This week’s batch of streaming premieres is dominated by the return of a certain Netflix hit, which is set to drop its first episodes in over three years on Wednesday. As attention-grabbing as this week’s biggest premiere is, though, there are other noteworthy new shows, movies and holiday specials coming to HBO Max, Disney+ and even the Criterion Channel over the course of the coming days. One of 2025’s most acclaimed films has officially hit the VOD market this week as well.
So, without any further ado, here are the eight best new movies and shows you can stream this weekend.
“Blossoms Shanghai” (Criterion Channel)
The Criterion Channel may be a streaming service primarily known for its large collection of foreign and Hollywood cinema classics, but the platform unveiled one of the most intriguing new shows of the year this week. On Monday, Criterion dropped the first three episodes of “Blossoms Shanghai,” the new, 30-episode TV series from “In the Mood for Love” and “Chungking Express” filmmaker Wong Kar Wai. The writer-director’s first foray into television, “Blossoms Shanghai” is based on an award-winning novel by Jin Yucheng.
It follows its protagonist (Hu Ge), the “Jay Gatsby of Shanghai,” as he slowly works his way toward becoming a self-made millionaire following the opening of the Shanghai stock exchange in the early 1990s. The series is Wong Kar Wai’s first project since 2013’s “The Grandmaster,” and it looks just as stylish, reflective and visually striking as fans of the filmmaker’s work have come to expect from him. Three new episodes are set to premiere on the Criterion Channel every Monday night through the end of January.
“Bugonia” (2025)
“Bugonia,” the latest film collaboration between star Emma Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos, is officially available to buy and rent on-demand now. A black comedy remake of the 2003 South Korean film “Save the Green Planet!,” “Bugonia” follows two paranoid, conspiracy-obsessed men (Jesse Plemons and newcomer Aidan Delbis) as they kidnap a powerful CEO (Stone), convinced that she is secretly an alien sent to destroy mankind and the Earth.
Like “Poor Things,” “The Favourite” and many of Lanthimos’ previous films, “Bugonia” is cutting, satirical and surreal. Featuring commanding performances from both Plemons and Stone, it is an unpredictable, twisty thriller, and one of this year’s standout genre experiments.
“The Beatles Anthology” (Disney+)
Four years after Disney+ made waves with the release of “The Beatles: Get Back,” the streamer has delivered another documentary treat about the iconic British rock band. Indeed, Disney+ has become the streaming home for “The Beatles Anthology,” the 1995 docuseries that gave Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison the opportunity to tell their band’s story themselves.
In honor of its 30th anniversary this year, “The Beatles Anthology” has arrived in remastered fashion with an entire episode’s worth of previously unreleased footage this time around. The docuseries is, quite simply, a must-see for fans of the Beatles, music history and the music documentary genre.
“Jingle Bell Heist” (Netflix)
Netflix is already in the midst of dropping its 2025 batch of new Christmas movies, but the most unique entry in this year’s slate is undoubtedly “Jingle Bell Heist.” The new Netflix original follows a pair of thieves (Olivia Holt and Connor Swindells) who realize they both plan to rob the same London department store at Christmas and decide to team up to get the job done. An intriguing, playful cross between the heist and holiday romance genres, “Jingle Bell Heist” has the potential to be a lot of fun — and not in the “so-bad-it’s-good” way that most straight-to-streaming Christmas movies end up being.
It has two endearing stars at the center of it and Michael Fimognari, “The Haunting of Hill House” filmmaker Mike Flanagan’s frequent, go-to cinematographer, at its helm, which means “Jingle Bell Heist” should, at the very least, be a lot more visually interesting than most of Netflix’s Christmas-themed originals. It premiered on the streaming service Wednesday and could easily emerge as one of this winter’s under-the-radar streaming gems.
“Stranger Things” Season 5 Volume 1 (Netflix)
None of this week’s streaming premieres looms as large as “Stranger Things” Season 5 Volume 1. The first four episodes of the Netflix series’ final season all premiered on Wednesday. The season’s next three installments are set to arrive on Christmas Day (Dec. 25), while the “Stranger Things” series finale is scheduled premiere on New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31).
Thanks to both the show’s existing popularity and the finality of its new episodes, “Stranger Things” Season 5 is primed to become the biggest TV event of this fall and winter — if not the entire year. If you want to participate in the conversation surrounding the series over the next month, then streaming “Stranger Things” Season 5 Volume 1 this week is the best way to start.
“Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol” (Disney+)
It has been 16 years since Disney released “Prep & Landing” in December 2009 and 14 years since the holiday animated franchise’s last installment, “Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice,” premiered on ABC in December 2011. The franchise is set to make its long-awaited return this week, though, with “Prep & Landing: The Snowball Protocol” premiering first on Disney Channel on Thursday and on Disney+ the next day.
The new, 22-minute Christmas special catches back up with North Pole elves Lanny (Derek Richardson) and Wayne (Dave Foley). It follows the duo as one of their holiday missions goes awry — leaving Wayne panicked over his job security and flashing back to previous Christmas misadventures. Disney’s past “Prep & Landing” specials have all been, frankly, delightful, and there is no reason to believe “The Snowball Protocol” won’t keep the underrated animated franchise’s signature blend of Christmas cheer and whimsy alive.
“Heated Rivalry” Season 1 (HBO Max)
“Heated Rivalry” is shaping up to be one of the week’s more under-the-radar streaming offerings. Based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Reid and coming from “Letterkenny” director Jacob Tierney, the new series explores the eight-year relationship between two professional hockey players (Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie) on opposing teams who maintain a passionate, secret romance with each other, despite their contentious public rivalry.
The rare queer entry into the sports drama genre, “Heated Rivalry” is set to make its stateside debut on Friday, the same day it is slated to premiere in Canada on the Crave streaming service. Its first two episodes premiere this week, while its remaining four installments are set to debut one week at a time through Friday, Dec. 26.
“Left-Handed Girl” (Netflix)
One of November’s most promising streaming movies is “Left-Handed Girl.” The new feature from writer-director Shih-Ching Tsou follows a single mother and her two daughters after they relocate to Taiwan to open a night market stall and struggle to acclimate to their new home while also holding onto their familial bonds. Tsou previously co-directed and co-wrote 2004’s “Take Out” with “Anora” filmmaker Sean Baker and produced a number of his past films, including “Tangerine,” “The Florida Project” and “Red Rocket.”
The two re-teamed on “Left-Handed Girl,” with Baker producing the film as well as serving as its editor and co-writer. The movie has received near-universal acclaim up to this point and was selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best International Feature Oscar this year, making it a worthwhile addition to anyone’s watchlist this weekend and an intriguing alternative to some of this week’s other, more blockbuster streaming titles.
