A list of the 10 best new movies to stream in May 2024, from anticipated Netflix and Prime Originals to top Max, Disney+, Hulu releases and more upcoming films to watch this month!
May 2024 is here and with it come many new original movies to stream on our favorite streaming platforms! We made a list of the best new originals to watch on Netflix, Prime Video, Max, Hulu, Disney Plus, and more streamers! Let’s take a look at the new and upcoming releases, from anticipated watches to lesser known films! We’ve listed them below in alphabetical order, and scroll till the end for more titles! Happy watching!
1. THE CONTESTANT
Director: Clair Titley
Release Date: May 2, 2024
Where to Stream it: Hulu
Think The Truman Show meets Oldboy, but with no deadly consequences. Hulu’s The Contestant tells the true story of a Japanese man who was left naked in a room for more than a year as an unwitting participant in a Japanese reality TV show. Said man is Tomoaki Hamatsu, and aspiring comedian who, in 1998, attended an audition. Little did he know that the producer would lock him in a room, naked, with plenty of magazines that he would need to use to sustain himself, by finding contest coupons that would earn him food and clothes.
Tomoaki Hamatsu was no prisoner: he could leave at any time, but he stayed so he could try and reach the prize goal: a million yen. What he didn’t know, however, was that he would all be televised. At an era where reality TV shows were yet to be all the rage, Tomoaki Hamatsu – or Nasubi, as Japanese people nicknamed him – became a case study to make a commentary on fame, and on our current culture. The film is currently 88% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and we are intrigued.
2. THE IDEA OF YOU
Director: Michael Showalter
Starring: Anne Hathaway, Nicholas Galitzine, Ella Rubin, Reid Scott, Annie Mumolo
Release Date: May 2, 2024
Where to Stream it: Prime Video
After a festival run, The Idea of You is available to stream on Prime Video this month! If you’re in the mood for something lighthearted and would like to get lost in a fantasy, you’ll probably enjoy it! The film is about a 40-year-old single mom named Solène (Anne Hathaway), who one day unexpectedly begins a romance with Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of the most popular boy band in the world. It all happens at Coachella, where Solène is accompanying her daughter: things take an unexpected turn when our protagonist and Hayes meet and sparks fly. The Idea of You is very light on plot, but it’s the right watch for you if you’re a fan of the book from which it was inspired and would like to daydream! Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine are definitely the highlight of the movie.
3. TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN
Director: Hannah Marks
Starring: Isabela Merced, Hannah Marks, J. Smith-Cameron
Release Date: May 2, 2024
Where to Stream it: Max
Here’s another adaptation of a young adult novel – this time, from John Green! Turtles All the Way Down is about a 16-year-old girl named Aza (Madame Web‘s Isabela Merced) who’s trying her best in a world where she’s surrounded by unwanted, intrusive thoughts. Aza suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, and this affects all her relationships, as well as her school performance. To complicate things, one day her childhood crush Davis (Felix Mallard) appears in her life again. Could Aza find love despite her struggles? Turtles All the Way Down isn’t perfect, but you’ll still find plenty to enjoy, and we always appreciate a movie about mental health.
4. PROM DATES
Director: Kim O. Nguyen
Starring: Patty Guggenheim, John Michael Higgins, Chelsea Handler
Release Date: May 3, 2024
Where to Stream it: Hulu
Best friends Jess and Hannah made a pact when they were 13 years old: years later, they would have the perfect senior prom. And to give them credit, for over four years they really try their best to stick to it. But 24 hours before the event, it all falls apart, as they both find themselves with no dates. Prom Dates‘ premise is pretty straightforward and the narrative isn’t revolutionary, but if you’re looking for a funny, lighthearted teen romcom, you should find something to like here!
5. UNFROSTED
Director: Jerry Seinfeld
Release Date: May 3, 2024
Where to Stream it: Netflix
Who would have thought that the Pop Tart would get its own origin story? Unfrosted is an interesting one, as it’s not an origin story per se, but rather a fictionalized tale that takes inspiration from the product. It all takes place in Michigan, 1963, revolving around a feud between cereal rivals Kellogg’s and Post, who are trying to outbest each other at making the perfect breakfast pastry. Depending on whether or not you’re able to go along with its premise, you’ll either enjoy Unfrosted or be puzzled by it. But what most seem to agree on is that director-star Jerry Seinfeld, co-stars Melissa McCarthy and Jim Gaffigan, and the rest of the cast are very good in it! Look out for a Hugh Grant cameo as Frosties’ Tony the Tiger!
6. HOLLYWOOD CON QUEEN
Creators: Chris Smith & Ben Anderson
Release Date: May 8, 2024
Where to Stream it: Apple TV+
Hollywood Con Queen is actually a miniseries, but there are only three episodes in it, so we decided to add it to the list! This documentary series is one of Apple TV+’s most promising originals this month, as its premise is very fascinating. It revolves around the titular Con Queen, a mysterious figure in Hollywood who impersonates the most powerful women in the industry only to lure them to Indonesia with a pretext and rob them of their money in the process. The scheme catches the attention of two people: an investigative journalist, and a private investigator. We follow them as they soon uncover one of Hollywood’s biggest scams.
7. THE IRON CLAW
Director: Sean Durkin
Release Date: May 10, 2024
Where to Watch it: Max
The Iron Claw isn’t a Max original, but it’s part of a deal that A24 has with HBO & Max for their current and future releases, so it’s only natural that it would eventually land on the streamer. It tells the story of the Von Erich brothers, a family of wrestlers in the 1980s, from their rise to fame to their eventual demise. At the center of it all are brothers Kevin (Zac Efron, of Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White, of The Bear), David (Harris Dickinson), and Mike (Stanley Simons), whose father pushes them to their limits until the entire family is forever changed. The Iron Claw is about family and legacy; it looks at the way we see masculinity in sports, and the kind of obsession that lasts a lifetime. Zac Efron is the standout in a film that will surprise you multiple times.
8. THELMA THE UNICORN
Directors: Lynn Wang & Jared Hess
Release Date: May 17, 2024
Where to Stream it: Netflix
May 2024 is the month of unicorns (if you don’t know what we’re talking about, go watch The Fall Guy and add IF to your watchlist!), and Netflix’s Thelma the Unicorn is further proof of it! The film’s protagonist is a small-time pony with big dreams: Thelma wants to become a popstar. One day, she is magically transformed into a unicorn and immediately gets all the fame she wished for, but… It’s not what she hoped it would be. Directors Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite) and Lynn Wang (Unikitty!) team up to bring us this promising animated movie!
9. ATLAS
Director: Brad Peyton
Release Date: May 24, 2024
Where to Stream it: Netflix
Jennifer Lopez plays the titular data analyst, Atlas Shepherd. Atlas is brilliant at her job, but she’s not exactly a team player, and she doesn’t trust artificial intelligence. One day, she joins a mission to capture a renegade robot, and we find out that Atlas knows this robot better than she would let on. Needless to say, as we try to figure out Atlas’ secrets, everything goes wrong, and she soon has to make a choice. Perhaps the only way in which she can save the universe is to do the last thing she would think of doing: trust AI. AI is such a timely theme that Atlas is sure to make people talk: we can’t wait to find out more.
10. MY ONI GIRL
Director: Tomotaka Shibayama
Release Date: May 24, 2024
Where to Stream it: Netflix
The last movie on our list is an anime! My Oni Girl revolves around a first-year high school student named Hiiragi, who lives in the Yamagata prefecture in Japan. Hiiragi has a problem: he can’s seem to be able to say no when people ask him for things. His world is turned upside down when he meets his exact opposite: an oni girl – a horned creature from Japanese folklore – who does whatever she wants to do at any given time. This highly anticipated film comes from director Tomotaka Shibayama, who used to work for Studio Ghibli. Needless to say, we are intrigued.
MORE ORIGINAL MOVIES TO STREAM IN MAY 2024:
- Beautiful Rebel: May 2, Netflix
- Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die: May 11, Max
- Mother of The Bride: May 9, Netflix
- The Blue Angels: May 23, Prime Video
- Illusions for Sale: The Rise and Fall of Generation Zoe: May 23, Netflix
- A Part of You: May 31 Netflix
