It is a big week for streaming premieres. Disney+ not only has unveiled the second season of one of its biggest shows this week, but it is also on the verge of rolling out two new Taylor Swift collaborations. Elsewhere, Netflix has the second season of a popular, animated video game adaptation on deck, as well as the third — and potentially final — installment in Rian Johnson and Daniel Craig’s acclaimed “Knives Out” film series.
On top of all of that, Shudder and Mubi have a pair of smaller new films arriving on their respective platforms this week, both of which are worth seeking out for entirely different reasons. So, without any further ado, here are the best new movies and shows you can stream this weekend.
“Merv” (Prime Video)
Amazon’s Prime Video has a treat for rom-com fans this week, and its name is “Merv.” The new, straight-to-streaming original from director Jessica Swale follows a recently-separated couple (Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox) who end up reconnecting over the holidays when they take their depressed dog on a vacation to Florida. The film, which premiered Wednesday on Prime Video, promises to be a fairly formulaic, straightforward romantic comedy.
If the positive early reviews for “Merv” are any indication, though, it does not sound like the movie’s familiar nature hampers the charm of its story or its stars. Like a few other, recent streaming rom-coms, “Merv” has all it needs to be a perfectly pleasant weekend watch.
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians” Season 2 (Disney+)
Two years after it made its debut on Disney+ in late 2023, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” is finally back with new episodes. The fantasy adventure show’s second season adapts the second novel in author Rick Riordan’s beloved “Percy Jackson” book series, “The Sea of Monsters.” Catching back up with unlikely heroes Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri), the new season follows them as they are forced to venture into the dangerous Sea of Monsters in order to find the Golden Fleece, an artifact of Greek myth that contains magical healing abilities.
The new season promises to be just as open-hearted an adaptation of its source material as “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” Season 1 was, which makes it a must-watch for fans of both the show and Riordan’s work. The season’s first two episodes are streaming now on Disney+, while its remaining six installments are set to premiere one at a time every week through Jan. 21.
“Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft” Season 2 (Netflix)
It has been just a little over a year since Netflix unveiled the first season of its video game tie-in series, “Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft.” In an increasingly rare instance of year-to-year turnaround, though, the series’ entire second and final season premiered Thursday on Netflix. Picking up where the animated show’s ambitious first season left off, the new episodes of “The Legend of Lara Croft” follow its iconic heroine (voiced again by Hayley Atwell) as she embarks on a race across the globe to find and recover a collection of ancient African relics before they can be used for nefarious means.
The first season of “The Legend of Lara Croft” was an addictive thriller anchored by surprisingly strong character work, and Season 2 promises to be more of the same. If you enjoyed the series’ episodes last year, in other words, you should tune back in to see how “The Legend of Lara Croft” wraps itself up.
“Influencers” (Shudder)
In May 2023, director Kurtis David Harder’s “Influencer” premiered on Shudder seemingly out of nowhere and quickly emerged as one of that year’s best horror thrillers. Now, three years later, Harder has returned with a sequel, “Influencers,” which is slated to premiere Friday on Shudder. The new film catches back up with Cassandra Naud’s duplicitous, murderous CW, this time in the south of France.
“Influencers” follows CW as she and her girlfriend (Lisa Delamar) are forced out of their hotel room on their anniversary by a social media influencer (Georgina Campbell), who quickly befriends CW’s partner. The specifics of the film’s plot have been kept under wraps, and if “Influencers” turns out to be as surprising as its parent movie, then that is for the better. Either way, the film deserves to be on every horror fan’s watchlist this weekend.
“The Mastermind” (Mubi)
Every new film from “First Cow” and “Showing Up” writer-director Kelly Reichardt deserves to be seen. Fortunately, her latest effort, “The Mastermind,” makes its streaming premiere Friday on Mubi. A low-key 1970s heist thriller, the film follows a floundering family man (Josh O’Connor) who plans to steal some prized art from a local, suburban museum. A quiet riff on a traditionally flashy genre, “The Mastermind” received largely rave reviews following its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Despite it being, on paper, a more straightforward genre piece than Reichardt typically handles, “The Mastermind” looks to boast its maker’s usual, exacting touch, as well as her well-trained eye for human fallibility. It, notably, is not the only Josh O’Connor-led film on this week’s streaming list, but watching “The Mastermind” would be 110 minutes well spent this weekend.
“Taylor Swift: The End of an Era” (Disney+)
Disney+ has not just one but two gifts for Taylor Swift fans this week. The first, “Taylor Swift: The End of an Era,” is a six-episode docuseries that offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look at Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour. Featuring sit-down interviews with Swift herself, the documentary promises to provide an in-depth look at the making of its eponymous tour, including some of the rehearsals and setlist choices that went into each performance, as well as candid looks at the “Shake It Off” singer’s life over the course of the tour’s 21-month-long run.
The docuseries will also feature appearances from some of Swift’s closest friends and several of her Eras Tour openers, including Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran, Florence Welch and Gracie Abrams. The doc’s first two episodes premiere Friday, and its remaining four installments are set to debut two at a time over the coming two weeks.
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — The Final Show” (Disney+)
In addition to “The End of an Era,” Disney+ also has “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour — The Final Show” coming this week. A companion piece to 2023’s “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” the new concert film documents the final show of Swift’s monumental two-year tour. “The Final Show” is not just a complete reprise of “The Eras Tour,” though. Filmed months after the latter, “The Final Show” captures the modified setlist that Swift began performing following the April 2024 release of her album “The Tortured Poets Department.”
Featuring live performances of songs from that record, “The Final Show” promises to be, along with “The End of an Era,” the final public document of the two busiest years of Swift’s career to date. The new film premieres Friday on Disney+. For all the Swifites out there, streaming both “The End of an Era” and “The Final Show” this weekend may not even seem optional. But for anyone else out there who did not get to see one of Swift’s Eras Tour performances live, “The Final Show” may be worth seeking out, too.
“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix)
The title for this week’s biggest scripted streaming premiere undoubtedly goes to “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” Writer-director Rian Johnson‘s third installment in his “Knives Out” film series follows southern detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) as he investigates the seemingly inexplicable death of a Catholic Monsignor (Josh Brolin) and the outcast reverend (Josh O’Connor) who emerges as the crime’s prime suspect.
A gothic-tinged murder mystery that is positioned to be no less twisty or star-studded than the first two “Knives Out” films, “Wake Up Dead Man” has received overwhelmingly glowing reviews and been praised by some as the series’ best installment to date. Now, following a limited theatrical run, the film is set to arrive Friday on Netflix. Run, don’t walk, especially if you want to avoid having its twists spoiled for you on social media.
