3 Best Movies To Watch On Netflix This Weekend (August 15-16)

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Published Aug 14, 2026, 6:00 PM EDT

Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more.

Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics."

Netflix subscribers can check out a couple of major new releases on the streaming service this weekend, as well as a thriller featuring a beloved star that is now available on Netflix. On last weekend's Netflix recommendations, I talked about Five Nights At Freddy's 2, Black Adam, The Last House. The list was perfect for subscribers who are genre fans.

Right now, only one of those movies is trending on the streaming service nationwide, and it happens to be the only Netflix Original movie. That would be Wagner Moura and Greta Lee's The Last House, which is currently the most-watched movie on Netflix in the United States. Additionally, according to FlixPatrol, The Last House is Netflix's #1 movie in the world.

Looking at the offerings on last weekend's recommendations, I think it is time we changed things up a bit. Netflix's library of movies might present plenty of exciting genre options, with sci-fi, fantasy, and superhero fare booming at the streamer. However, given how all three picks last weekend were genre releases, I have decided to bring more dramatic picks for Netflix subscribers.

To that point, viewers looking for a movie to watch on Netflix this weekend will have the opportunity of checking out an impactful coming-of-age dramedy, a surreal documentary about a true story, and an R-rated thriller with former James Bond actor Daniel Craig. Get ready for a weekend of intense movies on Netflix that will surprise subscribers.

3 Don't Say Good Luck (2026)

Starting us off is Don't Say Good Luck, which was just released on Netflix this Friday, August 14. The new Netflix Original is a teen drama that centers itself on Sophie, who has to wrestle with her mother's dire condition — she is dying from cancer — and her preparation to lead her high school production of the musical Waitress.

Sophie is played by Sunny Sandler, the daughter of comedic icon Adam Sandler. The film offers plenty of laughs and emotional moments as Sophie really comes into her own at the most trying period in her life. Don't Say Good Luck boasts a near-perfect 95% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes. The Netflix movie also features names like Melanie Lynskey, Max Greenfield, Stephanie Beatriz, and Steve Buscemi.

2 A Child of My Own (2026)

A Child of My Own is the only movie on this list that is already trending on Netflix. At the time of writing, the new documentary stands as the 5th most-watched movie on Netflix in the United States. A Child of My Own, which was released on Netflix on Thursday, August 13, explores how Eleonor Alejandra Marín Mendoza faked her pregnancy and went to extreme lengths to keep it going.

The Netflix movie is a hybrid documentary, at times telling its story through staged scenes with actors, while also featuring interviews with those who were directly connected to the case, as well as archival footage from when it made the news in Mexico. Alejandra’s testimony to director Maite Alberdi drives the film, which explores her kidnapping a baby and more.

1 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

Finally, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which arrives on Netflix this Saturday, August 15, is a thrilling finale to our weekend recommendations. The movie stars former James Bond actor Daniel Craig as Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist who enlists the help of Rooney Mara's peculiar Lisbeth Salander, a hacker, to investigate the disappearance of a girl from a rich family 40 years before.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is an intense, atmospheric thriller with compelling performances from Craig and Mara. The R-rated movie holds a high 86% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a matching audience score. Directed by one of Hollywood's best, David Fincher, a master of the thriller genre, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will leave new viewers in awe on Netflix this weekend.