The Top 10 Movies of the Year So Far

We’ve officially crossed the halfway point of 2026, and people have spent the six months of the year streaming some amazing movies. The ten films below—the most-streamed flicks in the first half of the year, according to data from JustWatch—are a goldmine of cinematic variety, running the gamut from epic popcorn sci-fi adventures to unhinged survival thrillers.

1. Project Hail Mary (2026)

In this crowd-pleasing sci-fi movie, Ryan Gosling stars as Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher who is blasted into the firmament in a last-ditch effort to save the world. The film follows Grace’s journey as he learns to navigate the vastness of space and confront his own limitations. With its engaging storyline and impressive visual effects, Project Hail Mary is a must-watch for fans of the sci-fi genre.

2. The Housemaid (2025)

Director Paul Feig’s The Housemaid is a psychological thriller equally influenced by steamy suburban potboilers like Gone Girl and suspense classics like Vertigo. The film follows Millie, a young woman with a secret past, as she lands a job as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy couple. As Millie becomes embroiled in the couple’s dark secrets, she must confront her own demons and decide where her loyalty truly lies.

3. Send Help (2026)

Horror-master Sam Raimi is the perfect director for this violent, unhinged, darkly funny thriller. Send Help stars Rachel McAdams as Linda, a dorky cubicle drone in an office full of well-dressed sharks. When Linda and her boss, Bradley, are stranded on a deserted island after a plane crash, they must confront their own flaws and limitations in order to survive.

4. Marty Supreme (2025)

Loosely based on the real life of ping-pong player Marty Reisman, Marty Supreme is a fast-paced sports drama set in the world of professional table tennis in the 1950s. The film follows Marty Mauser, a brash ping-pong prodigy played by Oscar-nominee Timothée Chalamet, as he navigates the cutthroat world of professional sports.

5. One Battle After Another (2025)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s nuanced, intelligent thriller about resistance and racial tension in a fascistic, anti-immigration vision of the United States seems ripped from the headlines, but it’s not a documentary. Featuring fantastic performances from heavyweights like Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Regina Hall, One Battle After Another is that rare movie that’s equal parts thoughtful and exciting.

6. Bugonia (2025)

I love it when a weirdo movie finds a big audience, and Bugonia is one of those movies. Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis play a couple of societal dregs who kidnap a high-powered pharmaceutical executive (Emma Stone) because they think she’s an alien. Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who helmed 2023’s excellent Poor Things, the Best Picture Oscar nominee is a must-watch, even if you’re only a little weird.

7. Hamnet (2025)

Good job having elevated taste, America: Hamnet is a lyrical, high-minded historical drama that reimagines the family life of William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes Hathaway. Set in Stratford-upon-Avon in the 16th century, Hamnet explores the couple’s grief following the death of their 11-year-old son, Hamnet, and its influence on Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

8. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (2026)

Legendary director Gore Verbinski is back with a satirical, gleefully maximalist science fiction comedy that takes on AI, social media addiction, VR, and the modern world itself. Sam Rockwell plays a man from the future who shows up in an L.A. diner demanding that customers help him save the future from an artificial intelligence that is about to be born.

9. Avatar: Fire and Ash (2025)

James Cameron’s third foray into the world of Pandora proves that you should never bet against epic spectacle. Avatar: Fire and Ash continues the saga of Jake Sully and Neytiri as they battle both the hostile Ash People and the even more hostile Earth colonists. Packed with jaw-dropping visual effects that earned a 2026 Academy Award, this sci-fi adventure grossed nearly $1.5 billion worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of the year.

10. The Secret Agent (2025)

This Brazilian neo-noir political thriller is set in the late 1970s, at the end of Brazil’s military dictatorship. Wagner Moura stars as Armando Solimões, a former professor who has been classified as an enemy of the state and forced into hiding. Although it didn’t win any Academy Awards, The Secret Agent was nominated for four, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Moura), Best International Film, and Best Casting.

According to data from JustWatch, these ten films have been the most-streamed flicks in the first half of the year, offering a diverse range of cinematic experiences that cater to different tastes and preferences. Whether you’re in the mood for a thought-provoking drama, a thrilling sci-fi adventure, or a satirical comedy, there’s something for everyone in this list of the top 10 movies of the year so far.