Where the heck did October go? I blinked and now Halloween is just around the corner, and the best streaming services are serving up plenty of treats in the form of great new movies to wile away an afternoon on the couch. But with so many to choose from, narrowing down what to watch next can become a chore.
The Netflix Top 10 is great for cutting through the noise quickly, but not everything that makes the cut is worth you’re time. Case in point, “Twilight” and “Ice Age” are still in the ranking this Saturday. To help you skip the scrolling and get to streaming, I’m here every weekend to shine a spotlight on which movies in the Netflix top 10 actually live up to the hype.
This weekend, that includes a new crime thriller from Ben Affleck, an epic sequel starring Pedro Pascal and Paul Mescal, and a disaster thriller based on a real-life story about sailors who survived a Category 5 hurricane on the open ocean.
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None of these picks fit the vibe? No worries: Our guide to everything new on Netflix this month has plenty more recommendations on what to watch. So without further ado, here are the three must-watch movies in Netflix’s top 10 this weekend. Enjoy!
This article is based on Netflix’s top 10 movies list in the U.S. as of 10:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
Best movies in the Netflix top 10
‘Surviving Hurricane Otis’ (2026)
Disaster films based on real-life events can make me queasy if not handled with the care they deserve, but thankfully that wasn’t the case with Netflix’s latest “Surviving Hurricane Otis,” which I was happy to see crack the #1 spot after arriving on the platform this week. Over three years, 800 people worked on “Surviving Hurricane Otis,” including 500 of dedicated to visual effects alone and two of the sailors who survived on their boats as a category-five hurricane devastated the Mexican resort of Acapulco.
The storm killed at least 52 people and left another 31 missing, many of them sailors like Marlon Valdez and Jonathan Chico, who weathered winds of 170 miles per hour. The film team also interviewed other Otis survivors, members of Civil Protection, the Navy and the National Meteorological System to construct a comprehensive picture of the tragedy that rocked the region, and how corporate greed made it so much worse.
Watch “Surviving Hurricane Otis” on Netflix now
‘Animals’ (2026)
Crime thrillers are reliable hits on Netflix, so I’m not surprised to see Ben Affleck’s “Animals” in the top 10 for the third week in a row. Affleck directs and stars in this tense kidnapping thriller about a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose poll numbers and marriage are flagging hard. Things take a terrifying turn when their son is abducted, and he and his wife (Kerry Washington) must race to find a way to pay the ransom to get him home safely.
As the clock ticks down, the couple get caught up in one impossible choice after another, with each new twist pushing the situation further out of control. Steven Yeun co-stars as a campaign manager, while Gillian Anderson (“The X-Files,” “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma”) plays Dayle, a mysterious fixer enlisted to help the family get their son back. With Washington and Anderson adding plenty of star power, “Animals” is an entertaining pick for anyone craving a tense, popcorn-friendly thriller for a lazy afternoon.
Watch “Animals” on Netflix now
‘Gladiator 2’ (2024)
Both “Gladiator” and the sequel are now on Netflix, so you can queue up a double feature this weekend if you’re keen to spend five hours in front of a screen. “Gladiator 2” continues the ancient Roman saga of bloodshed, political intrigue, and spectacle from Ridley Scott’s epic. Set a generation after the original “Gladiator,” the sequel follows Lucius (Paul Mescal), the young boy Maximus saved after the final battle, now all grown up and setting off on his own hero’s journey.
After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger) who now rule Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum where he channels his own inner Maximus to survive. His prowess in battle does not go unnoticed, and soon he finally has a chance to challenge his true target: the Roman general who led the siege on his home (Pedro Pascal).
Watch “Gladiator 2” on Netflix now
Netflix top 10 movies right now
1. “Surviving Hurricane Otis” (2026)
2. “Gladiator 2” (2024)
3. “Animals” (2026)
4. “Hot Wheels Let’s Raise: Attack of the T-Rex” (2026)
5. “Hollywood Dirt” (2017)
6. “Sacrifice” (2026)
7. “The Breadwinner” (2026)
8. “Twilight” (2008)
9. “The Fate of the Furious” (2017)
10. “Ice Age” (2002)
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