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 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness hitting streaming this week, it’s no wonder everyone’s watching it.
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.
1. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Credit: Disney / Marvel
Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is back and ready to traverse the infinite parameters of time and space for the latest instalment of the MCU. Directed by Sam Raimi, the cast for this one is massive, with Elizabeth Olsen returning as Scarlett Witch alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor, Benedict Wong, Xochitl Gomez, Rachel McAdams, and Michael Stuhlbarg.
How to watch: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now streaming on Disney+.
2. Spiderhead
Credit: Netflix
Based on George Saunders’ short story “Escape from Spiderhead,” Spiderhead centres around a facility testing mood-changing drugs on prisoners and challenging the idea of free will. The whole thing is run by Chris Hemsworth as scientisti Steve Abnesti, but when two subjects connect, Jeff (Miles Teller) and Lizzy (Jurnee Smollett), things unravel.
What we thought: Simply put, Spiderhead is a totally OK movie to sort of watch. And if that’s all Netflix is aiming for now, they’ve gotten their gold star for mediocrity. — Kristy Puchko, Deputy Entertainment Editor
How to watch: Spiderhead is now streaming on Netflix.
3. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Credit: Nick Wall / Hulu
Directed by Sophie Hyde and written by Katy Brand, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande sees Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson), retired from teaching, embarking on a new personal adventure when she hires sex worker Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack).
What we thought: By foregrounding themes of desire and mutual pleasure with that of ongoing consent and acknowledgment of boundaries, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande spotlights the importance of simultaneously respecting yourself and others when it comes to sex. — S.C.
How to watch: Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is now streaming on Hulu.
4. Top Gun
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. — K.P.
How to watch: Top Gun (the original) is now streaming on Prime Video and Paramount+.
5. Hustle
Credit: Scott Yamano / Netflix
Adam Sandler’s new Netflix movie, Hustle, has gone straight to the top of the queue for a lot of you. Sandler plays Stanley Sugerman, an NBA scout who travels to Spain and discovers Bo Cruz, played by Juancho Hernangómez, a talented player who has some baggage in his past. I’s going to be more complicated than Stanley thought to bring Bo into his NBA team.
How to watch: Hustle is now streaming on Netflix.
6. Downton Abbey: A New Era
Credit: Ben Blackall
The modern world comes to Downton in the second Downton Abbey film, and indeed it has in the 1930s, with the next film-length instalment of Julian Fellowes’ period drama bringing the franchise quite literally into A New Era.
What we thought: Downton Abbey: A New Era is the closing chapter of a beloved story that felt already reasonably resolved, but nonetheless should delight fans of the series who’ve been missing these characters in their lives.
How to watch: Downton Abbey: A New Era is now streaming on Netflix and Peacock.
7. The Man from Toronto
Credit: Netflix
Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson team up for Netflix’s The Man from Toronto, as a sales consultant and an assassin who bump into each other at a holiday house and mistaken identity chaos ensues. Why not?
How to watch: The Man from Toronto is now streaming on Netflix.
8. Sing 2
Credit: Universal Pictures
Written and directed by Garth Jennings, Sing 2 sees Matthew McConaughey return as koala Buster Moon, who is apparently doing well with his New Moon Theatre. He’s got big plans to debut a new show at a flashy venue in the entertainment capital of Redshore City with his animal performer buddies — Rosita the pig (Reese Witherspoon), Ash the porcupine (Scarlett Johansson), Johnny the gorilla (Taron Egerton), Meena the elephant (Tori Kelly) and Gunter the pig (Nick Kroll). But in order to do it, they’ll have to convince Bono (yes, Bono) to join their team.
How to watch: Sing 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
9. The Northman
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 is now streaming on Peacock.
10. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Credit: Universal Pictures
With the latest chapter of the Jurassic World trilogy in 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 is now streaming on fuboTV.