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, August 25th, 2026
ABOVE & BELOW – $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental
Cast: Laura Marano, Antonio Banderas, Christina Ochoa, Diego Llinás, Timothy V. Murphy and Louis Mandylor
Synopsis: During a Mexican shark dive, five friends are ambushed after discovering cartel cocaine. Trapped in a shark cage, Tatiana and Kaley are forced by the cartel to retrieve a bag of drugs on the seafloor. Battling legendary great white sharks, dwindling air, and armed killers, the survivors mount a brutal fight to outsmart their captors and escape.
What we like:
- This is director Jesse V. Johnson’s 26th feature, and his filmography is kind of a miracle. Not only have we never seen any of his films, we’ve never heard of any of them! Until now…
- Cinematographer Maxime Alexandre also shot Alexandre Aja’s 2019 crocodiles-in-a-flooded-house thriller Crawl, which was nasty fun. So he knows his way around the water.
- Rotten Tomatoes’ critic roundup includes praise for the movie’s shark attacks being used relatively sparingly and presented in a way one reviewer considered less obviously CGI-heavy than many modern shark movies.
What we don’t like:
- Just a few years after his Oscar-nominated triumph in Pain and Glory, Antonio Banderas finds himself in D-grade slop like this…which is dispiriting. Still, he’s living full-time in Spain now, and this was probably an easy shoot and nice paycheck. Can’t begrudge him that. Plus, he’s got a terrific supporting role in the currently-in-theaters Tony. Would love to see him get another nomination (for Tony, not Above & Below)!
THE DEB – $14.99 Sale / TBD Rental
Cast: Rebel Wilson, Charlotte MacInnes, Natalie Abbott, Julian McMahon
Synopsis: Taylah Simpkins, a rural teenage outcast aims to redefine herself at her town’s Debutante Ball. When her cynical city cousin, Maeve, is sent to stay with her, they clash before teaming up to disrupt the status quo, finding self-acceptance and dates in the process.
What we like:
- This musical comedy marks Rebel Wilson’s feature-film directorial debut. She also has a supporting role in the film.
- The movie began as a stage musical and was adapted from a musical that won the 2023 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Production for Young People.
- Wilson drew inspiration from iconic Australian movies, and cited films such as The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Muriel’s Wedding (two all-time classics) as inspirations. She wanted to create something colorful, funny and distinctly Australian in that tradition.
- The movie received a strong critical response from critics (it’s currently 85% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), with many particularly responding to its combination of humor, heart and musical energy.
What we don’t like:
- The film endured a multi-front legal and public relations war between director Rebel Wilson, the film’s British producers (Amanda Ghost, Gregor Cameron, and Vince Holden), and lead actress Charlotte MacInnes. Triggered by a disputed incident during the 2023 film shoot, the fallout includes allegations of sexual misconduct, embezzlement, bullying, and defamation spanning courts in Los Angeles and Australia. The whole thing is messy.
HADESTOWN: THE MUSICAL – $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental
Cast: Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page, Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne, Allie Daniel
Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world inspired by New Orleans, the tragic love of Orpheus and Eurydice is intertwined with the complex relationship of Hades and Persephone. Eurydice, struggling with poverty, is lured to the industrial underworld of Hadestown by Hades, while Orpheus, a struggling musician, ventures down below to bring her back.
What we like:
- All five original Broadway stars reunited for this pro-shot version of the hit Broadway musical: Reeve Carney returned as Orpheus, Eva Noblezada as Eurydice, Patrick Page as Hades, Amber Gray as Persephone, and André De Shields as Hermes.
- The production was captured in 2025 at London’s Lyric Theatre during the West End run. Brett Sullivan directed the filmed version, while Rachel Chavkin, who originally directed the stage musical, remained the production’s original stage director.
- The film was a breakout hit for distributor Bleecker Street Film, earning over $20M at the domestic box-office. That’s huge for a pro-shot Broadway production, surpassing Hamilton (which was release during COVID…so…grain of salt) and last year’s Merrily We Roll Along.
What we don’t like:
- Opinions were mixed on the cinematic transition, with some praising the intimate close-ups, while others feeling the stylistic camera cuts overproduced the raw stage experience. We suppose there’s no pleasing everyone!
HER PRIVATE HELL – $19.99 Sale / $14.99 Rental
Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Havana Rose Liu, Kristine Froseth, Dougray Scott, Diego Calva, Shioli Kutsuna, Aoi Yamada and Hidetoshi Nishijima
Synopsis: When a mysterious mist engulfs a futuristic metropolis, unleashing a deadly and elusive entity, a troubled young woman searches for her father. Her quest collides with an American GI on a harrowing odyssey to rescue his daughter from Hell.
What we like:
- Her Private Hell is Nicolas Winding Refn’s first feature since 2016’s The Neon Demon, following his television projects Too Old to Die Young and Copenhagen Cowboy.
- Refn reunites with the legendary Pino Donaggio, who composed the music. Donaggio is particularly famous for his collaborations with Brian De Palma, including Carrie, Dressed to Kill and Body Double.
- The film is stacked with terrific young actors, including Sophie Thatcher, Charles Melton, Havana Rose Liu, and Diego Calva.
What we don’t like:
- Premiering at the 79th Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, the film sparked walkouts alongside a lengthy standing ovation, leaving audiences deeply divided over its provocative and surreal exploration of exploitation and psychosexual trauma. Critics were pretty negative, as it currently sits at 40% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. But if you’re a Refn fan, this is, of course, a must-see.
MARY OLIVER: SAVED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD – PBS App (9p ET)
Cast: Stephen Colbert, John Waters, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, V, Maria Shriver, Major Jackson, Mark Doty, Lucy Dacus, Helena Bonham Carter, Ada Limón, Donika Kelly
Synopsis: From a lonely childhood to literary fame, her life was shaped by devotion to nature, paying attention, and the long journey toward learning to love and to be loved. If poetry had a pop icon, Mary Oliver would be it.
What we like:
- Sasha Waters directed, produced and edited this portrait of poet Mary Oliver. She previously directed the acclaimed documentary Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable, which won a Special Jury Prize at SXSW.
- The filmmakers had access to never-before-seen photographs, notebook pages and correspondence from Oliver’s archive, and the film features poetry recitations by Helena Bonham Carter, Stephen Colbert, Lucy Dacus, Steve Buscemi and Oprah Winfrey.
- John Waters is among Oliver’s friends and admirers featured in the documentary, and if John Waters is a fan, it deserves our attention.
What we don’t like:
- Mary Oliver became the best-selling poet in the U.S., beloved by millions, widely shared on social media, and quoted on merchandise. Her accessible lines (like “your one wild and precious life”) function as comfort or self-help counsel to her readers. But academic critics often dismissed her massive popularity, arguing her earnestness borders on platitudes. As noted in the film, she never received a full-length review in The New York Times during her career despite winning both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
MOTOR CITY – $24.99 Sale / $19.99 Rental
Cast: Alan Ritchson, Ben Foster, Shailene Woodley, Pablo Schreiber, Ben McKenzie, Lionel Boyce, Amar Chadha-Patel
Synopsis: In 1970s Detroit, John Miller falls in love with the girlfriend of a local gangster. To get revenge, the gangster sets up a frame-up to send the innocent man to prison. With his life ruined, Miller plots revenge against the man who took his girlfriend away from him.
What we like:
- One of the film’s defining characteristics is its near-total lack of spoken dialogue. Director Potsy Ponciroli deliberately tells the revenge story through performances, action, music, editing and sound design.
- The soundtrack’s needle-drop selections were curated by The White Stripes’ Jack White, who also appears in the movie as a piano player.
- After its world premiere at the 2025 Venice International Film Festival, the film received okay reviews from critics. It currently sits at 63% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
What we don’t like:
- Ponciroli has described Motor City as a love letter to Detroit and 1970s filmmaking, emphasizing its gritty visual style and tactile theatrical experience. But it was filmed in New Jersey.
Also Streaming Tuesday:
BATMAN: KNIGHTFALL PART 1: KNIGHTFALL
Wednesday, August 26th, 2026
THE LAST SUNRISE – Prime Video
Cast: Maia Reficco, Fernando Lindez, and Eva Longoria
Synopsis: Based on the beloved novel, The Last Sunrise follows Ry (Maia Reficco), a college student with a chronic illness, on a summer escape to Mallorca with her mother (Eva Longoria). As she unexpectedly falls for Julián (Fernando Lindez) and begins to embrace living in the moment, her worsening condition and long-hidden family secrets threaten to unravel everything before the summer ends.
What we like:
- This romance is based on a novel by Anna Todd, who is best known for creating the hugely popular After book series (After, After We Fell, After We Collided, After Ever Happy).
- It was directed by Carlson Young, who is also helming the upcoming Prime Video holiday film Clashing Through the Snow (release date TBA).
- The production filmed on Mallorca in Spain, giving the movie its Mediterranean setting. It makes us desperate to visit Mallorca.
What we don’t like:
- Eva Longoria has a supporting role in the film, and we’re assuming she filmed it concurrently with her CNN travel series Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain. We watched the whole series, and it was lovely (though Tucci is still the gold standard), but we just don’t think it’s fair that Longoria gets to visit these beautiful places and we don’t. Plus…she gets paid to do it. Can you tell we desperately need a vacation?
Friday, August 28th, 2026
DESERT WARRIOR – Hulu
Cast: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Sharlto Copley & Sir Ben Kingsley
Synopsis: Defying a ruthless emperor, a princess flees into the Arabian desert, hunted by mercenaries. Forged into a warrior and aided by a legendary bandit, she unites warring tribes for a last stand that will change history.
What we like:
- One of the most ambitious film projects ever produced in Saudi Arabia, with a reported budget of about $150 million, making it the country’s most expensive movie production to date.
- The movie stars a cast that were hopefully very well compensated, including Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Sharlto Copley. Mackie plays the rogue warrior Hanzala, while Kingsley portrays the Persian emperor Kisra.
- Much of the production was shot in Saudi Arabia’s massive NEOM desert region, part of the country’s broader “Vision 2030” effort to build a global entertainment industry. Saudi crew members were also trained during production as part of the initiative.
What we don’t like:
- Hoo boy…could this be the biggest box-office money loser in cinema history? The film failed to crack the $1M mark globally, which…wow. Can Saudi Arabia afford to lose that kind of money???
- Director Rupert Wyatt, best known for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, reportedly left the project during post-production because of creative disagreements, then later returned to finish his preferred cut of the film.
THE WHISPER MAN – Netflix
Cast: Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, Hamish Linklater, Owen Teague, Acston Luca Porto, Will Brill
Synopsis: Based on the New York Times bestselling novel by Alex North. When his eight-year-old son is abducted, a widowed crime writer looks to his estranged father, a retired former police detective, for help, only to discover a connection with the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer known as “The Whisper Man.”
What we like:
- This serial killer drama is directed by James Ashcroft, who previously helmed the amusing John Lithgow – Geoffrey Rush psychological horror film The Rule of Jenny Pen.
- Like most Netflix films these days, the cast is ridiculously overqualified: Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, Michael Keaton, John Carroll Lynch, Hamish Linklater, and Owen Teague all belly-up to the Netflix money bar.
- Filming took place in and around Plainfield, New Jersey. New Jersey is having a moment!
What we don’t like:
- The Whisper Man is the sixth film collaboration between Netflix and AGBO, the production company founded by Anthony and Joe Russo. Previous Netflix/AGBO projects include Extraction, Extraction 2, The Electric State, Mosul, and The Gray Man. Let’s just say that track record doesn’t inspire a huge amount of confidence. But we’ll still check it out!
Also Streaming Friday:
Happy Streaming Everyone!
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