Traditionally, August is a quiet month for streaming services – a time for audiences to catch up on all the movies and TV shows they may have missed in the preceding months.
Not so in 2022. This year, studio bosses have seen fit to bombard subscribers with perhaps more new arrivals than in any month prior. Headlining the pack this weekend is The Sandman on Netflix, but the likes of Prime Video, HBO Max and Paramount Plus get plenty of welcome additions, too.
Below, then, we’ve rounded up seven of the biggest new movies and TV shows available to watch on streaming services this August weekend. Happy bingeing!
The Sandman (Netflix)
Having lumbered through big and small screen development hell for more than three decades, The Sandman finally arrives on Netflix this weekend.
This long-awaited adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s beloved comic series tells the story of Dream, one of the seven Endless – a group of superhuman beings more powerful than gods – who escapes capture after 105 years and sets out to restore order to his magical kingdom. Tom Sturridge, David Thewlis, Jenna Coleman and Game of Thrones alumni Charles Dance and Gwendoline Christie are among the show’s stellar cast.
In our review, we said The Sandman’s “fascinating cast of characters, expansive universe and deeply human themes” make it “worthy of Gaiman's dark fantasy comic book series.” We also spoke with the shows’ cast and crew to find out how they finally brought this high-concept story to life.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Prey (Hulu, Disney Plus)
One of the most anticipated new horror movies of 2022, Prey is now available to stream on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.
A pseudo prequel to 1987’s Predator – the movie’s director, Dan Trachtenberg, has his own take on its position in the franchise – Prey tells the story of Naru (Amber Midthunder), a member of a Comanche Nation tribe who sets out to hunt a primitive version of the series’ titular creature in 1719.
We described the film as “unashamedly violent, surprisingly poignant and simplistically effective” in our review, calling Prey the best Predator movie since the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring original. Horror fans, this isn’t one to miss.
Now available to stream on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.
Thirteen Lives (Prime Video)
Ron Howard (Rush, Apollo 13) returns to the director’s chair with Thirteen Lives, which is now streaming on Prime Video having been swept up in Amazon’s merger with MGM.
A fictionalized depiction of the 2018 incident that saw a soccer team and their coach trapped in a flooded Thailand cave for 18 days, the movie stars Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell and Joel Edgerton as members of the rescue team who saved them.
Early critical reception has been universally positive so far, with one reviewer calling Thirteen Lives an “overwhelming auditory and visual experience that necessarily puts its audience right in the peril.” We’d suggest watching this one alongside Nat Geo’s Disney Plus documentary, The Rescue, which re-tells the same story with real-life footage.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Industry season 2 (HBO Max)
A potent mix of Euphoria and Succession, HBO’s high-finance drama series, Industry, returns for a second season this week.
Set two years after the show’s first season, new episodes find young investment bankers Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Harper (Myha'la Herrold) and Robert (Harry Lawtey) struggling to cope with the pressures of the job, their relationships and the pandemic at a prestigious London finance firm.
Industry season 2’s first episode is available to stream now on HBO Max, with its remaining seven set to arrive every Monday through September 19. UK viewers will have to wait until the series returns to BBC iPlayer, though no release date has been confirmed as yet.
Now available to stream on HBO Max in the US.
Luck (Apple TV Plus)
Arriving hot on the heels of Netflix’s The Sea Beast this weekend is Luck, Apple’s own fantasy-inspired animated adventure for Apple TV Plus.
Featuring the voice talents of Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg and John Ratzenberger, this one follows Sam Greenfield, the self-proclaimed unluckiest person in the world who, after finding herself in the mystical Land of Luck, must befriend its magical creatures to turn her fortunes around.
Reviews have been less-than-complimentary so far – one critic called the movie “pound-shop Pixar” and “a short straw for young audiences” – but families will surely find plenty to enjoy from Luck’s well-meaning story.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Mike Judge's Beavis and Butt-Head (Paramount Plus)
Following a surprisingly well-received movie sequel back in June, Beavis and Butt-Head returns to the small screen proper on Paramount Plus this August.
This two-season revival (the second is already in development) sees franchise creator Mike Judge reprise his role(s) as the series’ titular delinquents, who get up to their usual apathetic, heavy-metal loving tricks across 12 new episodes.
The refreshed Beavis and Butt-Head has been praised for proving that “stupidity never goes out of style” – so those looking for an easy laugh this weekend need look no further.
Now available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Carter (Netflix)
Fans of John Wick and The Raid, listen up: Carter is now streaming on Netflix.
From renowned Korean director Jung Byung-gil, this one follows Joo Won’s seemingly indestructible Agent Carter (no, not that one), a man who, after suffering from memory loss, finds himself thrown into an explosive hostage rescue mission filled with twists and turns.
Reviews for Carter haven’t surfaced just yet, but by the looks of the movie’s trailer, it seems primed to please fans of ridiculous action romps.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
