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

Picture Credit: Paramount Pictures

Welcome to your Netflix end-of-week recap! We are now firmly into May 2026, and Netflix is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down its content pipeline. As we head into the weekend of May 9th, it’s time to look back at everything that touched down on the streaming service over the past seven days and analyze what’s currently dominating the Netflix Top 10 charts.

In total, 25 new releases hit Netflix this week (15 movies and 10 series), which is down massively from the near 100 new arrivals for the first of the month last week, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing new to watch. Whether you are looking for international thrillers, highly anticipated literary adaptations, or true crime, there is a little bit of everything.

Plus, there is some fantastic news for those on the “Standard with Ads” plan: due to a shift 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 the full list of new arrivals and a deep dive into the top-performing titles, but before that, don’t forget that Netflix goes live tomorrow night for The Roast of Kevin Hart with Shane Gillis hosting. Here’s when it goes live:

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

Best New Movies and Shows to Watch This Weekend

Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026)

Director: Olivia Newman
Writer: Olivia Newman, John Whittington, Shelby Van Pelt
Country of Origin: United States
Cast: Dan Payne, Lewis Pullman, Sally Field

If you’re looking for a heartwarming, quirky, and deeply emotional new original movie, this is our top recommendation of the week. Based on the beloved, bestselling 2022 novel by Shelby Van Pelt, this touching film follows 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 connection with Marcellus, a remarkably intelligent and delightfully curmudgeonly giant Pacific octopus. Through shifting perspectives—including the witty inner monologue of the octopus himself—Marcellus helps Tova 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 a voiceover of an octopus, but if it hits you just right, Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, & whoever you transposed into their emotionally resonant characters just might surprise you.”

The Lost City (2022)

Director: Aaron Nee, Adam Nee
Writer: Oren Uziel, Dana Fox, Adam Nee
Country of Origin: United States
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe

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

Bullock stars as Loretta Sage, a reclusive and grieving romance novelist who gets kidnapped by an eccentric, overly ambitious billionaire (Radcliffe) who genuinely believes the fictional lost city featured in her newest book is a real place. It’s up to her handsome, well-meaning, but utterly clueless cover model, Alan (Tatum)—who desperately wants to prove he’s as much of a hero as the character he portrays—to venture into the jungle and save her. Throw in a spectacularly hilarious scene-stealing cameo from Brad Pitt, and you have a perfect throwback to 90s adventure-romps like Romancing the Stone.

Lord of the Flies (Limited Series)

Cast: 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 pulls zero punches. Stranded on a beautiful but unforgiving deserted island after a catastrophic crash, a group of schoolboys must survive without adult supervision. While they initially try to establish a civilized democratic order, things quickly and violently descend into chaos, paranoia, and tribal warfare.

This adaptation offers a dark, gripping, 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, Making of Lord of the Flies, also dropped alongside the series this week!

Full List of New Releases on Netflix This Week

15 New Movies Added This Week

Note for the Spider-Man films, these are the first time subscribers on the ad-tier can watch!

And So It Goes (2014) – PG-13 – English
Bharathanatyam 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
Ismael’s Ghosts (2017) – R – French
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. Seuss’s 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 – Turkish
The Chestnut Man (Seasons 2 – Hide and Seek) Netflix Original – TV-MA – Danish
The Rhythm of Revenge (Season 1) – TV-14 – Thai
Worst Ex Ever (Season 2) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English

Most Popular Movies on Netflix US This Week

Taking a look at the movie charts, high-octane action and sci-fi completely dominated subscriber watch time. The sweet animated movie Swapped managed to secure a solid lead with 79 points, fending off the Charlize Theron action flick Apex, which held strong at 71 points.

Beyond the top two, we are seeing a massive resurgence in licensed comfort food and older catalog hits. The Oscar-winning Green Book and the beloved Sandra Bullock/Ryan Reynolds rom-com The Proposal claimed the #3 and #4 spots, proving that subscribers are always hungry for a cozy rewatch. We’re also seeing an immediate splash from this week’s new arrival, Striking Distance, the classic 1993 Bruce Willis thriller, which tied for #6. With Remarkably Bright Creatures only just arriving, expect to see it climb much higher than its current #13 spot by this time next week.

Swapped (79 points)
Apex (71 points)
Green Book (45 points)
The Proposal (44 points)
The Boss (34 points)
Home (30 points)
Striking Distance (30 points)
Zombieland: Double Tap (28 points)
Pretty Woman (18 points)
Jennifer’s Body (15 points)
You, Always (15 points)
My Dearest Assassin (10 points)
Remarkably Bright Creatures (9 points)
Mother’s Day (5 points)
Miraculous World: Paris, Tales of Shadybug and Claw Noir (4 points)
Roommates (2 points)
Domestic Disturbance (1 points)

Most Popular Series on Netflix US This Week

Man On Fire Cinematographer 5

Over on the television side, the gritty series adaptation of Man on Fire is proving to be a massive hit, clinching the top spot with 71 points. However, it had incredibly stiff competition from the true-crime genre, as the jaw-dropping new docuseries Should I Marry A Murderer? was nipping at its heels all week with 68 points.

Further down the list, NBC’s sinkhole sci-fi drama La Brea is experiencing a massive “Netflix Bump” as a licensed pickup, rounding out the top three. We also see Lord of the Flies making a very strong debut at #5 despite only being on the service for a few days. Notably, Kevin Hart’s Funny AF stand-up features are occupying multiple slots at the lower end of the board because points are split across various episodes/specials, but cumulatively, the comedian is pulling in huge viewership numbers.