Though its claim to fame is its impressive library of iconic TV shows and hit originals, Hulu also boasts of an equally captivating movie collection. As highlighted in our Hulu review, this collection features a good mix of nostalgic classics and new, critically-acclaimed titles.
If you read our Hulu vs. Netflix comparison, you might notice that Netflix has a leg up when it comes to content. But there’s still plenty to check out on Hulu, with thousands of titles currently on-demand.
And this on-demand library is accessible even with your Hulu + Live TV subscription, as highlighted in our Hulu + Live TV review. Check out our list of all the live channels on Hulu + Live TV to find out what else you can get besides on-demand content. You can further expand your Hulu content library by bundling it with other services like Disney+ and ESPN+. Read our review of the Disney+, ESPN+, and Hulu bundle to learn more about this option.
In this post, we give you an overview of the top Hulu movies to help you make the most of your subscription. This list makes even more sense if you plan on signing up for the 7-day Hulu free trial as you’d want to try out some of the best Hulu movies within that short window.
How we rate Hulu movies
We put together a list of the best movies on Hulu based on ratings from critics and general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. Most of these titles are popular releases from the past few years. But we found some iconic masterpieces from the past several decades too. We also made sure to include top movies on Hulu that are fun to watch for when you just need a good distraction.
By carefully balancing each of these factors, we found some of the best movies to watch on Hulu. Note that we made sure to only include titles that you can watch on demand with your subscription and excluded anything that would need a premium add-on. For instance, we didn’t include any of the titles that you only get with an HBO add-on.
This list includes a good mix of iconic classics and new movies on Hulu. Although many of the movies here are geared toward adults, we included a few films like Amazing Grace and Abominable that are appropriate for the whole family to watch together on movie night.
If you don’t have a Hulu subscription yet and you want to give these movies a try, don’t forget to sign up for a free trial. And in case you want to better understand how this works, use our guide to learn more about the Hulu free trial offers. You can also learn more about the available Hulu packages to see which one might be best for you after the end of your free trial.
Top 10 Hulu movies
1: Minding the Gap (2018)
- # of seasons: …
- Average TOMATOMETER: 100%
- Average Audience Score: 92%
Directed by Bing Liu, this documentary film is a compilation of over 12 years of footage that captures the stories of three young men in Rockford, IL. It explores the complexities of late-adolescent masculinity as Bing and his friends bond over skateboarding and use it as an escape from their turbulent upbringings. Bing weaves a story around generational forgiveness as he navigates his own past and interpersonal relationships.
The film unfolds to give an intimate and realistic look at their individual struggles with adult responsibilities as well as racial and class issues. While Zack tries to deal with his deteriorating relationship with his girlfriend after the birth of their son, Keire struggles with racial identity and the death of his father.
2: Shoplifters (2018)
- Average TOMATOMETER: 99%
- Average Audience Score: 91%
A non-biological makeshift family living in Tokyo routinely engages in petty crime to cope with poverty and make ends meet. The movie follows the family as they deal with a new addition to the family, a little girl called Yuri whom they decide to take in after learning of her abuse at the hands of her parents.
As the film unfolds, it gradually breaks down each member’s history. Their lives begin to unravel when the son, Shota, gets caught shoplifting. The movie explores the bond they share and their fierce loyalty to each other due to shared circumstances that brought them together in the first place.
3: Honeyland (2019)
- Average TOMATOMETER: 100%
- Average Audience Score: 86%
This Macedonian documentary film follows the story of Hatidže Muratova, who lives in a remote mountain village and works as a keeper of wild bees. She earns a living by selling honey in the capital and takes care of her partially-blind, bedridden mother.
Things start to change when a nomadic family arrives at the village, and the father takes up wild beekeeping himself. Even though he initially finds success under Hatidže’s guidance, he disregards her advice and causes her bee colony to collapse. Through her story, the film explores critical environmental topics such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity as well as subtle elements of consumerism and resource depletion.
4: Parasite (2019)
- Average TOMATOMETER: 98%
- Average Audience Score: 90%
Currently one of the best movies on Hulu right now, Parasite tells the story of a financially-struggling family who use their street smarts to make ends meet. It follows the family as their lives intertwine with that of the affluent Parks, deftly exploring topics of class discrimination.
The family craftily installs themselves into the Park household by providing luxury services after the son manages to land a tutoring job there. But their newfound comfort becomes endangered as they discover an interloper whose involvement could destroy their fragile, symbiotic relationship with the Parks.
5: Blackfish (2013)
- Average TOMATOMETER: 98%
- Average Audience Score: 90%
Many of the good movies on Hulu are documentaries, and 2013’s Blackfish is definitely one of the best on the platform. This dark, gripping film follows an orca named Tilikum, who’s held in captivity and used for performances. The documentary examines the adverse effects of keeping orcas in captivity for years and making them perform.
The plot focuses on the three human deaths Tilikum was involved in and how the psychological effects of being held in captivity could have contributed to those deaths. The release of this film had wide-ranging impacts and contributed to ending many killer whale shows and captivity breeding programs across the country.
6: Abominable (2019)
- Average TOMATOMETER: 81%
- Average Audience Score: 95%
This animated adventure/comedy from Dreamworks is a fun watch for all ages. The story follows a young girl from Shanghai named Yi who finds a Yeti one night on the roof of the apartment building where she lives. Yi names the Yeti Everest, and the pair must go on an adventure with a few others to help Everest get back to his family.
This Dreamworks feature follows a familiar plot line that you may have seen before, but the animation is stunning and the voice acting is warm and funny. You’ll enjoy the movie with your kids and appreciate the fine craftsmanship of the digital animation.
7: Amazing Grace (2018)
- Average TOMATOMETER: 99%
- Average Audience Score: 80%
More than 40 years in the making, this concert film/documentary hybrid treats audiences to the performance that created the best-selling gospel album of all time. The film revolves around Aretha Franklin’s transcendent 1972 performance at an L.A. Baptist church. Originally commissioned by Warner Bros., the concert was never released due to technical difficulties with the filming.
After a few false starts over the decades, Amazing Grace has finally been realized with modern film editing. It should be noted that Franklin herself blocked the film’s release in the past, but her estate eventually allowed audiences to glimpse one of the greatest gospel performances ever recorded. Franklin sings the stunning titular track, clocking in at over 10 minutes, about half-way through the film.
8: Heathers (1989)
- Average TOMATOMETER: 93%
- Average Audience Score: 83%
This iconic ‘80s black comedy follows the story of Veronica Sawyer, who makes up 1/4th of a popular and feared clique in her high school. The other members, all called Heather, come from rich families and live a privileged lifestyle. They routinely orchestrate the humiliation of people who fail to meet their leader’s standards.
As Veronica starts to exhibit conscience, she becomes increasingly tired of the Heathers’ antics and misses hanging out with her “nerdy” friends. She then finds a welcome distraction in a rebellious newcomer named J.D and gets entangled in his web of manipulation. Veronica becomes an unwilling participant in J.D’s murder plots until she eventually manages to fix things.
9: Hunt for the Wilder People (2016)
- Average TOMATOMETER: 97%
- Average Audience Score: 91%
Written and directed by rising star Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit, Thor: Ragnarok), this New Zealand dramedy tells the story of a juvenile delinquent named Ricky who leaves his home in the city to stay in the countryside home of his new foster parents, Bella and Hec. After Bella dies, child welfare decides Hec is unfit to raise Ricky on his own, but the pair have other ideas.
Ricky and Hec travel on foot through the dangerous New Zealand bush with the authorities hot on their trail. As the manhunt grows, the pair are forced to make some tough decisions. The movie is rated PG-13, but aside from some adult language, the story is a joy for young and old viewers alike.
10: Mission Impossible: Fallout (2018)
- Average TOMATOMETER: 92%
- Average Audience Score: 84%
The sixth movie in the long-running Mission Impossible franchise shows Tom Cruise is still in top form as secret agent Ethan Hunt. This action thriller picks up right where the fifth installment (2015’s Rogue Nation) left off. This time around, Hunt and the gang must stop the newly re-formed Syndicate, now called the Apostles, from threatening global stability with a three-pronged nuclear attack.
Other returning cast include Rebecca Ferguson, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg. Man of Steel’s Henry Cavill also joins the cast as a CIA assassin. Many film franchises on their sixth outing might become stale, but Fallout is among the highest rated of the Mission Impossible movies and out-grossed them all at the box office. Recent blockbusters like Fallout can come and go quickly on streaming platforms, so catch it on Hulu before it’s too late.