In this article, we will take a look at the 30 best movies on Hulu. You can skip our analysis of the entertainment industry’s outlook, and go directly to the 5 Best Movies on Hulu.
Video streaming has emerged as a prominent global phenomenon. Not long ago, the notion of using a laptop or smartphone as a gateway to an expansive list of entertainment platforms seemed unbelievable. However, we now inhabit a reality where the global streaming industry not only generates substantial revenue but also exhibits tremendous potential for further expansion due to the flexibility it offers in terms of when and where users can watch their preferred videos, providing personalized viewing experiences tailored to individual preferences. This is evident from the success of prominent streaming services such as Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)'s Prime Video, and The Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS)'s Disney+.
In that same vein, Hulu is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), with Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA)'s NBCUniversal holding a minority stake, until 2024. Launched in October of 2007, Hulu was one of the first streaming services on the market, and over the years, it also endured as one of the best in the game. Home to a robust and diverse library, including some of the best industry favorites and must-watch shows and films throughout the years, the streaming service recorded a total of 48 million subscribers in the United States on January 1, 2023.
With the growing demand for video streaming services, original content, and live sports, online streaming platform options have increased today. According to a report by Fortune Business Insights, the global video streaming market was valued at roughly $372.07 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow from $472.39 billion in 2022 to a staggering $1690.35 billion by 2029, exhibiting a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 19.9% during the period. While Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) reigns as the king among streaming services, major players like The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), CBS Corporation and Paramount (NYSE:PGRE), among others, have also joined the fray over the years. These companies offer various streaming channels of their own, including HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus, and Disney Plus to name a few.
In addition to other sectors like healthcare streaming, the global streaming market is prominently characterized by the video-on-demand subsector. According to another report by Fortune Business Insights, this particular market was valued at $69.55 billion in 2021 and later on expanded to $82.77 billion the very next year. Going forward, it is projected to demonstrate a CAGR of 17.6%, reaching a value of $257 billion by the end of 2029.
The focus of this article is on the 30 best movies on Hulu in 2023. The streaming service Hulu has a lot to offer due to a focused collection of great movies and shows that are more than enough to satisfy even the most ardent cinephiles. In short, there are a lot of good movies to watch on streaming platforms, so we’ve put together a handy list of some of the best movies on Hulu to help you stop scrolling and start watching. From Oscar-winning films to hidden gems, here are the 30 best movies on Hulu right now. Additionally, if you want to check out the best TV shows on Hulu, you can go through our list of the 25 Best TV Shows on Hulu in 2023. On the other hand, if you want to watch movies on different streaming platforms, you can take a look at our list of the 35 Best New Movies on Netflix instead.
For our list, we chose the 30 best movies available to watch on Hulu based on thorough research conducted on various websites and internet forums where people shared their reviews on TV shows. The list has been ranked according to the IMDB rating.
30 Best Movies on Hulu
30. The Silence of the Lambs
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Based off of the 1988 psychological horror novel by Thomas Harris with the same name, The Silence of the Lambs follows Clarice Starling, an FBI agent, who seeks help from Hannibal Lecter, a psychopathic serial killer and former psychiatrist, in order to apprehend another serial killer who has been claiming female victims.
29. Harakiri
IMDB Rating: 8.6
A revolutionary samurai film, and one that stands today as one of the very best movies of the 1960s, Harakiri centers on a man named Tsugumo Hanshirō who visits a clan of samurai, stating he wish to commit the act of harakiri (ritual suicide) in their presence. Although unclear in the beginning, Hanshirō's true, ulterior motives become apparent later on.
28. Se7en
IMDB Rating: 8.6
David Fincher's 1995 movie, stylized as Se7en, is a psychological crime drama that has grown to be considered one of the best thriller films of all time. The movie's dark and twisted narrative revolves around a serial killer who begins a spree of murders according to the seven deadly sins. Two detectives, one new to the city and the other about to retire, are tasked with apprehending this criminal.
27. Terminator 2: Judgment Day
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Set eleven years after the critically-acclaimed "The Terminator," Terminator 2 follows the story of young John Connor and his mother Sarah Connor, the keys to humanity's victory over a future robot uprising, as they become the targets of a shape-shifting T-1000, a Terminator sent from the future to kill him. However, another Terminator, a T-800, has been sent back to protect the boy. As John and his mother go on the run with the T-800, the boy forms an unexpected bond with the machine.
26. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 film written and directed by George Lucas. The first part of the Star Wars original trilogy and the first Star Wars film released, it revolves around the abduction of princess Leia by the insidious Darth Vader and the Imperial Forces. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon, work together with the companionable droid duo R2-D2 and C-3PO to rescue the princess and restore freedom to the galaxy.
25. The Green Mile
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Based on Stephen King's 1996 novel of the same name, The Green Mile is is the riveting and tragic story of John Coffey, a giant, preternaturally gentle inmate condemned to death for the murder of two nine-year-old girls. Set in the 1930s at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary's death-row facility, corrections officer Paul Edgecomb's life will forever change when he realizes that the gentle giant has a mysterious, supernatural gift.
24. Saving Private Ryan
IMDB Rating: 8.6
The Steven Spielberg film, nominated for an impressive 11 Academy Awards, is celebrated for its accurate depiction of the Second World War as shown through realistic and often difficult-to-watch scenes. The story follows a group of American soldiers as they go behind enemy lines to find a paratrooper after all his brothers are killed in action. Although the characters in the film are fictitious, many of its events are inspired by actual historical records, as the film was based on the true story of the actual Niland brothers: Frederick (Fritz), Edward, Preston, Robert.
23. Spirited Away
IMDB Rating: 8.6
During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl named Chihiro wanders into an abandoned amusement park, ruled by gods, witches and spirits; a resort where humans are changed into beasts. After her parents are transformed into giant pigs, Chihiro must work there to free herself and her parents. An unforgettable, thrilling and enchanting experience, Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away is widely considered as one of, if not the best, animated film of all time.
22. City of God
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Co-directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, the film tells the story of life in the slums of Rio de Janeiro, in an area known as the Cidade De Deus, the City of God. It follows the life of two boys that are brought up in this sadistic neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. However, they both adopt diverse professional paths, with one of them becoming a photographer, while the other, a drug kingpin.
21. Life is Beautiful
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Loosely based on a true story with an exceptional original score and outstanding acting performances, Life is Beautiful is a 1997 Italian comedic masterpiece about a gentle Jewish-Italian waiter, Guido Orefice, and his family as they attempt to survive the Nazi concentration camps. Determined to shelter his son from the grim realities of his surroundings, Guido uses humor to convince him that their time in the camp is merely a game.
20. Seven Samurai
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. A veteran samurai, who has fallen on hard times, answers a village's request for protection from bandits. Alongside six other samurai, he teaches the townspeople how to defend themselves. The film culminates in a giant battle when 40 bandits attack the village. Despite its daunting length, Seven Samurai is a remarkably fast-paced movie—a series of picture-perfect visuals that manifest Kurosawa's unyielding devotion to its story and characters.
19. Interstellar
IMDB Rating: 8.6
Interstellar is a 2014 epic science fiction film co-written, directed, and produced by Christopher Nolan. Acclaimed on behalf of its scientific accuracy, the film revolves around Joseph Cooper, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot who is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans Earth looks to become uninhabitable in the future.
18. Goodfellas
IMDB Rating: 8.7
A 1990 American biographical crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, Goodfellas builds on well-established crime film tropes that it further spins into something new and thrilling. It follows the story of young Henry Hill and his life in the mob, his relationship with his wife Karen Hill, and his mob partners Jimmy Conway and Tommy DeVito as they climb the ranks of the Italian-American crime syndicate.
17. The Matrix
IMDB Rating: 8.7
The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction action film that follows Thomas Anderson, also known as the hacker Neo, who has always questioned his reality. However, the truth is much more sinister as New is led to fight an underground war against powerful computers who have constructed his entire reality with a system called the Matrix. The movie was a ground-breaking motion picture that not only raised the bar for all the science-fiction films to come after it but also redefined the action genre with its thrilling action sequences and revolutionary visual effects.
16. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
IMDB Rating: 8.7
Equal parts uplifting and depressing, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest is a darkly humorous look into the flawed psychiatric system of the 1960s. Based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Ken Kesey, the film is a 1975 American psychological comedy drama that follows prisoner Randal McMurphy as he fakes insanity and is shifted to the special ward for the mentally unstable. In this ward, however, he must rise up against a cruel nurse, Ratched.
15. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back
IMDB Rating: 8.7
The sequel to Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back is the second film in the Star Wars film series and the fifth chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". Set three years after the events of Star Wars it follows the story of Luke Skywalker as he begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.
14. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
IMDB Rating: 8.8
The sequel to 2001's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the film is the second instalment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Continuing the plot of the previous film, it intercuts three storylines. Frodo and Sam continue their journey towards Mordor to destroy the One Ring, while Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli come to the war-torn nation of Rohan. Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin escape capture and encounter an ancient race. Like the other films in the trilogy, The Two Towers is widely recognized as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made, receiving numerous accolades over the years.
13. Forrest Gump
IMDB Rating: 8.8
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American epic comedy-drama film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Eric Roth. It is based on the 1986 novel of the same name by Winston Groom and stars Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson and Sally Field. The film follows several decades in the life of a slow-witted and kindhearted Alabama man named Forrest Gump (Hanks) and his experiences in the 20th-century United States.
12. Fight Club
IMDB Rating: 8.8
Fight Club is a 1999 American film directed by David Fincher that is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. If follows the life of an unnamed narrator, who is discontented with his white-collar job. His life however, changes when he meets soap salesman Tyler Durden, and becomes embroiled in a relationship with a mysterious woman, Marla Singer. After a mediocre launch at the box office, the film later found commercial success with its home video release, establishing Fight Club as a cult classic and causing media to revisit the film. In 2009, on the tenth anniversary of the film's release, The New York Times dubbed it the "defining cult movie of our time.
11. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
IMDB Rating: 8.8
Arguably the most iconic western of all time and one of the best movies on Hulu, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is the quintessential western. It has gunfights, evil outlaws, gun-toting bounty hunters, a civil war battle scene, and most important of all: an enchanting soundtrack that throws you right into this dreary world of outlaws. The story revolves around two men during the Civil War, Blondie and Tuco, who form an uncomfortable alliance while looking for treasure. They must also outwit Angel Eyes, an outlaw who wants to plunder the riches for himself.
10. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
IMDB Rating: 8.8
The Fellowship of the Ring hit theatres in the late winter of 2001 and went on to earn a surprising $888 million in box office returns. Awarded four Oscars at the 74th Academy Awards, it established the gold standard for a series that was true to the lore, rich in visual detail, and delivered an immensely satisfying story. The first part of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, a shy young hobbit named Frodo Baggins inherits the One ring of power. Now Frodo, accompanied by a wizard, an elf, a dwarf, two men and three loyal hobbit friends, must become an unwilling hero to save the land and the people he loves.
9. Inception
IMDB Rating: 8.8
A troubled thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster. Considered one of the best films of the 2010s, Inception won four Academy Awards and was nominated for four more: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Art Direction, and Best Original Score.
8. Pulp Fiction
IMDB Rating: 8.9
Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Tim Roth, Ving Rhames, and Uma Thurman, Pulp Fiction tells several stories of crime in Los Angeles, California, where the lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. Widely regarded as Quentin Tarantino's masterpiece, with particular praise for its screenwriting, the self-reflexivity, unconventional structure, and extensive homage and pastiche of Pulp Fiction have led critics to describe it as a touchstone of postmodern film.
7. The Dark Knight
IMDB Rating: 9.0
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Jonathan. Based on the DC Comics superhero, Batman, it is the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and the second installment in The Dark Knight Trilogy. The plot follows the Joker as he wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham. Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight against this menace. Between incredible acting performances from the entire cast, tension grounded in real life and an ending no one could expect, The Dark Knight establishes itself as one of, if not the best on-screen comic book adaptation.
6. Schindler's List
IMDB Rating: 9.0
After witnessing the persecution of an entire populace in Poland at the hands of the Nazis, Businessman Oskar Schindler saves the lives of many Jews, by employing them in his factories, thus saving them from going to the concentration camps. Often listed among the greatest films ever made, Schindler's List received universal acclaim for its tone, acting, atmosphere, and Spielberg's direction; it was also a box office success, earning $322 million worldwide on a $22 million budget. Despite depicting the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust, Schindler's List is not only one of the best movies on Hulu, it stands as one of the best movies of all time.