New Releases on Netflix This Week and Top 10 Movies & Series: May 9, 2026

Welcome to your Netflix weekend recap! We’re now firmly into May 2026, and Netflix shows no signs of slowing down its content pipeline. As we enter the weekend of May 9, it’s time to take a look at everything that’s happened on the streaming service over the past seven days and analyze what’s currently dominating Netflix’s top 10 charts.

Overall, there were 25 new releases (15 movies and 10 series) on Netflix this week, which is a significant drop from the nearly 100 new releases in the month before last week, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing new to watch. Whether you’re looking for international thrillers, highly anticipated literary adaptations, or true crime, there’s a little bit of everything here.

Also, there’s some fantastic news for those on the “Standard with Ads” plan: due to a change in licensing agreements, the beloved Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy is finally unlocked and available for ad-tier subscribers to enjoy!

Here are our top three picks to watch this weekend, followed by a full list of new arrivals and an in-depth look at the top-performing titles, but before that, don’t forget that Netflix goes live tomorrow night. Roast of Kevin Hart With Shane Gillis hosting. Here’s when it will go live:

• 8:00 PM ET (Eastern):
• 7:00 PM CT (Central)
• 6:00 PM MT (Mountain)
• 5:00 PM PT (Pacific)

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The best new movies and shows to watch this weekend

remarkably bright creatures (2026)

director:Olivia Newman
Author:Olivia Newman, John Whittington, Shelby Van Pelt
country of origin:United States
mold:Dan Payne, Lewis Pullman, Sally Field

If you’re looking for a heartwarming, quirky, and deeply emotional new original film, this is our top recommendation this week. Based on Shelby Van Pelt’s beloved, best-selling 2022 novel, this touching film tells the story of Tova Sullivan, a widow who deals with her grief by keeping busy, eventually taking a night shift cleaning at a local aquarium.

There, she forms an unlikely and magical relationship with Marcellus, a remarkably intelligent and delightfully curmudgeonly giant Pacific octopus. Through alternating viewpoints – including a witty internal monologue from the octopus himself – Marcellus helps Towa uncover the long-buried truth about her son’s mysterious disappearance at sea years ago.

In our review, where we gave it a 3.5-star rating, we concluded:

“Sure, it’s a TV movie with an octopus voiceover, but if it rubs off on you the right way, Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, and whoever else you cast in their emotionally resonant characters might surprise you.”

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the Lost City (2022)

director: Aaron Nee, Adam Nee
Author: Oren Uziel, Dana Fox, Adam Nye
country of origin:United States
mold:Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe

Sometimes you just need a fun, cute popcorn movie for your Saturday night, and this action-adventure comedy starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, and Daniel Radcliffe is back today (unexpectedly, it must be said) for the second time in Netflix US history.

Bullock plays Loretta Sage, a reclusive and grief-stricken romance novelist who is kidnapped by an eccentric, overly ambitious billionaire (Radcliffe) who genuinely believes that the fictional lost city featured in her latest book is a real place. It’s up to her handsome, well-intentioned, but completely clueless cover model, Allen (Tatum) – who wants to prove he’s just as much of a hero as the character he portrays – to go into the woods and save her. Throw in a hilariously scene-stealing cameo from Brad Pitt, and you’ve got a perfect throwback to a ’90s adventure-romance like romancing the stone.

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Lord of the Flies (narrow range)

mold: Winston Sawyers, Lox Pratt, David McKenna

Netflix’s ambitious new limited series adaptation of William Golding’s classic allegorical novel has finally arrived, and it makes zero impact. A group of schoolchildren stranded on a beautiful but deserted island after a catastrophic accident must survive without adult supervision. Although they initially try to establish a civilized democratic system, things quickly and violently descend into chaos, paranoia, and tribal warfare.

This adaptation offers a dark, entertaining and visually stunning modern take on the iconic story of Ralph, Jack and Piggy. If the psychological tension leaves you wanting more behind-the-scenes context, a companion documentary, creation of lord of the fliesAlso dropped with the series this week!

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Complete list of new releases on Netflix this week

15 new movies added this week

Note for the Spider-Man movies, this is the first time subscribers can watch at the ad level!

• And So It Happens (2014) – PG-13 – English
• Bharatnatyam 2 Mohiniyattam (2026) – TV-14 – Malayalam
• Comic 8 Revolution: Santet K4bin3t (2025) – TV-PG – Indonesian
• Countdown: Rousey vs. Carano (2026) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English
• Ismail’s Ghosts (2017) – R – French
• The Making of Lord of the Flies (2026) Netflix Original – TV-14 – English
• My Dearest Assassin (2026) Netflix Original – TV-MA – Thai
• Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026) Netflix Original – PG-13 – English
• Safe Haven (2013) – PG-13 – English
• Spider-Man (2002) – PG-13 – English
• Spider-Man 2 (2004) – PG-13 – English
• Spider-Man 3 (2007) – PG-13 – English
• Striking Distance (1993) – R – English
• The Lost City (2022) – PG-13 – English
• The Silent Twins (2022) – R – English

10 new TV series added this week

• Dr. Cece Horton! (Season 2) Netflix Original – TV-G – English
• Jujutsu Kaisen (Season 2) – TV-MA – Japanese
• Legends (Season 1) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English
• Lord of the Flies (Limited Series) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English
• Love Is Blind: Poland (Season 1) Netflix Original – TV-MA – Polish
• My Royal Nemesis (Limited Series) Netflix Original – TV-14 – Korean
• Thank You, Next (Seasons 1-3) Netflix Original – TV-MA – Türkiye
• The Chestnut Man (Season 2 – Hide and Seek) Netflix Original – TV-MA – Danish
• Rhythm of Revenge (Season 1) – TV-14 – Thai
• Worst Ex Ever (Season 2) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English

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Most Popular Movies on Netflix US This Week

Looking at the movie charts, high-octane action and sci-fi completely dominate subscriber watch time. sweet animated movie cloudy Charlize Theron managed to take a solid lead with 79 points, saving the action flick topWhich remained strong at 71 points.

Beyond the top two, we’re seeing a massive resurgence in licensed comfort food and old catalog hits. The Oscar-winning Green Book and the beloved Sandra Bullock/Ryan Reynolds rom-com Proposal Claimed the #3 and #4 spots, proving that customers are always hungry for a cozy rewatch. We are also seeing immediate effects from this week’s new arrivals, striking distanceThe classic 1993 Bruce Willis thriller, which ranked #6. with remarkably bright creatures Just coming in, hopefully by this time next week it will climb much higher than its current #13 spot.

1. Swap (79 points)
2. Top (71 points)
3. Green Book (45 points)
4. Proposal (44 points)
5. Boss (34 points)
6. Home (30 marks)
7. Striking Distance (30 points)
8. Zombieland: Double Tap (28 points)
9. Pretty Woman (18 points)
10. Jennifer’s Body (15 points)
11. You, always (15 points)
12. My Favorite Killer (10 points)
13. Remarkably Bright Beings (9 points)
14. Mother’s Day (5 points)
15. Miraculous World: Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir (4 points)
16. Roommates (2 points)
17. Domestic disturbance (1 point)

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Most Popular Series on Netflix US This Week

Speaking of television, the serious series adaptation of Man on Fire is proving to be a big hit, taking the top spot with 71 points. However, it faces incredibly stiff competition from the true-crime genre, such as the shocking new documentary Should I Marry a Murderer? Stayed at its high all week with 68 points.

Further down the list, there’s NBC’s Sinkhole science-fiction drama la brea is experiencing a huge “Netflix bump” as a licensed pickup, falling out of the top three. we also see Lord of the Flies Made a very strong debut at #5 despite only being in service for a few days. In particular, Kevin Hart’s Funny AF stand-up feature is occupying several slots at the lower end of the board as the points are split into different episodes/specials, but cumulatively, the comedian is attracting a larger number of viewers.

1. Man on Fire (71 points)
2. Should I marry a murderer? (68 points)
3. La Brea (51 points)
4. Running Point (41 points)
5. Lord of the Flies (36 points)
6. Worst Ex Ever (29 points)
7. Homicide Squad: New Orleans (25 points)
8. Funny AF with Kevin Hart (25 points)
9. Raw (22 points)
10. Unselected (19 points)
11. Hulk Hogan: Real American (18 points)
12. Funny AF with Kevin Hart (9 points)
13. Funny AF with Kevin Hart (6 points)
14. Legends (5 points)
15. BEEF (4 points)
16. My Royal Nemesis (3 points)
17. Countdown: Rousey vs. Carano (3 points)
18. Salish and Jordan Matter (3 points)
19. Million Dollar Secret (2 points)

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That’s all for this week – we’ll be back tomorrow for more info