Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
This week's article inclusion is Scoop, Netflix's dramatized take on the events leading up to – and those taking place – the infamous 2019 interview between Prince Andrew and BBC reporter Emily Maitlis. We've also updated our 'coming soon' section with the latest information we have on forthcoming Netflix movie releases.
Welcome to TechRadar's new Netflix movies guide. Below, you'll find a list of the latest new movies to join the streaming giant's back catalog – many of whom are, given the sheer number of flicks it pumps out, Netflix Originals.
Not every film in this Netflix-focused article is good, mind you. There are some duds among the small collection of movies you'll find further down this page, but we've included vital information, such as each one's Rotten Tomatoes (RT) score, to give you an idea of whether they're worth watching. If you're only looking for the very best films to stream on Netflix, our best Netflix movies list should be your next port of call.
But we digress. Here are all of the new films to land on the world's best streaming service since March 1.
New Netflix movies: April
Scoop
Release date: April 5
Runtime: 102 minutes
Age rating: R (US) / 15 (UK)
Cast: Billy Piper, Gillian Anderson, Rufus Sewell, Keeley Hawes, and Romola Garai
Director: Philip Martin
RT score: 83% (critics); TBC (audience)
The British royal family has a tendency to capture the headlines (and audience imagination), regardless of whether said press is positive or not. Just look at Netflix's The Crown as proof of how eager we all are to know every minute detail about them.
This dramatized take on Prince Andrew's infamous 2019 BBC interview, then, is sure to pique the interest of royalists and monarchy bashers alike. Based on Sam McAlister's Scoops memoir, it follows the aforementioned publicist (played by Piper) as she secures an audience with Prince Andrew (portrayed by Sewell) for BBC reporter Emily Maitlis (played by Anderson) – an explosive, awkward, and tension-fueled interview that would go down in history.
With top-tier performances from the likes of Piper, Anderson, and Sewell, and Martin's smart direction that captures the car-crash interview in all its stunning glory, Scoop must be seen to be believed.
New Netflix movies: March
The Beautiful Game
Release date: March 29
Runtime: 124 minutes
Age rating: PG-13 (US) / 12 (UK)
Cast: Bill Nighy, Micheal Ward, Susan Wokoma, Kit Young, and Sheyi Cole
Director: Thea Sharrock
RT score: 88% (critics); 70% (audience)
Taking inspiration from the real-life sporting event known as the Homeless World Cup, The Beautiful Game stars Bill Nighy (Love Actually, Living) as Mal, the manager of England's soccer team who attempts to lead them to glory. Micheal Ward (Top Boy, Empire of Light) is the squad's star man, but his off-the-field struggles mean his head's not in the game as the tournament prepares to kick off in Rome.
A heart-warming movie about second chances, The Beautiful Game is, well, a beautiful examination of how sport can bring people together and help them rebuild their lives. Sure, it's a tad predictable at times, but it's a largely satisfying watch that'll warm your heart in the same way that hit Apple TV Plus soccer series Ted Lasso did.
Watch The Beautiful Game on Netflix.
Shirley
Release date: March 22
Runtime: 118 minutes
Age rating: PG-13 (US) / 12 (UK)
Cast: Regina King, Lance Reddick, Lucas Hedges, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Christina Jackson, and Terrence Howard
Director: John Ridley
RT score: 72% (critics); 70% (general viewers)
The latest biopic to make its Netflix bow, Shirley sees King play Shirley Chisholm, the US' first Black Congresswoman. Netflix's drama-filled take on Chisholm's life charts the period that saw her make a daring 1972 run for the US presidency – and the inevitable challenges (and threats) that Chisholm and her team faced on route to pulling off their potentially ground-breaking campaign.
Shirley does enough to shine a light on another history-defining Black politician, and King certainly delivers a typically commanding performance as the film's lead. As a straightforward biopic, though, it eschews a potentially bolder exploration of Chisholm as a person and the fraught nature of her nearly leaving an indelible mark on US history.
Irish Wish
Release date: March 15
Runtime: 93 minutes
Age rating: TV-G (US), 12 (UK)
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Ed Speelers, Ayesha Curry, and Alexander Vlahos
Director: Janeen Damian
RT score: 40% (critics); 43% (general viewers)
Irish Wish sees Lohan play Maddie, a bridesmaid who is in love with her best friend's soon-to-be-husband. Days before the duo are set to marry, however, Maddie makes a spontaneous wish for true love – and winds up replacing her friend as the bride-to-be. With her dream scenario coming true, though, Maddie soon realizes that the man she thinks she's in love with isn't her soulmate – indeed, a mysterious Irishman (Speelers' Thomas) proves to be instead. Uh oh.
Another schlocky take on the 'careful what you wish for' line of thinking, Irish Wish is nothing more than another derivative romantic comedy that Netflix loves to pump out. Steer clear of it.
Damsel
Release date: March 8
Runtime: 107 minutes
Age rating: PG-13 (US) / 12 (UK)
Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Robin Wright, and Angela Bassett
Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
RT score: 56% (critics); 61% (general audiences)
Before she marks her final bow as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5, and with her new Netflix movie no longer in distress as of December 2023, Millie Bobby Brown stars in her third Netflix original movie – Damsel – that might scratch your fantasy film itch.
Brown plays Princess Elodie, a dutiful damsel who agrees to marry a handsome prince from a similarly high-ranking family. Unbeknownst to Elodie, though, she's only been selected by her newfound in-laws to be the latest human sacrifice to repay an ancient debt to a terrifying dragon. Forced to rely on her wits to survive, Elodie faces a fiery showdown with said winged beast that stands between her, her quest for revenge, and her eventual freedom.
Critics and fans alike haven't been too kind to Damsel, and we weren't enthused with it, either. Watch one of Brown's better projects in Stranger Things or Enola Holmes instead, unless you're a huge fantasy genre fan.
Spaceman
Release date: March 1
Runtime: 108 minutes
Age rating: R (US) / 15 (UK)
Cast: Adam Sandler, Paul Dano, Carey Mulligan, Kunal Nayyar, and Isabella Rossellini
Director: Johan Renck
RT score: 50% (critics); 65% (general viewers)
Adam Sandler's Spaceman – a pensive sci-fi psychodrama – tells the tale of Jakub (Sandler), a Czech astronaut nearing the end of a six-month journey to a cloud of ancient space dust that might hold secrets about life's many mysteries. With his marriage to Lenka (Mulligan) falling apart back on Earth, Jakub is visited by Hanuš (Dano), a giant, extraterrestial spider stowaway who surprisingly offers to help Jakub repair his faltering relationship.
We weren't fans of Sandler's latest Netflix film. Indeed, we labeled it a "spiritless Netflix sci-fi movie that drifts aimlessly among the stars" – and, based on its RT scores, it seems many agree with us. One of 2024's new Netflix movies to give a wide berth to, we say.
New Netflix movies: what's coming in 2024?
New Netflix movies are due out every week between now and the end of 2024. Here are the biggest ones we know about so far:
- A Journey (April 12)
- Stolen (April 12)
- Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp (April 12)
- Rebel Moon – Part 2: The Scargiver (April 19)
- City Hunter (April 25)
- Beautiful Rebel (May 2)
- Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story (May 3)
- Mother of the Bride (May 9)
- Thelma the Unicorn (May 17)
- Atlas (May 24)
- My Oni Girl (May 24)
- A Part of You (May 31)
- Baki Hanma vs Kengan Ashura (June 6)
- Hit Man (June 7)
- Ultraman: Rising (June 14)
- Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (July 3)
- The Union (August 16)
- Carry-On (Q4 2024)
- Trigger Warning (Q2 2024)
- The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep (Q4 2024)
For more Netflix-based coverage, read our best Netflix shows and best Netflix documentaries guides. Alternatively, find out how to sign up to Netflix or get the lowdown on whether it's worth cancelling your Netflix subscription.
