The 10 Best Movies to Stream on Peacock

When it comes to streaming your favorite movies, a monthly Peacock subscription gives you plenty of options. Although the streaming service from NBCUniversal offers many excellent films for free, there are even more titles available to subscribers on the premium tiers. The entire catalogue is pretty deep, thanks to the libraries of Universal Pictures and Focus Features.

But the wide array of options also makes it overwhelming to find the very best movies to stream. Luckily, you’ve got us. We’ve combed through the entire Peacock library to find the cream of the crop from across multiple genres. Our list includes everything from exciting action flicks and romantic comedies to Academy Award-winning dramas and post-apocalyptic films. No matter what you’re looking for, you’re bound to find something here. These are the best movies to stream on Peacock.

Looking for more recommendations for what to watch next? We have a ton of them! And if you’re looking for more hand-picked recommendations based on TV shows you love, we have those too, as well as recommendations for Netflix (movies/shows), Amazon Prime Video (movies/shows), Hulu (movies/shows), Disney+ (movies/shows), HBO Max (movies/shows), Apple TV+, and Peacock.

For fans of: One-liners, Bruce Willis’ very particular set of skills, debating whether something is a Christmas movie

Director: John McTiernan
Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman
Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 72

Peacock has a large selection of action movies, but the cream of the crop is Die Hard, which I will summarize for you now even though I know you already know what it’s about. Bruce Willis stars as John McClane, a badass New York police detective and one-liner machine who, while visiting his estranged wife (Bonnie Bedelia) in Los Angeles, must rescue several people at Nakatomi Plaza after the movie’s iconic villain, the terrorist Hans Gruber (played by Alan Rickman), takes them hostage to cover up the fact that he is trying to steal a buttload of bearer bonds. It’s the first of five movies in the Die Hard franchise, and it’s easily the best. (Die Hard 2 is also streaming on Peacock if you want to make it a double feature.)

For fans of: Comic book fight scenes, impeccable casting

Director: Edgar Wright
Stars: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin
Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 69

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a movie you look back on now and go, “Wait, they were in that?” The movie’s impressive ensemble cast includes Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, Brie Larson, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Alison Pill, and Jason Schwartzman, among others. The Edgar Wright film, which is based on a series of graphic novels, follows Cera’s titular character, a wannabe musician, as he fights the seven evil exes of his love interest (Winstead). Thanks to the movie’s excellent sense of humor and eye-catching visuals (not to mention some scene-stealing performances), it quickly gained a cult following. 

For fans of: Troubled geniuses, Boston boys, Robin Williams

Director: Gus Van Sant
Stars: Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck
Genre: Drama
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 70

Good Will Hunting is the movie that introduced us to Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as a creative duo, but it’s also more than that. The emotionally rewarding film — which earned Damon and Affleck the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay — stars Damon as Will Hunting, an MIT janitor from South Boston who happens to be a quiet genius who spends his evenings solving complicated equations not even graduate students can solve. After a run-in with the law, he begins studying mathematics with a respected professor (Stellan Skarsgard) after the professor helps him avoid jail time. However, Will must also attend therapy as part of the agreement. It’s through his sessions with his therapist (Robin Williams, who won an Oscar for his performance) that Will begins to come to terms with his tragic past and starts to rethink and reimagine what might be possible for him in the future. 

For fans of: The Jennifer Lopez Cinematic Universe

Director: Adam Shankman
Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 33

The early 2000s were an era defined by charming romantic comedies, and The Wedding Planner is one of the best. Jennifer Lopez stars in the fan-favorite movie as Mary, an ambitious wedding planner who has yet to find her own happily ever after. (I promise it’s better than I just made it sound.) The other half of the central couple is played by Matthew McConaughey, who was just beginning his run as Hollywood’s Hunkiest Romantic Leading Man. As Steve, he saves Mary from a runaway dumpster (just go with it) and they immediately spark. But not long after their meet cute, Mary is shocked to discover that Steve is engaged and she is meant to be planning his wedding. Heartwarming romance, wacky comedy, and plenty of angst ensue. 

For fans of: Biopics that are anything but dry

Director: Ava DuVernay
Stars: David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Carmen Ejogo
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 80

The civil rights movement is front and center in this historical drama from director Ava DuVernay that depicts the voting rights marches that occurred between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965. David Oyelowo gives a gripping, moving performance as he brings humanity to Martin Luther King, Jr. But this isn’t your typical biopic. The film, which was nominated for Best Picture, does not hold back, and it tells a story that remains extremely timely to the world we live in today. 

For fans of: Arnold Schwarzenegger’s whole deal, respecting teachers

Director: Ivan Reitman
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pamela Reed, Penelope Ann Miller, Linda Hunt
Genre: Action, Thriller, Comedy, Crime
Rating: PG-13
Metacritic score: 61

Are there more critically acclaimed films streaming on Peacock than Kindergarten Cop? The answer is very obviously yes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re better. The 1990 action-comedy, which was directed by Ivan Reitman, stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as John Kimble, a police detective from Los Angeles who goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher in order to suss out a drug dealer. There are few things funnier than watching a man built like Schwarzenegger — at the height of his action movie era — interacting with tiny children who will say and do anything, and somehow finding a passion for teaching along the way. So if you’re in the mood to laugh, this one should do it.

For fans of: Bong Joon Ho, class commentary

Director: Bong Joon Ho
Stars: Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell, Octavia Spencer
Genre: Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, Thriller
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 84

Chris Evans stars in Snowpiercer, a post-apocalyptic film from Academy Award winner Bong Joon Ho in which Earth has become uninhabitable after an attempt to end global warming created a new ice age instead. In the movie, based on a French graphic novel, humanity’s remaining survivors live, separated by class, aboard a train that circumnavigates the globe. Evans’ Curtis, one of the many lower-class citizens living in the dirty and overcrowded tail of the train, leads a revolution to reach the front, where the wealthy live in lavish comfort. It’s a thrilling film offering powerful commentary on humanity. It’s also one of Evans’ best performances, but the entire cast — which also includes Jamie Bell, Tilda Swinton, Song Kang-ho, John Hurt, Alison Pill, and Ed Harris — does excellent work in bringing this story to life.

For fans of: Self-aware horror movies

Director: Drew Goddard
Stars: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Anna Hutchison, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams
Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Horror
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 72

Before Chris Hemsworth bulked up to play the God of Thunder in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he was just Curt, an averagely muscled jock who takes his friends (played by Jesse Williams, Fran Kranz, Kristen Connolly, and Anna Hutchison) to the movie’s titular cabin, unknowingly leading some of them to their deaths. The fan-favorite horror comedy is shockingly clever from start to finish, toying with numerous classic horror tropes in a way that elevates the finished product beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. If you’ve ever wanted to watch a movie that is simultaneously terrifying and hilarious, look no further. 

For fans of: Unlikely friendships, enigmatic whispering, Bill Murray doing drama 

Director: Sofia Coppola
Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
Genre: Drama, Romance
Rating: R
Metacritic score: 89

Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson star in this contemplative, Academy Award-winning film from writer and director Sofia Coppola that balances an intimate, melancholy story with just the right amount of humor. Murray portrays an aging movie star in the midst of a midlife crisis who meets a fellow American, played by Johnansson, after traveling to Tokyo for work. Despite their age difference, the two — both unsure of their lives and seeking human connection in an unfamiliar city — form an unlikely bond after meeting in the hotel bar, and their friendship only strengthens after spending a night out on the town together.

For fans of: Waxing on and waxing off

Director: John G. Avildsen
Stars: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, William Zabka
Genre: Action, Drama, Sport, Family
Rating: PG
Metacritic score: 60

If you’ve already binged every episode of Cobra Kai, now is the perfect time to go back to where it all started: 1984’s The Karate Kid (and its sequels, which are also streaming). The first film in the classic franchise follows Daniel LaRusso’s (Ralph Macchio) journey as he learns karate from and forms an unlikely friendship with the wise old Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). As he trains for the All-Valley Karate Championships, where he’s set to face off against the vicious bully Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) of the Cobra Kai dojo, Daniel learns several important life lessons. The result is a classic coming-of-age tale and one of the best sports movies of all time.