5 best new movies to stream this weekend on Netflix, Max, Paramount Plus, and more (May 17-18)
With the weather warming up, a fresh wave of new movie releases is hitting the best streaming services this week. But when you’re spoiled for choice, narrowing down what to watch next quickly becomes a tall order.
That’s why we regularly comb through the latest releases on streaming to highlight which ones are worth adding to your watchlist. Headlining this week’s lineup is the much-anticipated release of “A Minecraft Movie” on paid video-on-demand platforms. Now you can experience its chaotic charm without leaving your couch (or braving the popcorn-strewn theaters).
Over on Max, you’ll find the Oscar-winning drama “The Brutalist,” a lengthy but impactful epic about how the loftiest dreams often come at the highest price. Meanwhile, Netflix just got the charming family-friendly adventure “Paddington in Peru” as well as a mind-bending horror thriller “Smile.” Paramount Plus also has the Jack Quaid-led action-comedy “Novocaine” if you’re in the mood for a breezy watch.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the top movie premieres across Netflix, Max, Paramount Plus, and more to watch this weekend.
‘A Minecraft Movie’ (PVOD)
If you were waiting to stream “A Minecraft Movie” at home and skip all the “Chicken jockey” theater madness, you’re in luck. The smash-hit movie adaptation of the equally massive video game just landed on paid video-on-demand platforms after nearly cracking $1 billion at the box office, and it’s a sugar-fueled spectacle.
When a ragtag crew of misfits (Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Emma Myers, and Sebastian Hansen) stumbles through a portal into the Overworld of Minecraft, they’ll need to use their imagination to survive. Helping them navigate this strange, blocky new land and get back home is Steve (Jack Black), a crafter who has been stuck there for decades.
Even viewers unfamiliar with the game may find themselves having a blast in this pixelated playground. Director Jared Hess, best known for “Napoleon Dynamite,” adds his trademark sense of offbeat humor, and Jack Black, as always, is in top form cracking up a new generation of kids.
Streaming now with purchase on Amazon or Apple
‘Paddington in Peru’ (Netflix)
“Paddington in Peru” landed on Netflix in the U.K. last month, but now American subscribers can finally check out the latest adventure starring everyone’s favorite marmalade-loving bear. Though not quite as critically acclaimed as 2014’s “Paddington” and 2017’s “Paddington 2,” this threequel has plenty of charm and retains enough of the warmth and magic of its predecessors to make for a thoroughly delightful watch.
“Paddington in Peru” sees the titular bear (voiced once again Ben Whishaw) and his adopted family travel to (where else?) the jungles of Peru after his beloved aunt goes missing under suspicious circumstances. In the search for answers, he stumbles into a legendary treasure hunt, joining forces with the swashbuckling captain Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas) along the way.
Since family members tend to be huge hits for the streamer, don’t be surprised to see this one haunting Netflix’s top 10 list for the foreseeable future.
Watch it now on Netflix
‘The Brutalist’ (Max)
“The Brutalist” chalked up an impressive 10 nominations at the 2025 Oscars, taking home awards for Best Original Score and Best Cinematography. Adrien Brody also secured his second Oscar, winning Best Actor for his powerful performance.
While its 215-minute runtime may challenge some viewers’ patience, this sweeping, mesmerizing drama justifies every moment. Now that it’s on Max, it’s easier to watch than ever. Just be sure to clear your calendar for the afternoon when you do.
Brody plays László Tóth, a Holocaust survivor and visionary architect who emigrates to America after World War II in search of a fresh start. After he reconnects with his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) in Pennsylvania, he discovers that his wife (Felicity Jones) is still alive and trapped in Austria after the two were forcibly separated at the camps.
A turning point arrives when a wealthy industrialist (Guy Pearce) hires László to renovate a library in his father’s mansion as a tribute to his late mother. Though the commission ends badly and costs László his temporary home, it marks the beginning of his architectural legacy in the U.S.
Watch it now on Max
‘Novocaine’ (Paramount Plus)
For something a little more breezy, “Novocaine” is a high-octane action movie that doesn’t take itself seriously. Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen, it stars Jack Quaid of “The Boys” fame as Nathan Caine, a mild-mannered bank executive with a rare medical condition that leaves him unable to feel pain.
It’s an interesting quirk that’s never proven particularly useful. That is, until one day when his co-worker (and secret crush) Sherry Margrave (Amber Midthunder) is taken hostage in a brutal bank heist. Thrust into a fight he never expected and driven by adrenaline, he leverages his rare condition as an unconventional superpower as he dives headfirst into an escalating conflict to save her.
Jack Quaid gives a standout performance as Nathan, convincingly portraying his journey from an overlooked office drone to an unlikely hero. Also worth shouting out is Ray Nicholson’s performance as Simon Greenly, the magnetic but unhinged gang leader behind the bank heist.
Watch it now on Paramount Plus
‘Smile’ (Netflix)
One of the biggest surprise horror hits of the decade has returned to Netflix. Though “Smile’s” premise isn’t entirely original (and I still think “It Follows” did it better), it delivers a haunting, slow-burning descent into paranoia that messes with your perception in all the right ways.
“Smile” stars Sosie Bacon as Rose, a therapist at a psychiatric ward in New Jersey who finds herself the latest victim of a horrifying, trauma-related curse after a patient kills herself in front of her, smiling eerily all the while. Not long after, strange, inexplicable visions begin to creep into Rose’s life until she becomes convinced that a malevolent force is stalking her.
Her friends and family write off her fears as a sign of a mental breakdown, but it’s clear the reality is much, much worse. As a relentless terror begins to consume her life, Rose must face the demons of her past to break free from her horrifying new present. It becomes a race against time to break the curse before she turns into its next smiling victim.
Watch it now on Netflix
