4 brilliant new Paramount+ movies to watch this week (August 3-9)

Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To Geek Published Aug 3, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT Derek Malcolm has been covering the worlds of tech and entertainment for more than two decades. Before coming to How-To Geek in 2025, Derek was a contributing editor and writer for the A/V and Home Theater section at Digital Trends, where he wrangled and wrote everything from what to watch on Netflix to reviews, explainers, and guides on the latest Bluetooth speakers, turntables, projectors, and other A/V gear. Based in Toronto, Derek graduated from Humber College's Journalism program in 1999, after which he started covering the worlds of music, movies, TV, and celebrity for publications such as TV Guide, Hello! magazine, and Inside Entertainment. He then got the bug for covering tech and gadgets in 2006, when he served as editor-in-chief of Canadian tech magazine Connected for more than a decade. An avid skier, when all the snow's gone Derek can be found at home spinning vinyl with his daughter or cheering on his favorite F1 team, McLaren. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Paramount+ subscribers in the U.S. have a lot to look forward to right now. Zoe Saldaña is back running black ops in a new season of Taylor Sheridan's highly anticipated series Lioness, there are a handful of UFC bouts to tap out with, and 71 movies were added in its big August 1 dump alone. This week, four of those arrivals should easily make your movie queue—an animated brick-building smash, a terrifying Oscar-sweeping space thriller, the sharpest mockumentary ever put on a leash, and my top pick this week, a big-screen concert event from a real "bad guy." 4 The Lego Movie The brick-by-brick blockbuster where everything is awesome Second only to Frozen, The Lego Movie played nonstop in my house, car, on camping trips, and in waiting rooms when it hit the streaming services in 2015. My four-year-old didn’t care that it was snubbed for the best animated movie at the Oscars (to Big Hero 6?!); she absolutely couldn't stop singing Everything is Awesome, though, which did get a Best Original Song nod. If you haven’t watched it 10,000 times like us, The Lego Movie is all about Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt), a cheerfully ordinary construction minifigure who always follows the instructions, until he gets mistaken for the "Special," a prophesied MasterBuilder destined to save the Lego universe. Alongside fierce rebel Wyldstyle (Elizabeth Banks), self-obsessed gravelly-voiced Batman (Will Arnett), and a slew of other classic Lego characters, the team must stop Lord Business (Will Ferrell) from permanently gluing the world together with the dreaded Kragle. It has a near-perfect 96% score on RT. The Lego Movie Release Date February 7, 2014 Cast Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Channing Tatum, Nick Offerman, Liam Neeson, Will Ferrell, Cobie Smulders, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Charlie Day, Jonah Hill Runtime 100 Minutes Director Phil Lord, Chris Miller Writers Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, Phil Lord, Chris Miller Sequel(s) The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, The Lego Batman Movie, The Lego Ninjago Movie Franchise(s) LEGO Budget $60-65 Million Studio(s) Village Roadshow, Vertigo Entertainment, Lego System A/S, Warner Animation Group, Lin Productions Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures 3 Gravity Sandra Bullock, lost in space and fighting to get home While it might not have had the enormous record-breaking box-office weekend that Spider-Man: Brand New Day just had, 2013's Gravity, with its mind-boggling special effects, sound, music, and cinematography, just blew people away in theaters (it was in IMAX, too), leading it to sweep up seven Oscars. Quiz 8 Questions · Test Your KnowledgeName that Oscar-winning Paramount hit movieTrivia challenge Can you identify these Academy Award-winning Paramount Pictures films from the last 30 years using only clues? DramaClassicsDirectorsOscarsBlockbusters Begin This 1994 Paramount film follows a slow-witted but kind-hearted man from Alabama who unknowingly influences several decades of American history, and it won Best Picture at the 67th Academy Awards. AThe Shawshank RedemptionBPulp FictionCForrest GumpDPhiladelphia That's right — Forrest Gump! Tom Hanks won his second consecutive Best Actor Oscar for the role, and the film swept six Oscars total including Best Director for Robert Zemeckis. Its famous 'life is like a box of chocolates' quote has become one of cinema's most quoted lines. Not quite — the answer is Forrest Gump! Tom Hanks won his second consecutive Best Actor Oscar for the role, and the film swept six Oscars total including Best Director for Robert Zemeckis. Its famous 'life is like a box of chocolates' quote has become one of cinema's most quoted lines. Continue This 1997 Paramount epic romance is set aboard a doomed luxury ocean liner on its maiden voyage, and it became the first film to gross over $1 billion worldwide while winning 11 Academy Awards. AThe English PatientBTitanicCSchindler's ListDBraveheart Correct — it's Titanic! Directed by James Cameron, the film tied the all-time Oscar wins record held by Ben-Hur at 11 awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet became global superstars almost overnight thanks to this film. Not quite — the answer is Titanic! Directed by James Cameron, the film tied the all-time Oscar wins record held by Ben-Hur at 11 awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet became global superstars almost overnight thanks to this film. Continue This 2013 Paramount film starring Chiwetel Ejiofor depicts a free Black man living in New York who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the antebellum South, winning Best Picture at the 86th Academy Awards. ADjango UnchainedBLincolnCThe ButlerD12 Years a Slave Well done — it's 12 Years a Slave! Directed by Steve McQueen, it became the first film by a Black director to win Best Picture. Lupita Nyong'o won Best Supporting Actress for her devastating performance, launching one of Hollywood's most celebrated careers. The answer is 12 Years a Slave! Directed by Steve McQueen, it became the first film by a Black director to win Best Picture. Lupita Nyong'o won Best Supporting Actress for her devastating performance, launching one of Hollywood's most celebrated careers. Continue This 1995 Paramount thriller features a detective played by Morgan Freeman and his younger partner played by Brad Pitt investigating a series of gruesome murders based on the seven deadly sins — it won the Oscar for Best Film Editing. AThe Silence of the LambsBSe7enCZodiacDCopycat Correct — it's Se7en! Directed by David Fincher, the film is widely regarded as one of the greatest thrillers ever made. Its shocking ending — involving a mysterious box — remains one of the most talked-about finales in Hollywood history. The answer is Se7en! Directed by David Fincher, the film is widely regarded as one of the greatest thrillers ever made. Its shocking ending — involving a mysterious box — remains one of the most talked-about finales in Hollywood history. Continue This 2014 Paramount film tells the true story of a NASA mathematician and her colleagues who played a crucial role in early American space missions, and it won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. AThe MartianBInterstellarCHidden FiguresDFirst Man That's right — Hidden Figures! The film celebrates the real-life contributions of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson — three Black women whose work at NASA was largely uncredited for decades. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe led the acclaimed cast. The answer is Hidden Figures! The film celebrates the real-life contributions of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson — three Black women whose work at NASA was largely uncredited for decades. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe led the acclaimed cast. Continue This 2019 Paramount biographical drama follows a legendary rock band's frontman through his flamboyant rise to fame and personal struggles, and Rami Malek won Best Actor for his transformative lead performance. ARocketmanBBohemian RhapsodyCThe DirtDStardust Correct — Bohemian Rhapsody! The film chronicles the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen, culminating in their iconic Live Aid performance. Despite mixed reviews from critics, it became the highest-grossing music biopic of all time and Rami Malek's transformation was universally praised. The answer is Bohemian Rhapsody! The film chronicles the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen, culminating in their iconic Live Aid performance. Despite mixed reviews from critics, it became the highest-grossing music biopic of all time and Rami Malek's transformation was universally praised. Continue This 2007 Paramount Western thriller adapted from a Cormac McCarthy novel features a relentless assassin hunting down a man who stumbled upon drug money, and it won four Academy Awards including Best Picture. AThere Will Be BloodBThe Assassination of Jesse JamesCNo Country for Old MenD3:10 to Yuma That's right — No Country for Old Men! Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, Javier Bardem's portrayal of the chilling assassin Anton Chigurh won him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and is considered one of cinema's greatest villain performances. The film's ambiguous ending still sparks debate among fans. The answer is No Country for Old Men! Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, Javier Bardem's portrayal of the chilling assassin Anton Chigurh won him the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and is considered one of cinema's greatest villain performances. The film's ambiguous ending still sparks debate among fans. Continue This 2022 Paramount sequel starring Tom Cruise returns to the world of elite naval aviators over 35 years after its predecessor, and it won the Oscar for Best Sound while becoming one of the highest-grossing films of that year. ATop Gun: MaverickBMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part OneCF9: The Fast SagaDAmbulance Correct — Top Gun: Maverick! The film was praised for its breathtaking practical flight sequences, with Tom Cruise insisting on filming real aerial maneuvers. It became Paramount's highest-grossing film ever and proved that legacy sequels could still dominate the box office decades later. The answer is Top Gun: Maverick! The film was praised for its breathtaking practical flight sequences, with Tom Cruise insisting on filming real aerial maneuvers. It became Paramount's highest-grossing film ever and proved that legacy sequels could still dominate the box office decades later. See My Score Challenge CompleteYour Score / 8 Thanks for playing! Try Again It's a nightmarish worst-case scenario for an astronaut. Dr. Ryan Stone (Best Actress nominee Sandra Bullock), a medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, is floating above the Earth, mid-spacewalk, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney), when debris from a satellite completely destroys their shuttle. Stranded 372 miles up with oxygen running out and Houston gone silent, Stone struggles to find a way to survive in the destroyed space station and somehow make it back to Earth. Gravity crams more white-knuckle tension into 91 minutes than most franchises manage in a decade. You will not regret watching this one. Gravity Release Date October 3, 2013 Cast Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen, Paul Sharma, Amy Warren Runtime 1h 31m Director Alfonso Cuarón Writers Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón, George Clooney Budget 100 million Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures 2 Best in Show Christopher Guest's dog show comedy is best in class Is there a better comedy pairing than Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara? I think not. Fifteen years before Schitt's Creek made them TV's favorite married couple, the SCTV legends were perfecting their craft in Best in Show. The second entry in Christopher Guest's largely improvised mockumentaries (after Waiting for Guffman), it follows five sets of hilariously neurotic dog owners competing at Philadelphia's cutthroat Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show: Gerry and Cookie Fleck (Levy and O'Hara), high-strung yuppies Meg and Hamilton Swan (Parker Posey and Michael Hitchcock), and trophy wife Sherri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge), whose champion poodle comes with a fiercely intense handler (Jane Lynch). Guest is a genius at drawing the insanity and obsession out of life’s seemingly mundane micro-societies, and Best in Show is one of his masterpieces. Best in Show Release Date September 29, 2000 Cast Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher Guest, John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Ed Begley Jr., Patrick Cranshaw, Linda Kash, Don Lake, Larry Miller, Jim Piddock, Jay Brazeau, Lewis Arquette, Dany Canino, Will Sasso, Stephen E. Miller, Colin Cunningham, Jehshua Barnes, Scott Williamson Runtime 90 minutes Director Christopher Guest Writers Eugene Levy Producers Gordon Mark 1 Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live) Billie Eilish’s epic world tour, James Cameron style If you’re fortunate enough to have a large TV or projector screen and a solid sound system, this immersive and gorgeously shot concert film is likely to turn your living room into an SRO arena—as it did in movie theaters when it was released. Much of that massive atmosphere is thanks to James Cameron. For Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live), the Titanic and Avatar director co-directed this concert film with Billie Eilish herself, using his cutting-edge 3D camera tech to capture her record-breaking Hit Me Hard and Soft world tour. Filmed across sold-out arena shows in Manchester, England, and Phoenix, Arizona, the 114-minute film drops you on stage, in the crowd, under the scaffolding, and behind the scenes as Eilish tears through career-spanning highlights, including Bad Guy, Happier Than Ever, Birds of a Feather, and her Barbie ballad What Was I Made For? My 15-year-old is maybe the world’s biggest Billie fan, and I have seen this stunning doc/concert film twice in theaters as her and her friends moshed in the front row. Let’s just say I’ll be moving the furniture and hiding the breakables when we stream it this week. Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D) Cast James Cameron, Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, Maggie Baird Runtime 114 minutes Director James Cameron, Billie Eilish Producers Billie Eilish, James Cameron Main Genre Documentary August movies are off to a good start It’s the start of a new month, and that means fresh new movies to tuck in with. Hopefully one of these will pique your interest. If not, no worries, check out our other weekly streaming roundups for loads more suggestions. Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams 3 Live TV Select live sports (NFL on CBS & UEFA Champions League) Price Starting at $8/month or $60/year