5 new movies to watch this week across Netflix, Prime Video, and more (August 31-September 6)

Published Aug 31, 2026, 11:30 AM EDT After graduating from Marist University with a degree in communications and journalism, Dan Girolamo has over 10 years of experience writing about entertainment and sports. Dan's work can be seen in various publications, including Digital Trends, SportsCasting, and Tom's Guide. Throughout his career, Dan has interviewed several high-profile filmmakers and creatives, including Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis, Caitriona Balfe, Frank Grillo, Miranda Cosgrove, Jai Courtney, Chris Columbus and James Cameron. Dan joins How-To Geek as a Senior Editor. When he's not writing about entertainment, Dan is either watching a movie or praying for the New York Knicks to win a championship. With September starting this week, many of the major streaming services will be adding new movies. Paramount+ welcomes the latest installment of a long-running comedy franchise that hit theaters in June. At Prime Video, Gal Gadot headlines an original thriller set in London. Disney+ welcomes a Star Wars movie to its platform, while Netflix adds a terrific 2024 horror movie to its library. As for our top selection of the week, Ryan Reynolds stars in an exciting action comedy on Apple TV. All five of our selections can be streamed in the U.S. 5 Scary Movie The Wayans brothers' parody franchise continues Scary Movie is a silly franchise. That's not a bad thing whatsoever. Just don't expect Scary Movie to win any major awards or garner critical acclaim. These movies love to ruffle feathers and poke fun at pop culture while parodying horror movies. They are hit or miss, but if you enjoy them, you'll be quite satisfied with the latest offering. After departing the franchise 25 years ago, the Wayans brothers returned this year for Scary Movie, which is unofficially known as Scary Movie 6. Keenen Ivory Wayans, Craig Wayans, Marlon Wayans, and Shawn Wayans co-wrote and produced the script. Marlon and Shawn also acted alongside franchise staples Anna Faris and Regina Hall. The masked killer from the original film returns, but frankly, the plot doesn't matter. This movie is about gags and jokes, so be prepared to see parodies of recent hits like Scream, Longlegs, and Halloween. Scary Movie streams on Paramount+ on September 3. Scary Movie Release Date June 5, 2026 4 The Runner Gal Gadot plays a mother in dire straits It's been over three years since Gal Gadot headlined an action movie. Gadot famously depicted Wonder Woman in the DCEU, so she feels right at home playing within this genre. The Runner is not a superhero movie, but it does feature an action premise where Gadot must show off her best skill: her physicality. Directed by Kevin Macdonald, The Runner stars Gadot as Maia, a London-based attorney and mother to a young son. After dropping her boy off at school, Maia goes for a run in the park, but she's interrupted by a mysterious phone call. On the other end of the line is an anonymous caller (Damian Lewis) who has kidnapped her son. To keep her son alive, Maia must complete tasks that involve her running through the streets of London. It's a race against time in this quick and effective thriller. The Runner streams on Prime Video on September 2. The Runner Release Date September 2, 2026 Runtime 84 Minutes Director Kevin Macdonald 3 Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu Mando and Baby Yoda are back in this new galactic adventure After the disappointing The Rise of Skywalker, Lucasfilm elected to focus on its television series instead of its theatrical slate. One of Lucasfilm's biggest winners during this era is The Mandalorian, the Disney+ show about a bounty hunter named Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his efforts to protect Grogu, a green Yoda-like creature. After three seasons, Lucasfilm relaunched its theatrical business with a Mando-centric movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu. Set during the era of the New Republic, Colonet Ward (Sigourney Weaver) hires Mando to find the crime lord Coin. To complete that task, Mando must first rescue Jabba the Hutt's son Rotta (Jeremy Allen White). For fans of The Mandalorian, this movie is essentially three to four episodes of the show. While the movie underperformed at the box office, I have a strong feeling it's going to have a huge shelf life on Disney+. Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu streams on Disney+ on September 2. 2 Smile 2 Horror marks the return of the sinister smirk Horror is currently booming right now thanks to the success of Backrooms and Obsession. The genre has been on a tear for nearly five years now. I look at the Smile franchise as inspiration for the YouTube filmmakers. The first Smile had an original premise and innovative marketing campaign that fans loved, leading to a $217 million worldwide gross on a $17 million budget. Smile 2 might not have grossed as much as its predecessor, but it raised the bar for what the franchise can do in the future. Popstar Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is set to embark on a comeback tour when strange occurrences happen around her, particularly the Smile curse, which drives its victims to commit suicide. Skye's mental health spirals out of control, forcing her to take drastic action. The Academy rarely rewards horror performances, but Scott turns in an Oscar-worthy performance as a frantic woman losing her mind. Smile 2 streams on Netflix on September 3. Smile 2 Release Date October 16, 2024 1 Mayday Ryan Reynolds headlines Apple's new action comedy It's been a while since we've seen Ryan Reynolds do his shtick on the big screen. You know, the one where he plays a witty character fluent in sarcasm but also happens to be an action hero. Deadpool is probably the role that comes to mind when you think of Reynolds' shtick. In Mayday, Reynolds gets to do his familiar song and dance but without a mask. In the 1980s, toward the end of the Cold War, Troy “Assassin” Kelly (Reynolds) is a U.S. military pilot sent to fly a secret mission into Soviet territory. After Troy is forced to eject from his plane behind enemy lines, he finds shelter with Nikolai Ustinov (Branagh), an ex-KGB agent who secretly loves America. The two form an unlikely alliance as Nikolai agrees to help Troy escape Soviet Russia. It's the kind of streaming movie that should be a crowd-pleaser during Labor Day weekend. Mayday streams on Apple TV on September 4. Mayday Release Date October 1, 2021 More movies to watch this week We have more movies on tap if you're interested. If you want more thrillers, head to Netflix to watch Nightcrawler and The Whisper Man. If you want something quick, go to Paramount+ and watch movies under 90 minutes, like Paranormal Activity and Cloverfield.