The Christmas season has arrived, but that doesn’t mean there’s only holiday fare on Peacock. And who has time for Christmas classics when there are so many other movies to watch? Peacock may not have the deep bench of films like its rivals, but it does boast some of the best movies you can find on streaming.
This month, Peacock has added The Exorcist: Believer, Requiem for a Dream, Man on the Moon, and Jumanji to its lineup. Note that some titles are only available to stream on the Peacock’s paid tiers. Regardless of which tier you subscribe to, these are the best movies on Peacock right now.
Can’t find anything you like on Peacock? Lucky for you, we’ve also curated guides to the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, and the best movies on Amazon Prime Video.
The Exorcist: Believer (2023)
Critics really didn’t take it easy on The Exorcist: Believer, but it’s a textbook case of a sequel that tells a familiar story with links to the first film in the franchise. Leslie Odom Jr. stars as Victor Fielding, a father whose daughter, Angela (Lidya Jewett), and her friend, Katherine West (Olivia O’Neill), go missing in the woods. When the girls return, both Angela and Katherine show signs of demonic possession.
Victor and Katherine’s parents, Miranda (Jennifer Nettles) and Tony West (Norbert Leo Butz), are at a complete loss for how to help their children. That’s why Victor turns to Chris MacNeil (Ellen Burstyn), the mother of Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair), who was possessed in The Exorcist. Chris has since become a best-selling author and an expert in exorcisms. But even Chris is overmatched by the twin possessions.
Rotten Tomatoes: 22%
Genre: Horror
Stars: Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Olivia O’Neill, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Ellen Burstyn
Director: David Gordon Green
Rating: R
Runtime: 111 minutes
Requiem for a Dream (2000)
The demons of Requiem for a Dream aren’t supernatural in nature, but they leave devastating carnage in their wake in Darren Aronofsky’s adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr.’s novel. This is a story about addiction and the heavy toll it takes on Sara Goldfarb (Ellen Burstyn), her son, Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto, way before he played the Joker), his girlfriend, Marion Silver (Jennifer Connelly), and their friend, Tyrone C. Love (Marlon Wayans).
Addiction to amphetamines is a new experience for Sara, but her son and his circle of friends have been addicted to heroin for years. This film pulls no punches when the price of their drug habit finally comes due for all four of the lead characters. Requiem for a Dream may be a psychological drama, but it’s also a horror story in its own way. There’s no happiness to be found here.
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
Genre: Drama
Stars: Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans, Christopher McDonald
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Rating: R
Runtime: 101 minutes
Man on the Moon (1995)
Andy Kaufman passed away nearly four decades ago, but he remains a comedy legend. Man on the Moon is a biopic about Kaufman’s life, with Jim Carrey portraying the late comedian and his alter ego, Tony Clifton. Kaufman’s brand of comedy wasn’t always funny, and he never seemed to care whether the audience understood his performance art. But he always committed to his bits.
The film follows Kaufman’s meteoric rise to fame on the hit sitcom Taxi and his infamous wrestling feud with Jerry “The King” Lawler, who portrays himself in the movie. More than anything else, Man on the Moon adds to Kaufman’s mystique and suggests that his legacy lives on.
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Stars: Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, Paul Giamatti
Director: Miloš Forman
Rating: R
Runtime: 119 minutes
Jumanji (1995)
There are so many adult-oriented films on this list that it’s time for something a little more family-friendly. Jumanji perfectly fits that description, and it’s a good showcase for the late Robin Williams. Decades ago, Alan Parrish (Adam Hann-Byrd) and his friend, Sarah Whittle (Laura Bell Bundy), played the cursed board game, Jumanji, and Alan was sucked into the game’s world and vanished.
In the present, a much older Alan (played by Williams) emerges from the game’s jungle world after Judy (Kirsten Dunst) and her brother, Peter Shepherd (Bradley Pierce), started their own Jumanji game. As the game’s world bleeds into our own, Alan and his new young friends realize that they need to find Sarah (Bonnie Hunt) and finish the game once and for all.
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Stars: Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, Bonnie Hunt
Director: Joe Johnston
Rating: PG
Runtime: 104 minutes
Casino (1995)
Director Martin Scorsese never seems to miss when he teams with Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon). In Casino, Scorsese cast De Niro as Sam “Ace” Rothstein, the man chosen by the mafia to run the Tangiers Casino on their behalf. While Sam is very competent, he makes very poor choices in both women and in his friends. His new wife, Ginger McKenna (Sharon Stone), wastes little time before betraying him. Meanwhile, Sam’s best friend, Nicky Santoro (Joe Pesci), proves to be too unstable to safeguard the mafia’s criminal activities at the casino.
Sam also seriously underestimates the underhanded people who were already in Vegas before him. Suddenly, one of the mafia’s top earners no longer has their favor, and Sam is left wondering who he can trust … if anyone.
Rotten Tomatoes: 79%
Genre: Crime, Drama
Stars: Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Don Rickles, Kevin Pollak
Director: Martin Scorsese
Rating: R
Runtime: 178 minutes
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is coming up on its 20th anniversary next year, and its original story by director Michael Gondry, screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, and Pierre Bismuth struck a chord with audiences. In an alternate version of the present, Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) is distraught to learn that his estranged girlfriend, Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), has paid a company called Lacuna to erase him from her memories.
Joel impulsively undergoes the same procedure, only to realize halfway through that he doesn’t want to let go of the memories that they created together. As Joel struggles to keep the memory of their love alive, romantic intrigue in Lacuna may have unforeseen consequences for both Joel and Clementine.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Romance, Sci-fi, Drama
Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood
Director: Michael Gondry
Rating: R
Runtime: 137 minutes
Out of Sight (1998)
Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney really turn up the heat in Out of Sight, director Steven Soderbergh’s adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s novel that plays like a Quentin Tarantino movie. This film even suggests a connection with the Tarantino-verse with Michael Keaton cameoing as Ray Nicolette from Jackie Brown.
But this story belongs to career criminal Jack Foley (Clooney) and U.S. Marshal Karen Sisco (Lopez), who stumbles across Foley’s breakout from prison. Sisco is forced to spend hours in the trunk with Foley during the getaway, and she vows to be the one to put him away again. But privately, Sisco is forced to contend with her strong feelings of attraction to Foley, which will only complicate things.
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
Genre: Crime, Drama
Stars: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Dennis Farina
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Rating: R
Runtime: 122 minutes
Five Nights At Freddy’s (2023)
Freddy Fazbear, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy may not have been household names in the ’80s, but these murderous animatronic creations are going to make a killing in their big-screen debut in Five Nights At Freddy’s.
As in the hit video games that spawned the movie, Freddy and his fiendish friends are dormant for most of the day. It’s only after midnight that they become unholy murder machines. That’s bad news for Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson), the guy who was just hired as a security guard for the overnight shift. Suddenly, a cakewalk job has become dangerous not only for Mike but also for his little sister, Abby (Piper Rubio), as well. The animatronics only want Mike dead. For Abby, they have something else in mind…
Rotten Tomatoes: 29%
Genre: Horror
Stars: Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Lail, Piper Rubio, Mary Stuart Masterson, Matthew Lillard
Director: Emma Tammi
Rating: R
Runtime: 109 minutes
Krampus (2015)
He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He knows if you’ve been bad or good… and it’s already too late because Krampus is here to kill you now. And this is one Christmas icon who can’t be bribed by milk and cookies. In Krampus, young Max Engel (Emjay Anthony) tries to keep the spirit of Christmas in his heart, with the encouragement of his father, Tom (Adam Scott), and his mother, Sarah Engel (Toni Collette). But when the extended family comes over for the holidays, the constant fighting and even the bullying of his cousins causes Max to lose faith.
That’s just the opening that Krampus (Gideon Emery) needed. This Christmas demon unleashes Hell upon the household with killer toys as he drags them away one by one. Max’s grandmother, Omi (Krista Stadler), has encountered Krampus before. But it may come down to Max himself to confront this holiday demon.
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Genre: Horror
Stars: Adam Scott, Toni Collette, David Koechner, Allison Tolman, Conchata Ferrell
Director: Michael Dougherty
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 97 minutes
Fast X (2023)
In Fast X, the latest installment of the Fast & Furious saga, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his wife, Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) come to regret staying home instead of accompanying their team when they realize that Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), and the others are caught in a deadly trap.
This is the handiwork of Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa), a man who has a serious grudge against Dom and his extended family. And Dante knows just how to strike at Dom for maximum effect.
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
Genre: Action
Stars: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, John Cena, Nathalie Emmanuel
Director: Louis Leterrier
Rating: PG-13
Runtime: 141 minutes
John Wick (2014)
Is John Wick back on Peacock? With the first three films returning to Peacock this month, yeah, we’re thinking he’s back. And just in time for the prequel miniseries, The Continental: From the World of John Wick to premiere on Peacock later this month.
The first film is still our favorite, and it revitalized Keanu Reeves’ career as an action star. Within this story, John is a retired assassin who just wants to mourn his late wife and be left alone. But the rich and entitled criminal, Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen), just couldn’t resist stealing John’s car, killing his dog, and leaving John for dead. That was a mistake, because Iosef’s rash actions have unleashed John’s inner killer, and there’s going to be hell to pay.
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Genre: Action, Thriller
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Ian McShane
Director: Chad Stahelski
Rating: R
Runtime: 101 minutes
3:10 to Yuma (2007)
3:10 to Yuma is the second adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s story, and director James Mangold was up to the task of updating this Western tale. In 1884, a rancher named Dan Evans (Christian Bale) has the misfortune of being robbed of his horses by Ben Wade (Russell Crowe). And although Ben spares Dan’s life, he’s left him desperate for money.
When Ben is arrested, Dan accepts a significant payment to join the posse who are supposed to deliver their prisoner to the train referenced in the title of this movie. However, a lot of people want Ben dead before he can get there, and he won’t stop trying to get away.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
Genre: Western
Stars: Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Peter Fonda, Gretchen Mol, Ben Foster
Director: James Mangold
Rating: R
Runtime: 122 minutes
How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
The original How To Train Your Dragon is the best of the trilogy, but the second movie is also quite good. And since How To Train Your Dragon 2 is the only film in the franchise currently on Peacock, it’s an easy pick for this list. Five years after the original movie, Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) has ushered in an era of peace between humans and dragons on Berk.
Unfortunately for Hiccup and his tribe, the evil Drago Bludvist (Djimon Hounsou) has dragons of his own and the means to usurp control of Berk’s dragons as well. While trying to find a peaceful solution, Hiccup also discovers that his long-lost mother, Valka Haddock (Cate Blanchett), is still alive and opposing Drago’s conquest.
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Genre: Adventure, Fantasy
Stars: Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill
Director: Dean DeBlois
Rating: PG
Runtime: 101 minutes
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
Raymond Chandler’s hard-boiled private detective, Philip Marlowe, isn’t exactly in vogue anymore. But the classics never truly go out of style. In the 1975 adaptation of Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely, Robert Mitchum steps into the role of Philip as he finds himself in the midst of two difficult cases that may be related.
In the first, a bank robber named Moose Malloy (Jack O’Halloran) hires Phillip to find his missing girlfriend, Velma (Charlotte Rampling). And in the second case, Phillip is helpless to prevent the murder of his client, Lindsay Marriott (John O’Leary). But not even police intimidation can keep Phillip from finding answers and solving the mystery.
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Stars: Robert Mitchum, Charlotte Rampling, John Ireland, Sylvia Miles, Anthony Zerbe
Director: Dick Richards
Rating: R
Runtime: 95 minutes
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