This past weekend’s box office was a “Thriller,” as the once-all-conquering Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Ryan Gosling‘s space-set masterpiece Project Hail Mary bowed down to the arrival of the King of Pop. Antoine Fuqua’s Michael, a new glitzy biopic about the legendary singer, debuted to huge numbers, earning over $210 million worldwide in just four days. This marks a huge box office milestone, as Michael becomes the music biopic with the biggest opening of all time in theaters. In the shadow of its success, what should you watch this week? With that in mind, here’s a list of three movies you should stream this week on Netflix.
Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Netflix.
1
‘The Black Phone’ (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 81% | IMDb: 6.9/10
Next month, one of the scariest horror sequels of the past few years makes its debut on Netflix. On May 16, Black Phone 2 will begin sending shivers down the backs of Netflix users, and in preparation, you’ll want to catch the 2021 original this week. The Black Phone follows the simple yet utterly terrifying premise of the abduction of 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames), who is trapped in a basement with nothing but a phone that can seemingly contact those beyond the grave.
Doing wonderfully scary justice to Joe Hill’s 2004 short story of the same name, The Black Phone shocked audiences in 2021, becoming a surprise commercial and critical hit. Not just skin-crawling in all the best horror ways, The Black Phone also features some truly impressive performances, especially from a young Thames, who used the film as his breakout.
Collider Exclusive · Sci-Fi Survival Quiz Which Sci-Fi World Would You Survive? The Matrix · Mad Max · Blade Runner · Dune · Star Wars
Five universes. Five completely different ways the future went wrong — or sideways, or up in flames. Only one of them is the world your instincts were built for. Eight questions will figure out which dystopia, galaxy, or desert wasteland you’d actually make it out of alive.
💊The Matrix
🔥Mad Max
🌧️Blade Runner
🏜️Dune
🚀Star Wars
01
You sense something is deeply wrong with the world around you. What do you do? The first instinct is often the truest one.
02
In a world of scarcity, what resource do you guard most fiercely? What we protect reveals what we believe survival actually requires.
03
What kind of threat keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
04
How do you deal with authority you don’t trust? Every dystopia has a power structure. Your approach to it determines everything.
05
Which environment could you actually endure long-term? Survival isn’t just tactical — it’s physical, psychological, and very much about where you are.
06
Who do you want in your corner when things fall apart? The company you keep is the clearest signal of who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line — if you draw one at all? Every survivor eventually faces a moment that tests what they’re actually made of.
08
What would actually make survival worth it? Staying alive is one thing. Having a reason to is another.
Your Fate Has Been Calculated You’d Survive In…
Your answers point to the world your instincts were built for. This is the universe your temperament, your survival instincts, and your particular brand of stubbornness were made for.
The Resistance, Zion
The Matrix
You took the red pill a long time ago — probably before anyone offered it to you. You’re a systems thinker who can’t help but notice the seams in things.
You’re drawn to understanding how the system works before figuring out how to break it.
You’d find the Resistance, or it would find you — your instinct for spotting constructed realities is the machines’ worst nightmare.
You function best when you have access to information and the freedom to act on it.
The Matrix built an airtight prison. You’d be the one probing the walls for the door.
The Wasteland
Mad Max
The wasteland doesn’t reward the clever or the well-connected — it rewards those who are hard to kill and harder to break. That’s you.
You don’t need comfort, community, or a cause larger than the next horizon.
You need a vehicle, a clear threat, and enough fuel to outrun it — and you’re good at all three.
You are unsentimental enough to survive that world, and decent enough — just barely — to be something more than another raider.
In the wasteland, that distinction is everything.
Los Angeles, 2049
Blade Runner
You’d survive here because you know how to exist in moral grey areas without losing yourself completely.
You read people accurately, keep your circle small, and ask the questions others prefer not to answer.
In a city where humanity is a legal designation rather than a feeling, you hold onto something that keeps you functional.
You’re not a hero. But you’re not lost, either.
In Blade Runner’s world, that distinction is everything.
Arrakis
Dune
Arrakis is the most hostile environment in the known universe — and you are precisely the kind of person it rewards.
Patience, discipline, and political awareness are your core strengths — and on Arrakis, they’re survival tools.
You understand that the long game matters more than any single victory.
Others come to Dune and are consumed by it. You’d learn its logic and earn its respect.
In time, you wouldn’t just survive Arrakis — you’d begin to reshape it.
A Galaxy Far, Far Away
Star Wars
The galaxy far, far away is vast, loud, and in a constant state of violent political upheaval — and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
You find meaning in being part of something larger than yourself — a cause, a crew, a rebellion.
You’d gravitate toward the Rebellion, or the fringes, or whatever pocket of the galaxy still believes the Empire’s grip can be broken.
You fight — not because you have to, but because standing aside isn’t something you’re capable of.
In Star Wars, that willingness is what makes all the difference.
2
‘The Fifth Element’ (1997)
Rotten Tomatoes: 71% | IMDb: 7.6/10
He may have been sadly forced into illness-induced retirement four years ago, but the movies of Bruce Williscontinue to endure. This week, why not head back in time and catch the Hollywood great’s underrated sci-fi effort? Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element follows cabdriver Korben Dallas (Willis), who accidentally becomes involved in an intergalactic mission to keep the world safe.
Hugely ahead of its time, thanks in no small part to its blending of CGI and practical effects, The Fifth Element is as bonkers as it is impressive. Willis is at his absolute mid-’90s best throughout, partnered with performances from the likes of Harry Potter‘s Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich, Ian Holm, Chris Tucker, and more in a film you have to see to believe.
3
‘Eleanor the Great’ (2025)
Rotten Tomatoes: 66% | IMDb: 6.7/10
One of the best actors of her generation, MCU icon Scarlett Johansson made her move behind the camera in 2025, with her directorial debut, Eleanor the Great. This wholesome drama follows the endearing June Squibb as the troublesome Eleanor Morgenstein, as she struggles to come to terms with the death of her best friend Bessie (Rita Zohar). Battling grief, Eleanor tells a tale that begins to come to life.
Hilarious, heartwarming, and poignant, Eleanor the Great is one of the true gems of 2025. With Squibb delivering a captivating performance that proves age is no denier of talent, the film is also an impressive introduction to Johansson behind the camera, who, although facing the odd novice issue, shows enormous promise and has set the standard for a potentially unmissable directorial career.
