Netflix’s top 10 movies list is an ever-changing thing, with each month welcoming a new class of film titles to the streaming service. With so many options, it can be challenging to figure out which ones are actually worth your time.
But Tom’s Guide is here to help — we’ve sorted through the streamer’s current top 10 to narrow those overwhelming options down to the three best movies you shouldn’t miss, including a pulpy M. Night Shyamalan thriller, an action-packed crime drama and a fan-favorite buddy comedy
overlooked legal thriller, an action-packed crime thriller, and a fun action-adventure flick based on a popular tabletop role-playing game.
Not feeling these picks? Don’t worry — there’s plenty more to check out in our guide to everything new on Netflix this month. But for now, let’s dive into the three must-watch movies in Netflix’s top 10 right now.
This article is based on Netflix’s top 10 movies list in the U.S. as of 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, March 13.
Best movies in the Netflix top 10
‘Trap’
One of this century’s defining voices of the thriller genre, M. Night Shyamalan is behind some of the most suspenseful titles out there, from “The Sixth Sense” to “Split” to “Knock at the Cabin.”
His latest, “Trap”, is no less entertaining. Starring an against-type Josh Hartness, the sleek, psychological thriller sinisterly follows a doting dad-slash-serial killer as he evades a police blockade while attending a concert with his teenage daughter.
“Trap” is not one of the filmmaker’s best-reviewed flicks — the 2024 title has a 57% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (its audience-rated Popcornmeter score fares slightly better at 65%), with the site’s critical consensus reading: “An arch thriller given some grounding by Josh Hartnett’s committed performance, Shyamalan’s Trap will ensnare those who appreciate its tongue-in-cheek style while the rest will be eager to wriggle out from it.”
But it still makes for a very fun watch, packed with all of the dark humor, tense atmosphere and jaw-dropping twists that we’ve come to expect from the modern-day auteur.
Watch it now on Netflix
‘Friday’
The majority of the Netflix Top 10 are recent flicks, like 2024 titles “Venom: The Last Dance” and “Despicable Me 4,” but there is a relative oldie in the mix: the 1995 comedy classic “Friday.”
Starring rapper-actor Ice Cube and Chris Tucker, the beloved buddy comedy follows two unemployed pals Craig and Smokey, who are in some serious trouble after being indebted to a local drug dealer in South Central Los Angeles.
Surrounded by an ensemble cast that includes Nia Long, Regina King, John Witherspoon and Bernie Mac, the ’90s movie chronicles the men’s hijinks (emphasis on high) over the course of a day — Friday, naturally.
On Rotten Tomatoes, “Friday” has a 77% critical rating and a 91% audience approval. Even better? The film’s sequel, 2000’s “Next Friday”, is also on Netflix and similarly cracked the platform’s top ten list this week, so make it a double feature!
Watch it now on Netflix
‘Sicario’
Praised for its moody atmosphere, adrenaline-pumping action sequences and top-notch acting performances, “Sicario” is considered one of the best crime thrillers of all time.
Directed by famed filmmaker Denis Villeneuve, the gritty and gripping drama centers around idealistic FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), who is enlisted by a mysterious CIA officer Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) to bring down the leader of a powerful and dangerous Mexican drug cartel.
Alongside them on this perilous journey to the “lawless” stretch of land between the United States and Mexico is the secretive Alejandro Gillick (a spine-chilling Benicio del Toro), whose true motives remain unclear.
Given the high-level talents involved, it’s no surprise that the 2015 film earned an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising the “outstanding work from Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro” and calling “Sicario” a “taut, tightly wound thriller with much more on its mind than attention-getting set pieces.”
Watch it now on Netflix
Netflix top 10 movies right now
1. “Trap” (2024)
2. “Despicable Me 4” (2024)
3. “Plankton The Movie”
4. “Friday” (1995)
5. “Midnight in the Switchgrass” (2021)
6. “CHAOS: The Manson Murders” (2025)
7. “Next Friday” (2000)
8. “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” (2022)
9. “Sicario” (2015)
10. “Venom: The Last Dance” (2024)
