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It was a year filled with plot twists, unexpected hits, and unstoppable blockbusters. To celebrate, JustWatch has released its list of the biggest films and series of 2025 so far, based on insights from more than 20 million U.S. streamers. From the best family films to the darkest horror thrillers, this detailed report covers thirteen individual data points revealing audience behavior and streaming preferences globally and across the United States.
Key Takeaways from JustWatch 2025 Rewind (U.S.)
- Long Awaited Returns: Several major series returned after hiatuses of two years or more, with the most notable being Severance Season 2 (Apple TV+), Squid Game Season 3 (Netflix), Stranger Things Season 5 (Netflix), and The Last of Us Season 2 (HBO Max).
- Vatican-themed Viewing: Conclave saw a significant spike in popularity in February around the Oscars, followed by a second surge in April when the Vatican convened to elect a new Pope.
- Horror Renaissance: The horror genre has seen a massive streaming surge, with Weapons, The Substance, Sinners, and Frankenstein all climbing to the top of the charts.
- Big Screen Hits Take Over Streaming: Theatrical releases led the way, nine of the ten most-streamed new movies this year premiered in cinemas before arriving on streaming platforms.
- Family-Friendly Entertainment: Streaming audiences flocked to titles like The Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, Wicked, Superman, and KPop Demon Hunters, making them standout family favorites of the
- Most Anticipated Series of 2026: Wednesday Season 3 (Netflix), Alien: Earth Season 2 (Hulu), and Euphoria Season 3 (HBO Max) top the list of upcoming series U.S. audiences are most excited to
Most Popular Movies in the U.S. on Streaming in 2025
Top Movies Overall
Top New Releases
Key Movie Influences: Pope, Oscars & Theatrical Firsts
- Horror made major gains with Weapons, The Substance, Sinners, and Frankenstein topping the overall charts.
- Oscar-nominated favorites dominated overall rankings, with Conclave, The Substance, and Anora all landing in the top 5 overall.
Platform Highlights
- Netflix: Frankenstein and KPop Demon Hunters were among the top new
- HBO Max: Scored 4 of the top 10 movies; Weapons ranked highest at #1 in new releases and #2 overall
- Hulu: Oscar favorite Anora (#3 overall) was its top performer, also the top comedy film overall (albeit, a dark romantic comedy-drama)
- Disney+: Top performing film was Thunderbolts* (#10 on the top new releases).
Conclave: A Cultural Moment
- Vatican events earlier this year drove major spikes in streaming for Conclave, The Young Pope, and other papal-themed titles.
- Conclave became the most-streamed movie of 2025 after premiering theatrically in late October
Bar Chart Race: The Top-Streaming Movies of 2025
See how weekly rankings shifted as titles battled for the #1 spot on the JustWatch charts.
Most Popular Series in the U.S. on Streaming in 2025
Top Series Overall
Most Popular Debut Series
Key Series Influences – Series Comebacks and the Emmy Effect
- The Emmy Effect: Emmy nominations in July and awards in September gave a big boost to several favorites, including Severance, Adolescence, The Bear, The Studio, and The Pitt
- Biggest Returns: 2025 was a major year for long-awaited Based on streaming popularity for series that took a hiatus of more than two years between seasons, the top returning series in the U.S. were: 1. Severance, 2. Squid Game 3. The Last of Us, 4. Stranger Things (Not pictured at #11).
- High-Cost Productions Dominate: The continued influence of high-cost productions was evident in streaming, with “heavy hitters” leading the way.
- Provider Dominance: Both HBO Max and Netflix secured 3 out of 10 spots in the top 10 TV show
- Sci-Fi Resurgence: The genre surged with titles like Severance, The Last of Us, and Alien: Earth topping the charts.
- Future Trend: The strong performance of Pluribus, IT: Welcome to Derry, MurderBot, and Silo in the top 20 suggests that sci-fi is positioned to be the major breakout genre in 2026.
Bar Chart Race: The Top-Streaming Series of 2025
Visualization showing the week-by-week battle on the JustWatch U.S. Streaming Charts.
Genre Breakouts: Top Titles in Comedy, Drama, Action, and Horror
Gearing Up for 2026: What are the most Anticipated Series coming to streaming?
By analyzing aggregated user interactions, we determined which upcoming series are capturing the most interest from our U.S. audience heading into 2026.
- Wednesday– Netflix (S3)
- Alien: Earth– Hulu (S2)
- Euphoria – HBO Max (S3)
