With Labor Day in the rearview mirror, the summer movie season has ended. After a slow start in May, the box office ignited in June with Bad Boys: Ride or Die, Inside Out 2, and A Quiet Place: Day One. July continued the momentum with Despicable Me 4, Twisters, and Marvel’s lone release of 2024, Deadpool & Wolverine. Overall, it was a successful summer season at the box office.
At home, streamers also released their summer movies. Netflix, in particular, had a slew of hits that dominated its charts from May through August. A rom-com, shark thriller, and nostalgia sequel all played well with fans. What were the best movies on the streamer? Below, we rank the five best Netflix summer movies.
5. The Deliverance (2024)
Academy Award nominee Lee Daniels directs a horror film for the first time in his career with The Deliverance. Andra Day stars as Ebony Jackson, an alcoholic single mother of three who moves her family from Pittsburgh to Indiana for a fresh start. As soon as they move, Ebony senses something is off. Strange things are happening inside the home, putting Ebony on the radar of Child Protective Services.
However, there are supernatural entities at play, as the home opens a gateway to hell, leading to the demonic possession of the Jackson children. Ebony’s children will be missing forever if she loses the battle between good and evil. The Deliverance is more melodrama than horror, but there are enough demonic thrills to satisfy exorcism fans.
Stream The Deliverance on Netflix.
4. A Family Affair (2024)
What a year it’s been for A-list stars returning to their rom-com roots. Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron struck up a a different kind of romance in A Family Affair. Zara (Joey King) is the overworked and underappreciated assistant to Chris Cole (Efron), an egotistical Hollywood actor. Fed up with Chris’ antics, Zara quits. Later on, Chris heads to Zara’s house to offer her a new job. To his surprise, Chris meets Brooke (Nicole Kidman), Zara’s widowed mom. The two surprisingly connect and take their conversation to the bedroom, where Zara unexpectedly walks in on her mom and former boss having sex.
Despite promising to end things, Brooke and Chris secretly continue their relationship, which doesn’t bode well for Zara. There’s nothing complicated about A Family Affair; it’s a trio of likable stars in a predictably charming rom-com. Sometimes, though, that’s exactly what we need, and the movie delivers.
Stream A Family Affair on Netflix.
3. Under Paris (2024)
Netflix saw no need to reinvent the wheel with this one. Just drop a killer shark in the water with people, and the audience will watch. In Under Paris, marine scientist Sophia Assalas (Bérénice Bejo) and her team are searching for Lilith, a shortfin Mako shark, in the Pacific Ocean. The expedition goes haywire when Lilith snaps, killing the entire team except for Sophia. Several years later, Sophia works in a Paris aquarium.
One day, Lilith is approached by Mika (Léa Léviant), an ocean conservationist who believes Lilith resides in the Seine. To make matters worse, the World Triathlon Championships are a few days away, with the swimming portion of the competition scheduled for the Seine. Sophia has no choice but to leave the safe confines of the aquarium and reenter the field to stop Lilith before she turns the Seine into a river of blood. Under Paris is the best shark thriller since The Shallows, and proof that after all this time, it’s still not safe to go back in the water.
Stream Under Paris on Netflix.
2. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)
The track record for nostalgia sequels is not great. For every Top Gun: Maverick, there are three misse, like Blues Brothers 2000, Dumb and Dumber To, and Jaws: The Revenge. The pressure was on for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, the fourth installment in Eddie Murphy’s action comedy series. Axel Foley (Murphy) still works as a Detroit police detective. After a mission goes awry, Axel is encouraged to travel to Beverly Hills and reconnect with his estranged daughter, Jane Saunders (Taylour Paige), who works as a defense attorney.
Axel receives a call from Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), who says that Jane’s life is in danger after taking on a complicated case. With the help of a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and some old friends, Axel makes his triumphant return to Beverly Hills to cause some trouble and save the day. Thankfully, Murphy delivered an entertaining and enjoyable movie, avoiding the dangers many nostalgia sequels have faced.
Stream Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F on Netflix.
1. Hit Man (2024)
Welcome to the Powellaissance. While the nickname is subject to change, what isn’t up for debate is Glen Powell‘s limitless potential as a movie star. Powell is on a rocket ship to the top of Hollywood thanks to his Southern charm, innate likability, and magnetic screen presence. Powell showed the world his star power in Richard Linklater’s Hit Man.
Gary Johnson (Powell) lives a simple, mundane life as a college professor in New Orleans. In his spare time, Powell works in tech for the police department on undercover operations. When one of the officers is suspended, Gary takes over as the fake hit man. During one of the operations, Gary defies protocol and convinces Madison (Adria Arjona) to call off the hit on her abusive husband. He then secretly starts a passionate love affair with Madison. Powell, a co-writer and producer on Hit Man, exudes confidence and charisma in a role he was born to play.
Stream Hit Man on Netflix.
