3 Best Movies To Watch On Prime Video This Weekend (August 15-16)

Faye's Vision/Cover Images Published Aug 14, 2026, 8:18 PM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." Sign in to your ScreenRant account Prime Video subscribers can spend the weekend with one of the best actors in the world, as well as a few rising stars, in these varied selections. On last weekend's Prime Video movie recommendations, I explored why subscribers should check out films like the intense horror Primate, Zendaya's fan-favorite Challengers, and Christopher Nolan's masterpiece sci-fi epic Interstellar. Despite how popular Challengers and Interstellar are, especially since the latter is a collaboration between The Odyssey stars Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway with Nolan, they are not currently trending on Prime Video. Instead, the only entry from last weekend's list to find its way to the streaming service's charts is Primate. The animal horror film is Prime Video's #10 in the United States. As for this weekend's list, much like how there were completely different genres among the three options for Prime Video subscribers last weekend, we now have three films that are completely different from one another. If you are a fan of one of the best directors of all time, Paul Thomas Anderson, then you are in for quite the emotional movie on Prime Video. There are no Prime Video original movies on this list. That said, all three licensed films promise to make viewers laugh, cry, tense up, and cheer over the weekend on the streaming service. PTA's dramedy is joined by Kurt Russell's sci-fi thriller and a recent horror release to make this a colorful weekend full of different experiences on Prime Video. 3 Licorice Pizza (2021) With One Battle After Another, which starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Anderson finally won a Best Director Oscar. He also took home the statues for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. As such, fans of the director might want to check out Licorice Pizza, a heartfelt coming-of-age tale that led to PTA being nominated in those very same categories at the Oscars, though with no wins. Licorice Pizza is also a timely release for Marvel fans. While he was not ultimately picked to play Cyclops in the MCU X-Men movie, Cooper Hoffman was reportedly a top pick for the role. In Licorice Pizza, you can see why the actor made it that far, as he plays Gary Valentine, a teen actor who navigates many business ideas and a budding romance. 2 The Gates (2026) The Gates is one of the final projects featuring Dawson's Creek star James Van Der Beek before his tragic passing. The horror thriller is currently trending on the streaming service, standing as the 6th most-watched film on Prime Video in the United States. Van Der Beek delivers a magnetic performance as Jacob, the pastor who murders someone exactly when three friends take a shortcut through his gated community, watching the crime unfold. The Gates is also a timely watch due to how star Mason Gooding, known for the Scream franchise, who plays Derek in the film on Prime Video, is a core part of 72 Hours, the new Kevin Hart comedy that has been lighting up Netflix's global charts. The Gates mixes horror and thriller well, delivering an intense ride that will perfectly match with popcorn this weekend on Prime Video. 1 Escape from New York (1981) The final movie on our Prime Video weekend recommendations is Escape from New York. While it was not a massive box office hit, the sci-fi thriller has since developed a cult following. Starring Kurt Russell, Escape from New York followed the actor as S.D. "Snake" Plissken, who was formerly in the US' special forces, but is now a prisoner, as he is given the nearly-impossible mission of rescuing the President of the United States in 24 hours, after his plane fell in a walled-off Manhattan. Escape from New York is set in a dystopian version of the United States, where crime runs rampant. The R-rated sci-fi thriller features plenty of action sequences, as Russell's Snake has to fight off those who are against the government and want to kill the president. This genre classic will end the weekend on Prime Video in style. Licorice Pizza 8/10 Release Date November 26, 2021 Runtime 133 minutes Licorice Pizza is a coming-of-age film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, set in the San Fernando Valley in 1973. It follows the lives of Gary Valentine and Alana Kane as they navigate the complexities of adolescence and first love in this vibrant period piece. Cast Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie, Skyler Gisondo, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, John Michael Higgins, Christine Ebersole, Harriet Sansom Harris, Joseph Cross, Danielle Haim, Este Haim, Moti Haim, Donna Haim, Maya Rudolph, Ryan Heffington, Nate Mann, Isabelle Kusman, Destry Allyn Spielberg, George DiCaprio, Iyana Halley, Ray Chase, Emma Dumont Director Paul Thomas Anderson The Gates 3/10 Release Date March 13, 2026 Runtime 99 minutes During what was meant to be an enjoyable getaway, three friends find themselves trapped in a secluded residential enclave after witnessing a murder. Blamed and pursued by the community’s inhabitants, they struggle to survive as paranoia strains their friendship. Meanwhile, a calculating patriarch orchestrates the chase. Cast Algee Smith, Mason Gooding, Keith Powers, James Van Der Beek, Brad Leland, Kylr Coffman, Elle Evans, Sofia Hublitz, Aliyah Celeste, Rob Gallavan, Jaxon Noble Pickens, Natasha Ellie, Randy Wayne, Shelby Simmons, Rachel Thundat, Tate Talley, Jacob Dever, Marta Reiman, Kerry McCormick, Jacob Howard Sewell Director John Burr Escape From New York 9/10 Release Date May 23, 1981 Runtime 99 minutes Escape from New York is set in a dystopian future where Manhattan serves as a maximum-security prison. The narrative follows a former soldier sent on a perilous mission to rescue the President, who has crash-landed and been captured by the island's inmates. Cast Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Donald Pleasence, Isaac Hayes, Season Hubley, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau, Tom Atkins, Charles Cyphers, Frank Doubleday, John Strobel, George Buck Flower, John Cothran, Nancy Stephens, Steven Ford, John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nick Castle, Debra Hill, Ox Baker, Joe Unger, Garrett Bergfeld, Wally Taylor, Rodger Bumpass Director John Carpenter