fight scenes, which are genuinely fun to watch if you don't mind a few smashed skulls. One fight even takes place on a narrow platform with acid on either side (seemingly inspired by the iconic Mortal Kombat level known as Dead Pool), which forces the characters to spar in the same 2D style seen in the games. That sounds silly, but it's actually pretty badass, and sets a high bar that multiple other fight scenes in the movie easily clear.
8 Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie
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**Available on Hulu** - Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 1hr 40m
- Director: Matt Johnson
- Cast: Matt Johnson, Jay McCarrol
Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie is an adaptation of the beloved TV show Nirvanna The Band The Show, an absurdist comedy series following two delusional best friends who pull all sorts of pranks while operating a fictional band called, you guessed it, Nirvanna.
9 Pressure
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**Available on Peacock** - Genre: War drama
- Run time: 1h 40m
- Director: Anthony Maras
- Cast: Brendan Fraser, Andrew Scott
Starring Brendan Fraser and Andrew Scott, Pressure is set in the 72 hours ahead of D-Day, exploring the clash between Eisenhower and a meteorologist in deciding between launching the Normandy landings or delaying them due to harsh weather.
10 Saccharine
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**Available on Shudder** - Genre: Horror
- Run time: 1h 53m
- Director: Natalie Erika James
- Cast: Midori Francis, Madeleine Madden
What if taking the concept of an eating disorder and adapting it to body horror? That’s the question posed by Saccharine, a movie that follows a medical student haunted by the ghost of the cadaver she used to synthesize a weight-loss drug.
Name That
Summer 2026 Movie
Twenty movies. Four choices each. How well do you know summer at the cinema?