Welcome to When To Stream’s Weekly Preview! Every week, we take a closer look at the major film streaming releases scheduled to launch in the next 7 days. As always, release dates are subject to change.
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Here are this week’s highlights:
Tuesday, July 7th, 2026
BACKROOMS – $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental
Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell
Synopsis: A strange doorway appears in the basement of a furniture showroom, leading to an endless network of interconnected rooms where time bends and the only thing scarier than getting lost is the sense that something is laying in wait.
What we like:
- The feature film debut of Kane Parsons, who first became famous as a teenager for his viral YouTube “Backrooms” videos, and now, at age 20, has became one of the youngest filmmakers ever to direct a studio-backed theatrical release.
- Rather than relying entirely on digital effects, the production reportedly built more than 30,000 square feet of physical Backrooms sets. According to reports, the maze-like construction was so extensive that people occasionally got lost on set.
- The movie became a major box-office phenomenon, earning over $330 million worldwide (on a $10M production budget) and became the highest-grossing film in A24’s history.
What we don’t like:
- Critics who disliked the film often felt that the characters were less compelling than the setting and didn’t receive enough development. While some viewers enjoyed the creature designs, others thought the entities were less frightening once they were fully revealed.
THE FURIOUS – $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental
Cast: Xie Miao, Joe Taslim, Yang Enyou, Brian Le, Brian Le, Joey Iwanaga
Synopsis: After the daughter of Wang Wei (Xie Miao) is kidnapped by a criminal network and he receives no help from the corrupt police, Wei sets out on a rampage to find her himself. His only ally is Navin (Joe Taslim) – a relentless journalist whose wife has mysteriously disappeared. Fueled by a furious vengeance, the unlikely duo ruthlessly fights against the kidnappers in this explosive martial arts showdown.
What we like:
- This martial arts extravaganza’s biggest selling point is its relentless, inventive fight scenes. Many critics have called the action among the best seen in years, with creative use of environments, weapons, and stunt work. The film currently sits at 98% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Rather than relying heavily on CGI, the movie emphasizes physical performances and practical combat choreography, giving the fights a visceral impact.
- While not exactly a blockbuster, the film did solid business for distributor Lionsgate. It’s box-office total currently stands at $6.2M, which isn’t bad for a actioner that doesn’t feature any marquee stars.
What we don’t like:
- A recurring criticism is that some battles go on for extended periods, occasionally resembling a video game with multiple “boss fights.” The focus on action leaves little room for deeper characterization, so viewers looking for complex emotional arcs may want to look elsewhere.
GIRLS LIKE GIRLS – $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental
Cast: Maya Da Costa, Myra Molloy, Levon Hawke, Zach Braff
Synopsis: Girls Like Girls is a heartfelt coming-of-age story set over the course of one sun-drenched summer, where new-girl-in-town Coley falls in love for the first time while learning to accept herself along the way.
What we like:
- The film is based on the hit 2015 song and viral music video of the same name by Hayley Kiyoko. The music video became an important piece of LGBTQ+ pop culture and has accumulated hundreds of millions of views over the years.
- Kiyoko didn’t just inspire the film…she wrote, directed, and helped adapt it (with Stefanie Scott) from her own 2023 novel. The movie marks her feature-film directorial debut.
- Newcomers Maya da Costa and Myra Molloy lead the cast as Coley and Sonya. More than 4,000 performers reportedly auditioned during the casting process.
- The film received mostly positive reviews from critics. It currently holds a 70 score on Metacritic.
What we don’t like:
- Not much Pride Month business for this coming-of-age drama. Despite a wide-ish release from Focus Features, the film earned only $2.7M at the box-office. We hope it finds its audience on digital, or on Peacock (where it will likely drop next month).
PASSENGER – $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental
Cast: Melissa Leo, Lou Llobell, and Jacob Scipio
Synopsis: After a young couple witnesses a gruesome highway accident, they soon realize they did not leave the crash scene alone, as a demonic presence called the Passenger that won’t stop until it claims them both turns their van life adventure into a nightmare.
What we like:
- The film comes from Norwegian director André Øvredal, whose filmography includes 2010’s Trollhunter (pretty funny mockumentary) 2016’s The Autopsy of Jane Doe (creepy, gross) 2019’s Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (better than expected!) and 2023’s The Last Voyage of the Demeter (wanted to love it more than we did).
- The score was composed by Christopher Young, whose previous horror credits include Hellraiser, The Grudge, Sinister, and Drag Me to Hell.
- One of the film’s most distinctive ideas is turning the romanticized “van life” lifestyle into a horror setting, where the protagonists can never truly find a safe place to stop and rest.
What we don’t like:
- The film’s lasting legacy will likely be its release date. Sandwiched between two horror films that became cultural phenomena (Obsession and Backrooms), Passenger‘s ho-hum premise, title, and execution seemed all the more dated in contrast to the excitement around the Curry Barker and Kane Parsons films.
Also streaming Tuesday:
Wednesday, July 8th, 2026
WARDRIVER – Paramount+
Cast: Dane DeHaan, Sasha Calle with Mamoudou Athie and Jeffrey Donovan
Synopsis: Cole (Dane DeHaan) prowls the city “Wardriving”—hacking from his car and stealing on the move. He convinces himself no one gets hurt, until black-market tech predator Oscar (Mamoudou Athie) forces him into a million-dollar cyber-heist. The job exposes a mob lawyer (Jeffrey Donovan) using Sarah (Sasha Calle) to launder his fortune. As bullets fly and betrayals close in, Cole must risk everything to return the money, protect Sarah, and survive a deadly game of cat-and-mouse where every line of code could be his last.
What we like:
- This crime thriller is based on a terrifying real hacking technique. “Wardriving” is an actual method where hackers drive around scanning for unsecured Wi-Fi networks.
- Not a huge number of reviews for the film, but the ones that have popped up on Rotten Tomatoes have been pretty positive.
- The film was written by Daniel Casey, best known for penning the screenplay for F9: The Fast Saga.
What we don’t like:
- Filmmaker Rebecca Thomas directed episode seven, “The Lost Sister”, of the second season of the Netflix series, Stranger Things. The episode received some negative reception, with Tom Philip for GQ writing, “Easily the worst episode Stranger Things has ever produced, and arguably among the worst in TV history.” Yikes!
Friday, July 10th, 2026
FACES OF DEATH – Shudder
Cast: Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery, Josie Totah, Aaron Holliday, Jermaine Fowler, and Charli XCX
Synopsis: In Faces of Death, the exploration of the original film’s infamous “is it real or not?” conceit continues as a woman working as a content moderator for a major video platform discovers what appears to be re-enactments of murders from the original film. In an online world where nothing can be trusted, she must determine whether the violence is fiction, or unfolding in real time.
What we like:
- The film is not a traditional remake of the infamous 1978 shock film. Director Daniel Goldhaber has described it as a new story inspired by the original’s legacy and themes, focusing on underground VHS culture.
- The cast is stacked with talented performers, including including Dacre Montgomery, Josie Totah, Charli XCX, Jermaine Fowler, and Barbie Ferreira (so great in Mile End Kicks).
- One of the movie’s fascinating major themes is digital desensitization, and the idea that constant exposure to graphic content online can blur the line between entertainment, reality, and exploitation.
What we don’t like:
- In a season of horror overachievers, this one underdelivered at the box-office, earning only about $2.6M domestically. With a reported budget of about $7.4 million, the film was produced on a relatively modest scale compared with most modern studio horror releases, but it might struggle to turn a profit.
REDUX REDUX– Hulu
Cast: Michaela McManus, Stella Marcus, Jeremy Holmitchell
Synopsis: A distraught woman travels through parallel universes to kill her daughter’s murderer over and over again. With each death, she grows more and more addicted to revenge, putting her own humanity in jeopardy.
What we like:
- The film premiered at the 2025 edition of SXSW, where it quickly became one of the most talked-about genre movies of the festival. Reviews overall have been excellent, with the film holding a 97% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
- It was written and directed by the filmmaking brothers Kevin McManus and Matthew McManus, and stars their real-life sister Michaela McManus. It’s her first leading role in a feature film.
- Unlike many multiverse films that focus on complicated rules and exposition, Redux Redux keeps the concept relatively simple and centers on grief, trauma, and the emotional cost of revenge.
What we don’t like:
- Distributor Saban Films didn’t report grosses on the film, and barely gave it much of a theatrical release. It deserves a look, and we’re glad it’s coming to a platform like Hulu, where it should get some nice word-of-mouth.
REMINDERS OF HIM – Peacock
Cast: Maika Monroe, Tyriq Withers, Rudy Pankow, Lainey Wilson, Lauren Graham, and Bradley Whitford
Synopsis: When Diem’s custodial grandparents adamantly refuse Kenna’s attempts to see her, she discovers unexpected compassion, and then something truer and deeper, with former NFL player and local bar owner Ledger. As their secret romance develops, so do the dangers for both of them, leading Kenna toward heartbreak and, ultimately, the hope for a second chance.
What we like:
- The film adapts the 2022 novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, which sold millions of copies worldwide and became a viral hit on BookTok. Hoover actually co-wrote the screenplay herself, alongside Lauren Levine.
- Maika Monroe, who plays Kenna, built her career in horror films (It Follows, Longlegs), but here makes a notable shift into emotional romantic drama.
- Country music star Lainey Wilson makes her feature film acting debut.
- This was Universal Pictures first film to benefit from the studio’s new extended theatrical window PVOD policy. It stayed exclusively in theaters for 5 weekends, rather than the usual 3 weekends.
What we don’t like:
- We haven’t seen the film, but based on the posters, we’re assuming it’s a love triangle between a man, a woman, and a pickup truck:
Also streaming Friday:
AMORES PERROS – 4K RESTORATION
Happy Streaming Everyone!
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