Gal Gadot in Heart of Stone – Picture: Netflix
Another month of new releases is fast approaching and given that there are well over 100 in total, you might be wondering which titles you should add to your lists. Below, we’ve picked our eight favorites and the most anticipated of the lot.
For your full preview of what’s coming to Netflix in August 2023, no one has a more comprehensive list than us. As always, you can keep up to date with all new releases via our New to Netflix section and we have weekly reviews and roundups via our What to Watch section.
Now let’s take a look at our top eight movie picks for the next month. We will divide our choices into two halves. First, we’ll cover Netflix Original titles, then we’ll move on to licensed titles.
Best Netflix Original Movies Coming in August 2023
Stone heart (2023)
Coming to Netflix: August 11
Hoping to reach a number of viewers similar to that The mother And extract 2, two of Netflix’s biggest action films to date will be this new spy thriller from director Tom Harper.
The film tells the story of a clandestine agent working for a secret international peacekeeping organization who races to stop a hacker from stealing their most valuable and dangerous weapon.
Gal Gadot leads the cast along with other big stars including Jamie Dornan, Alia Bhatt and Matthias Schweighöfer.
The Monkey King (2023)
Coming to Netflix: August 18
Great animated films are coming to Netflix at high speed over the summer, and it continues into August with perhaps our most anticipated of the lot, The Monkey King.
Coming from the director of The Boxtrolls and co-director of open season, here’s what you can expect from the new film which will also see a very small theatrical release in Los Angeles:
“…follows a charismatic Monkey and his magical battle staff on an epic quest for victory over 100 demons, an eccentric Dragon King and Monkey’s greatest enemy – his own ego! Along the way, a young girl from the village challenges his self-centered attitude and shows him that even the smallest pebble can have a big effect on the world.
The film’s voice cast includes Stephanie Hsu, Hoon Lee, BD Wong, Jimmy O. Yang, and Bowen Yang.
So you’re not invited to my Bat Mitzvah (2023)
Coming to Netflix: August 25
Picture: Netflix
One of four potential Adam Sandler projects releasing on Netflix in 2023 (Murder Mystery 2 has already published, Leo is scheduled for November, Astronaut is still unclear) is this new comedy about a young girl who is preparing for her big day, her bat mitzvah, but her big day risks being ruined.
The film is based on Fiona Rosenbloom’s book of the same name and will see plenty of familiar faces for a Sandler-joint.
Zom 100: List of the dead (2023)
Coming to Netflix: August 3
Internationally, this new live-action manga movie (which coincides with the anime adaptation’s weekly releases) seems to have all the hallmarks of a goofy Japanese adventure.
The film will largely follow its source material around a man tired of his life and a shitty job. After wishing for more excitement, he gets his wish when a horde of zombies is unleashed.
The Best Licensed Movies Are Coming to Netflix in August 2023
As mentioned, this list primarily covers new US releases – availability for other regions will vary.
The Fast and Furious Franchise
Coming to Netflix: 1st of August
Image: Universal Images
OK, we’re cheating a bit here because technically this list now has twelve movies in total. Still, we wanted to thank half of all existing Fast and Furious movies coming to Netflix for a fixed period beginning on the first of the month.
While each varies in quality (for some, they’re all bad), there’s no denying the franchise’s staying power, releasing its tenth theatrical entry earlier this year (which will hit Netflix US in 2027 at the earliest).
Starting life as a racing-focused franchise, it slowly evolved to be more action-focused and, of course, family-focused.
Wife (2017)
Coming to Netflix: 1st of August
From Sony Pictures Classics, Netflix will release drama Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce earlier this month.
Certified Fresh on RottenTomatoes, reviews were rave reviews for the feature, mostly praising the excellent performances from the main cast.
This sentiment was brilliantly described by the Irish Independent who concluded:
“[Close’s] The role is juicy, but she makes the most of it brilliantly, and while Bjorn Runge’s film feels a bit theatrical at times, the acting of Close and her co-stars more than makes up for it.
The big court (2015)
Coming to Netflix: August 23
Without a doubt Adam McKay’s best film to date, The big court seeks to recount the events leading up to the financial collapse of 2008 that still plays a part in all of our lives to this day.
The Oscar-winning film will have you laughing and crying thanks to wonderful performances from an all-star cast led by Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt and Steve Carrell.
The wild river (2023)
Coming to Netflix: 1st of August
Wild River – Image: Universal 1440 Entertainment
Leighton Meester, Adam Brody, and Taran Killam direct this new thriller that reboots the Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon iteration of nearly 30 years ago.
Following in his footsteps, the new entry follows a pair of siblings who embark on a whitewater raft journey with a small group with a crew member who holds nefarious goals.
Like all of the Netflix Originals on this list, it remains to be seen if this is a faithful or even good reboot of the 1994 classic, given that Netflix will be getting the film alongside its VOD and physical release.
What movies are you going to watch this month?