10 Best New Movies On Peacock (Updated May 2023)

The best new movies on Peacock offer a mix of genres and eras for audiences. Peacock is the rookie of streaming services, only gaining its start in 2020. However, Peacock is in full swing, regularly releasing a host of great movies from a variety of time periods and genres. It doesn’t seem like it’ll be long until Peacock is right up there with the big dogs such as Netflix, Hulu, and Prime Video. Every month, Peacock adds a huge crop of movies on the first, then sprinkles more new releases throughout the following weeks to keep streamers with plenty of new content.

While many of Peacock’s television shows are original content for the streaming service, the movies are more likely to be classic favorites. May 2023 is full of such favorites as the streamer updates its catalog with what are known as “library” movies, not new releases. There is a healthy mix of action and drama in particular.

10 Erin Brockovich (2000)

• Available to stream on May 1

Inspired by real events, Erin Brockovich tells the story of a single mom working as an assistant in a legal office who takes it upon herself to make sure the residents of an area affected by contaminated water get justice. Erin, played by Julia Roberts, goes out to interview those families affected and takes water samples herself. She becomes the crusader who convinces the legal team not to let the case go.

The movie earned Julia Roberts an Oscar nod, and her first Oscar win. It earned four other nominations at the Oscars that year for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Albert Finney as well, making it one of the best movies added to Peacock this month.

9 Hulk (2003)

• Available to stream on May 1

While most Marvel fans are familiar with Mark Ruffalo’s version of the Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there have been other actors in the role before him. Before the Hulk was part of the MCU, Ang Lee adapted the comics for the big screen with Eric Bana in the lead role.

While the movie isn’t the most beloved version of the Hulk’s origin story, it’s got a wealth of talent behind it that makes it a very fun watch. In addition to Ang Lee at the helm and Bana as Hulk, the movie also stars Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliot, and Josh Lucas in roles based on comic book characters. It also features the obligatory Stan Lee cameo, but also one from original Hulk series star Lou Ferrigno.

8 The Joy Luck Club (1993)

• Available to stream on May 1

Based on Amy Tan’s novel of the same name, The Joy Luck Club was the first modern movie to tackle the generational tension for Asian American families in the 1990s. The story followed a group of mothers, all born in China, who gave birth to daughters in the United States of America. Because of the differences in the countries, there’s a divide between the tradition the mothers grew up with and the modern sensibilities of the daughters.

Led by a stellar cast that includes the likes of Tsai Chin, Tamlyn Tomita, Ming-Na Wen, and Lauren Tom, The Joy Luck Club was nominated for a handful of awards at the time, largely for the screenplay. It was added to the National Film Registry in 2020.

7 Speed (1994)

• Available to stream on May 1

Speed might not have been nominated for any prestigious awards, but the 1994 action movie has a place in pop culture history. It certainly made an impression on audiences at the time and even earned a (less loved) sequel.

Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves lead the cast in a story of a bus being used in a fast-moving hostage situation. The bus can’t drop below a certain speed or the bomb under the bus will explode and kill everyone on board. Bullock plays a passenger who ends up driving the bus when the driver is incapacitated. Reeves is the law enforcement officer who tries to help her.

6 Dear White People (2014)

• Available to stream on May 1

Few movies have examined the Black experience in America the way Dear White People does. The movie is social satire set at an Ivy League school with a conflict that stems from a party in which White students don Black-face.

Starring Tessa Thompson, Tyler James Williams, and Teyonah Paris, the movie earned several NAACP and Black Reel nominations. Paris and Williams both won Black Reels for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance. The movie also spawned a television series narrated by Giancarlo Esposito.

RELATED: Best New TV Shows On Peacock This Month

5 The Mummy Trilogy (1999)

• Available to stream on May 1

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Wiesz have some of the best chemistry in any action movie in The Mummy. Wiesz gives an earnest performance as the adventurous Evie who doesn’t have any fear of the unknown. Fraser is the practical one in their business arrangement when his character guides Evie and her brother (John Hannah) to a lost tomb.

The movie has the perfect blend of action, humor, and drama – along with a love story – that keeps the audience coming back for more. It spawned two sequels, though The Mummy is easily better than its follow-ups, and a theme park ride at Universal Studios. There’s even been talk of more installments for the franchise, but fans can watch all three movies on Peacock now.

4 Schindler’s List (1993)

• Available to stream on May 1

Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List often finds itself among the “best” movie lists by media outlets, but at 3 hours and 15 minutes, some movie fans found it too long when it premiered in 1993. The movie went on to win seven Oscars and earn five more Oscar nominations though.

Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes in particular have earned praise for their work in the years since the movie’s initial debut. Neeson stars as Schindler, a German business person who turns his factory into a safe haven for the Jewish people. Inspired by a true story, his work helps to save more than 1,000 people from being killed at the concentration camp at Auschwitz.

3 True Lies (1994)

• Available to stream on May 1

Action and family drama combine in True Lies. Starring Jamie Lee Curtis as a woman who doesn’t know her husband is a spy and Arnold Schwarzenegger as her husband, the story sees the married couple at odds as she tries to uncover what he’s hiding from her, but lying to his family is part of the spy’s job.

True Lies has also spawned a television series nearly 30 years after the original movie debuted. The 2023 television series inspired by the movie can be found on rival streamer Paramount+.

2 The King’s Speech (2010)

• Available to stream on May 1

While most movies centering on royalty choose to tell love stories or war stories, The King’s Speech is different. It focuses on the ascension of George VI to the throne in England, but alongside his training to overcome a speech impediment.

The king is played by Colin Firth who won an Oscar for his work. The King’s Speech earned three more Oscar wins and eight nominations. It also picked up several BAFTAs and Golden Globes.

1 Keanu (2016)

• Available to stream on May 3

Some movie fans might not have thought that a popcorn action flick and a kitten could mix well, but Keanu proves them wrong. The kitten in question actually belongs to a criminal kingpin but ends up in the custody of a pair of cousins who end up on one of the most terrifying adventures of their life as a result.

Starring Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as the cousins, the movie has a surprising amount of heart in the middle of its laugh-out-loud comedy. With an adorable kitten along for the ride, the audience stays entertained all the way through, making it a great addition for those using Peacock to find new movies.