The summer movie season is technically over after the Labor Day holiday weekend, but it’s still living on in a big way this month on streaming. September sees the streaming debuts of top summer blockbusters such as Disney’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” and Universal’s “Jurassic World Dominion,” the latter of which has grossed just under $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Warner Bros.’ box office hit “Elvis” is also making its way to streaming, making September the biggest month online yet for summer theatrical hits.
September is also a big month for world premieres of streaming originals. Disney+ is celebrating Disney+ Day on Sept. 8 with the world premiere of Robert Zemeckis’ live-action “Pinocchio,” while Netflix has the Oscar contender “Blonde” fresh off its Venice Film Festival world premiere and Apple TV+ has the Zac Efron-starring historical comedy-drama “The Greatest Beer Run Ever.”
Prepare for the month in streaming with our list below of the 20 biggest movies new to streaming in September.
Elvis (Sept. 2 on HBO Max)
With $147 million at the U.S. box office, Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” has topped “The Great Gatsby” as the director’s highest-grossing movie on the domestic charts. Globally, “Elvis” has secured just over $277 million and counting. These box office numbers are a resounding success for an adult-skewing drama released post-pandemic, as adult moviegoers have been the hardest viewers to draw back to theaters. “Elvis,” starring Austin Butler in a breakthrough performance as the King of Rock n’ Roll, got its start at Cannes and earned mixed reviews, with Variety’s Owen Gleiberman writing, “It’s a spectacle that keeps us watching but doesn’t nail Elvis’s inner life until he’s caught in a trap… It’s a fizzy, delirious, impishly energized, compulsively watchable 2-hour-and-39-minute fever dream — a spangly pinwheel of a movie that converts the Elvis saga we all carry around in our heads into a lavishly staged biopic-as-pop-opera.”
Thor: Love and Thunder (Sept. 8 on Disney+)
Marvel’s summer blockbuster “Thor: Love and Thunder” is making its streaming debut this month as part of Disney+ Day. The film, which saw Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, earned mixed reviews when it opened, but Variety film critic Owen Gleiberman loved what he saw and named “Love and Thunder” a critic’s pick. From his review: “‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is far from standard, and that’s a good thing. Like ‘Thor: Ragnarok,’ the movie was directed and co-written by Taika Waititi, the New Zealand sleight-of-hand-prankster-who-is-also-a-serious-filmmaker, and it builds on the earlier film’s highly winning tone of skewed flippancy. But it also, like ‘Ragnarok,’ possesses an offbeat humanity that justifies the japery. Waititi has the wit to see that if you aren’t mocking a Marvel movie as you’re making one, you might be taking it more seriously than the audience does.”
Jurassic World Dominion (Sept. 2 on Peacock)
“Jurassic World Dominion” did not set social media on fire in the same way as other summer blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Thor: Love and Thunder,” but it turned out to be a box office powerhouse nonetheless with $374 million domestically and a huge $990 million worldwide. The third “Jurassic World” movie, featuring the returns of original franchise stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern and Jeff Goldblum, is $10 million away from joining the previous two films in the billion dollar club. From Variety’s review: “Completing one trilogy while tying it back to the original, ‘Dominion’ comes the closest of the sequels to delivering on the ‘Jurassic’ franchise’s fearsome threat of human-dinosaur coexistence… Of the three ‘Jurassic World’ movies, ‘Dominion’ is the least silly and most entertaining.”
Blonde (Sept. 28 on Netflix)
Following a splashy world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn Monroe drama “Blonde” hits Netflix at the end of the month. The film has generated a ton of buzz over the last few months for its NC-17 rating and for casting Ana de Armas as the Hollywood icon. The official “Blonde” synopsis from Netflix reads: “[The film] boldly reimagines the life of one of Hollywood’s most enduring icons, Marilyn Monroe. From her volatile childhood as Norma Jeane, through her rise to stardom and romantic entanglements, ‘Blonde’ blurs the lines of fact and fiction to explore the widening split between her public and private selves.”
Pinocchio (Sept. 8 on Disney+)
Robert Zemeckis reunites with his “Forrest Gump” Oscar winner Tom Hanks for a live-action reimagining of Disney’s “Pinocchio,” also starring Cynthia Erivo as the Blue Fairy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the voice of Pinocchio’s companion and self-appointed “conscience” Jiminy Cricket, as well as Lorraine Bracco and Keegan-Michael Key. Pinocchio is the creation of Geppetto (Hanks), a childless woodcarver, who wishes on a star for Pinocchio to become a real boy. His wish is heard by a Blue Fairy (Cynthia Erivo), who visits his shop and brings the puppet to life. An overjoyed Geppetto raises him like his own son, but for Pinocchio to become a real boy instead of just a living puppet, he’ll need to go on a coming-of-age journey and learn how to be selfless, brave and true.
Hocus Pocus 2 (Sept. 30 on Disney+)
The Sanderson Sisters are back as Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy resurrect the “Hocus Pocus” franchise in the long-awaited follow-up. “Hocus Pocus” premiered in 1993, telling the story of three wicked sisters in Salem, Mass. who spent 300 years asleep before the lighting of the Black Flame Candle, which resurrects them on All Hallow’s Eve. Kenny Ortega directed the original, while Anne Fletcher directs the sequel. Although the Sanderson Sisters died at the end of the first movie, they will rise again and face off against two young girls who light the candle again. The cast of the sequel includes “Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham, Tony Hale, Sam Richardson, Doug Jones, Whitney Peak and “Drag Race” queens Ginger Minj, Kahmora Hall and Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté.
Ambulance (Sept. 30 on Prime Video)
Variety film critic Owen Gleiberman wrote in his review of Michael Bay’s “Ambulance” that “it takes you back to an age when action thrillers were big, loud, decadent, rebellious and ripped off from ‘Die Hard.’” Based on the 2005 Danish film of the same name, “Ambulance” stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as an army veteran down on his luck who turns to “brother” Gyllenhaal for help when he needs $231,000 to pay for his wife’s surgery. Gyllenhaal’s solution? A $32 million bank robbery. Set in Los Angeles over the course of one day, the movie — written by Chris Fedak — also stars Eiza González, Garret Dillahunt and Devan Long.
The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Sept. 30 on Apple TV+)
Peter Farrelly follows up his best picture Oscar winner “Green Book” with another historical drama based on a true story. “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” stars Zac Efron as John “Chickie” Donohue, who leaves New York City in 1967 to track down his army friends in Vietnam and share a few beers with them to show that they have support from the American people. Along the way, Donahue hitches a ride on a Merchant Marine ship, carries beer through the jungle and is mistaken for a CIA officer because of his civilian appearance. “The Greatest Beer Run Ever” will debut in theaters and on Apple TV+ on Sept. 30, following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Munsters (Sept. 27 on Netflix)
Rob Zombie is beloved for R-rated horror gore-fests like “House of 1,000 Corpses,” but he’s about to get family-friendly with his upcoming “The Munsters” reboot. Based on the classic 1960s black-and-white sitcom of the same name, Zombie’s reimagining brings the characters to life in color. The film, which stars Jeff Daniel Phillips as Herman Munster, Sheri Moon Zombie as Lily Munster and Daniel Roebuck as Grandpa, follows the family of benign monsters who relocate from Transylvania to the American suburbs. Butch Patrick and Pat Priest, who appeared in the original “The Munsters” television series, are also part of the cast.
Goodnight Mommy (Sept. 16 on Prime Video)
An English-language remake of the 2014 Austrian film of the same name, “Goodnight Mommy” follows two twin brothers, played by real-life twins Cameron and Nicholas Crovetti, who visit their mother after her recent reconstructive surgery, but it quickly becomes clear something isn’t right with her. Naomi Watts stars as the sinister mother. Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala wrote and directed the original 2014 film, which followed the same plot and was the Austrian entry for best foreign language film at the 88th Academy Awards. The film did not land a nomination. The latest iteration of “Goodnight Mommy” is not the first time Watts has headlined a remake of a beloved foreign horror film. She previously starred in 2002’s “The Ring,” which was an adaption of Japanese filmmaker Hideo Nakata’s 1998 film of the same title.
Dog (Sept. 16 on Prime Video)
Channing Tatum’s acting comeback and feature directorial debut “Dog” was a box office hit when it opened in February, and now Prime Video subscribers will be able to stream the feel-good buddy comedy about a military veteran driving cross country with an unwieldy service dog. From Variety’s review: “What could have been a basic man-and-dog road movie goes deeper than expected, exploring the damage military service does to two ex-Rangers — one a Purple Heart, the other a Belgian Malinois… Like John Travolta and Sylvester Stallone before him, Tatum is not an actor of particularly wide range, but he knows what his audience wants, and in ‘Dog,’ he gives them more than they bargained for.”
Do Revenge (Sept. 16 on Netflix)
Netflix’s biggest original movie of the month might be “Do Revenge,” a stylish thriller that pairs “Riverdale” favorite Camila Mendes with “Stranger Things” standout Maya Hawke. Putting these two actors front and center should boost viewership for “Do Revenge,” which follows two teenage girls who work together to devise a plan to go after each other’s high school tormentors. Former queen bee Drea (Mendes) wants to get back at her ex-boyfriend for leaking her sex tape, while alt girl Eleanor (Hawke) is after the peer who spread a false rumor about her and made her a social pariah. Think Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train” for the TikTok generation.
Petite Maman (Sept. 6 on Hulu)
Celine Sciamma, who went from being a queer cult favorite (for such bracingly free indies as “Tomboy” and “Water Lilies”) to an internationally respected auteur with 2019’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” follows up that barrier-breaking achievement with the slight but hardly insignificant “Petite Maman.” Made during fall 2020 while the pandemic still severely limited film production, this 72-minute sketch looks at the connection between an 8-year-old girl, Nelly (Joséphine Sanz), and her mother, Marion (Nina Meurisse), through a simple leap of imagination — one that necessitates a basic spoiler to meaningfully discuss, so be warned if you’d rather save that surprise for the screen.
21 Grams (Sept. 1 on Prime Video)
Alejandro González Iñárritu is making a return to Oscar season with “Bardo,” which is set to debut at the Venice Film Festival, so it’s a perfect time for “21 Grams” to arrive on Prime Video. While Iñárritu is beloved for Oscar winners such as “The Revenant” and “Birdman,” plus his breakout debut “Amores Perros” and “Babel,” his 2003 drama “21 Grams” remains his most overlooked gem. The film stars Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Danny Huston and Benicio Del Toro as characters caught in the aftermath of a hit-and-run car accident. From Variety’s review: “After turning heads with striking debut ‘Amores Perros,’ Mexican hemler González Iñárritu cements his reputation as a bold talent. Ambitiously structured in non-chronological fragments, this is a raw drama about grief, guilt and redemption.”
A Chiara (Sept. 26 on Hulu)
“A Chiara” is the third film in Jonas Carpignano’s intimate trilogy set in a Calabrian town, following “Mediterranea” (2015) and “A Ciambra” (2017). The film centers on a daughter who investigates her family’s ties to the criminal underworld after her father takes off following a car explosion on the street. From Variety’s review: “Carpignano’s focus here on 15-year-old Chiara (a radiant Swamy Rotolo), like his earlier spotlight in ‘A Ciambra’ on 14-year-old Pio, is a natural way of prepping the audience’s sympathies, but he aims beyond easy generational assumptions, and even more noticeably than in his sophomore work, he’s imbibed some lessons from Martin Scorsese (who also exec produced that earlier film) in refusing to presume a judgmental stance. ‘A Chiara’ will likely expand the director’s visibility and send people back to watching his earlier features.”
The Last Duel (Sept. 14 on Hulu)
Ridley Scott’s period epic “The Last Duel” was one of the biggest box office bombs of the pandemic era. The film had a production budget of over $100 million and only grossed $10 million in the U.S. Those numbers make it a historic flop, especially for major stars such as Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, but the movie is a “rather interesting” historical epic and “an engrossing drama of ambition, romance, and political chicanery,” as Variety’s Owen Gleiberman wrote in his review. Adam Driver and Jodie Comer also star in the historical period drama, which centers on a rape in medieval France. “The Last Duel” started streaming on HBO Max in January, but it becomes available for Hulu subscribers this month.
The Outfit (Sept. 16 on Prime Video)
“Graham Moore’s directorial debut ‘The Outfit’ is stylish, but it’s the way he lets the performances shine that impresses most about this well-made gangster picture,” Variety film critic Peter Deburge wrote in his review earlier this year. The film stars Mark Rylance as an English tailor in Chicago whose primary customers are a family of vicious gangsters. Zoey Deutch, Johnny Flynn and Dylan O’Brien co-star. Debruge’s review continues: “Moore, who won an Oscar for his sensitive ‘The Imitation Game’ script, assembles ‘The Outfit’ as a strategic guessing game, à la ‘Deathtrap’ or ‘Sleuth.’ If you’re picturing shades of Kubrick’s ‘The Killing,’ but with better clothes, fewer bullets and a self-effacing English fellow quietly trying to defuse the situation, you wouldn’t be far off.”
If Beale Street Could Talk (Sept. 1 on Netflix)
Barry Jenkins followed his best picture Oscar winner “Moonlight” with James Baldwin adaptation “If Beale Street Could Talk,” which won Regina King the Academy Award for supporting actress. From Variety’s review: “Barry Jenkins brings a colorful, idealistic eye to James Baldwin’s 1974 novel about a young couple tragically separated by a false arrest… In ‘Beale Street,’ which proves even more playful with traditional chronology than ‘Moonlight,’ the characters’ belief in love never wavers amid the setbacks, which makes an impactful statement about the way African Americans must cope with a broken system — one reinforced by the use of vintage black-and-white snapshots of Black life throughout.”
Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 (Sept. 1 on Netflix)
The “Despicable Me” franchise continues to be a box office powerhouse as evidenced by the breakout summer success of “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which has grossed $354 million domestically and just over $869 million worldwide. Fans will have to keep waiting a bit for the new “Minions” movie to hit streaming on Peacock, but in the meantime the first two “Despicable Me” movies are now streaming on Netflix. Variety has been a fan of the franchise from the start, writing in its review of the first installment: “‘Despicable Me’ plays young, but the script is genuinely clever, delivering much of its humor visually (all the better to translate internationally). As such, this animated delight distinguishes itself from most of the CG-animated competition out there, owing more to Mad magazine (the escalating Gru vs. Vector conflict brings ‘Spy vs. Spy’ strips to mind) than other stereoscopic 3D toons.”
Mother! (Sept. 1 on Prime Video)
With Darren Aronofsky’s new drama “The Whale” set to world premiere at the Venice Film Festival (and hoping to extend its awards buzz all the way through the 2023 Oscars next March), it couldn’t be a better time for the director’s previous directorial outing, the polarizing “Mother!,” to debut on Prime Video. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman wrote in his review: “Darren Aronofsky’s head-trip horror movie, starring Jennifer Lawrence as a woman who slips down a rabbit hole of paranoia, is dazzling on the surface, but what lies beneath? Maybe nothing… If the only thing we wanted, or expected, a horror film to do was to get a rise out of you — to make your eyes widen and your jaw drop, to leave you in breathless chortling spasms of WTF disbelief — then Darren Aronofsky’s ‘Mother!’ would have to be reckoned some sort of masterpiece.”
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