It wouldn't be summer without a big batch of new Netflix original movies [1], and the streaming platform's 2021 slate [2] is looking very bright! No matter what your favourite kind of movie is, there's something in this year's batch of new releases for you. Want a heartwarming rom-com? We've got that! A dark and twisty thriller? Yep! How about a cheery animated flick or an international drama? Absolutely!
Summer movie season [3] may be a little slower this year, as the movie industry slowly restarts after a year of COVID-related shutdowns [4], but you can catch all these amazing titles from the comfort of your own couch. Here's your complete guide to every new original movie coming to Netflix this summer!
Monster
- The scoop: Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) is a 17-year-old honours student at an elite Harlem school whose world comes crashing down around him when he is charged with felony murder. Instead of being a promising film student, he's now caught up in complex legal battles that could send him to prison for life.
- Release date: May 7
Oxygen
- The scoop: A French survival thriller, Oxygen follows a young woman (Mélanie Laurent) who is trapped in a cryogenic pod, without any memories of who she is, why she's there, or what she's supposed to do. Before her limited oxygen runs out, she must figure out the answers to these questions, or she won't survive the ordeal.
- Release date: May 12
The Woman in the Window
- The scoop: After years of delays and reshoots [5], this Amy Adams-led thriller is finally arriving. An agoraphobic woman becomes obsessed with the lives of her neighbours, but when she believes she observes a violent crime being committed, her life and everything she thinks she knows are thrown into disarray.
- Release date: May 14
Army of the Dead
- The scoop: After a zombie outbreak overtakes Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries decide that the time is perfect to attempt their greatest heist yet. They'll have to venture into the quarantine zone, facing down what lies within, in order to pull off this massive gamble.
- Release date: May 21
Baggio: The Divine Ponytail (Il Divin Condino)
- The scoop: This Italian movie chronicles the 22-year career of football star Roberto Baggio, from his challenging debut to his clashes with coaches and much more.
- Release date: May 26
Ghost Lab
- The scoop: When two doctors believe they've seen a real ghost, they become intrigued with the idea of finding a way to scientifically explain the afterlife. Their research turns into an obsession that, in time, takes over their lives and costs them their friendships and families — and the answers might not be what they expect.
- Release date: May 26
Blue Miracle
- The scoop: Based on an incredible true story, the movie centres on Casa Hogar, a Mexican boys' home that entered the world's biggest fishing tournament to save their orphanage.
- Release date: May 27
Carnaval
- The scoop: After a video of her boyfriend cheating on her goes viral, a 20-something influencer manages to use her connections to get an all-paid-for, all-access, all-you-can-do trip to Salvador during Carnaval, bringing along her three best friends for an unforgettable experience.
- Release date: June 2
Awake
- The scoop: This postapocalyptic thriller imagines a world following a strange global catastrophe that not only wipes out all electronics, but somehow prevents humans from being able to sleep. As scientists race to find a cure before humanity is doomed, one former soldier (Gina Rodriguez) discovers that her daughter may be the key to it all and must decide whether to protect her child or save the world.
- Release date: June 9
Wish Dragon
- The scoop: Din (voiced by Jimmy Wong), a working-class college student with big dreams but small means, and Long (voiced by John Cho), a cynical but powerful dragon capable of granting wishes, set off on a journey through modern-day Shanghai in pursuit of Din's long-lost childhood friend, Lina.
- Release date: June 11
Skater Girl
- The scoop: Prerna, a teenager growing up in rural India, comes of age when she's introduced to the sport of skateboarding. From there, she has to beat the odds to follow her dreams and compete in the national championship.
- Release date: June 11
Jagame Thandhiram
- The scoop: A British crime lord needs a rival taken down, and the best man for the job is Suruli, a Tamil gangster from Madurai. Suruli arrives in London and finds himself confronted with questions he's never considered about around home, country, and belonging.
- Release date: June 18
Fatherhood
- The scoop: Kevin Hart stars in and produces this movie, based on the memoir Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss & Love by Matthew Logelin. Hart plays a widower who, after the death of his wife, is left to take on the challenges of parenthood on his own (and with the help of those around him).
- Release date: June 18
Good on Paper
- The scoop: Iliza Shlesinger wrote and stars in this comedy about Andrea Singer, a comedian who finally thinks she's met the perfect guy after years of putting her career before her personal life. On paper, he seems like her perfect match, but when her best friend suggests she do more digging, Andrea sets off to uncover whatever he's hiding.
- Release date: June 23
The Ice Road
- The scoop: After a remote diamond mine collapses in the far north of Canada, a big-rig ice-road driver (Liam Neeson) leads an impossible rescue mission over a frozen ocean to save the trapped miners. As the ice thaws and a storm looms, they soon discover that there's another challenge in their path — one they never saw coming. It also stars Benjamin Walker, Amber Midthunder, and Laurence Fishburne.
- Release date: June 25
America: The Motion Picture
- The scoop: The voice cast of this animated, gleefully destructive, revisionist history includes a slew of big-name stars: Channing Tatum [6], Jason Mantzoukas, Olivia Munn, Bobby Moynihan, Judy Greer, Will Forte, Raoul Max Trujillo, Killer Mike, Simon Pegg, and Andy Samberg [7]. George Washington (here wielding a chainsaw) assembles a super team of brilliant figures from throughout American history to win the war against Britain in a deeply weird send-up of history.
- Release date: June 30
Trollhunter: Rise of the Titans
- The scoop: The Trollhunters franchise is back! In this latest instalment, set in a world full of wizards, trolls, and aliens, a team of magical heroes must work together to fight the Arcane Order for control over the magic that binds them all.
- Release date: July 21
Resort to Love
- The scoop: Christina Milian stars in this Alicia Keys-produced rom-com about an aspiring pop star who takes the world's worst wedding-singer gig: her ex's wedding. As she tries to keep their past relationship a secret from his new fiancée, she finds herself rediscovering her feelings for him, even as his brother tries to keep them separate.
- Release date: July 29
The Last Mercenary
- The scoop: A former secret service agent is called back to France when his estranged son is falsely accused of arms and drug trafficking by the government. As he uncovers what really happened, he discovers a huge mistake by an overzealous bureaucrat and a mafia operation that must be stopped.
- Release date: July 30
Blood Red Sky
- The scoop: Terrorist thriller meets horror movie in this aeroplane movie with a twist. On an overnight flight, a woman with a mysterious illness tries to keep her young son safe after the plane is hijacked by terrorists. To save her son, she has to unleash what she's been fighting: her true vampiric nature.
- Release date: July TBA
The Last Letter From Your Lover
- The scoop: Two love stories intersect across the decades. As journalist Ellie (Felicity Jones) digs through secret love letters [8] from the 1960s, she becomes intrigued by the romance between Jennifer (Shailene Woodley), a financier's wife, and Anthony (Callum Turner), the journalist writing about her husband. In pursuit of her research, Ellie is aided by an archivist (Nabhaan Rizwan), who might be the start of her own love story.
- Release date: July TBA
The Kissing Booth 3
- The scoop: The whole crew are back for one more teen rom-com! Elle (Joey King [9]) is getting ready for the last summer before college, and she has one heartbreaking decision to make: join her boyfriend, Noah (Jacob Elordi [10]), or stick to the plan with her BFF, Lee (Joel Courtney)?
- Release date: Aug. 11
Sweet Girl
- The scoop: Jason Momoa [11] takes the lead as a father out for revenge in this action thriller. After his wife's death, he vows revenge on her killers and sets out on his path of vengeance while trying to do everything he can to protect their daughter.
- Release date: Aug. 20
He's All That
- The scoop: As the title suggests, this teen comedy is a revamped version of the '90s classic She's All That. This time around, an influencer (Addison Rae) accepts a challenge to turn a dorky classmate into the prom king.
- Release date: Aug. 27
Beckett
- The scoop: John David Washington and Alicia Vikander star in this thriller about a couple on holiday who fall prey to a violent and terrifying conspiracy, with devastating results.
- Release date: August TBA
Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal & Greed
- The scoop: This documentary is about the shocking betrayals surrounding the work and estate of the beloved painting icon Bob Ross. Beyond Ross's famously calm and encourageing brand lay a story of greed and betrayal by trusted partners — betrayals that continued even after Ross's death.
- Release date: Summer TBA
The Loud House Movie
- The scoop: The Nickelodeon animated series heads to the movies for a big Scottish family holiday! While on their trip, the Louds discover they're actually descended from Scottish royalty and their family's ancestral home is a literal castle.
- Release date: Summer TBA
Vivo
- The scoop: With a voice cast including Lin-Manuel Miranda [12], Zoe Saldana, Gloria Estefan, Nicole Byer, and more, this animated musical follows Vivo, a musically gifted kinkajou (a rainforest "honey bear") who sets out from Havana to Miami in order to deliver a song to his cherished owner's long-lost love.
- Release date: Summer TBA