Every month, Hulu adds a whole host of acclaimed films to its roster, as other offerings drop off to make way for the new additions. No matter what you’re in the mood for, however — be it comedy, action, horror, sci-fi, or romance — you’re likely to find something to suit your tastes on Hulu this month.
To determine the best movies to stream on Hulu this August, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of July 2022, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only movies with at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes. Documentaries were not considered. (Data on streaming availability, current as of this month, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood, and directorial credits are from IMDb.)
Only a handful of 20th-century movies made the cut, including the Mel Brooks cowboy comedy “Blazing Saddles,” John Carpenter’s martial arts fantasy-comedy “Big Trouble in Little China,” and Harold Ramis’s quirky “Groundhog Day,” starring Bill Murray as a self-centered reporter who becomes stuck in a time loop. (See where it falls on this list of the best movies starring Bill Murray.)
The vast majority of Hulu’s best films right now are from the 21st century. Check out Max Barbakow’s 2020 directorial debut, “Palm Springs,” a seemingly rote romcom that quickly reveals itself as an outlandish sci-fi wedding film; or Boots Riley’s 2018 first feature, “Sorry to Bother You,” a surrealist black comedy that follows a young, ambitious Black telemarketer who puts on a white accent to make sales.
A notable addition to the list is Chloé Zhao’s 2020 drama “Nomadland,” which stars Frances McDormand as a widow who travels the U.S. in her van, and features numerous real-life traveling nomads who appear in the film as fictionalized versions of themselves. “Nomadland” won numerous Oscars last year, including Best Picture. Here are other Best Picture nominees and winners you can stream right now.
50. The Devil Wears Prada (2006)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (390,264 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (572,038 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 75% (196 reviews)
> Directed by: David Frankel
49. Reign Over Me (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (94,484 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (150,438 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 64% (154 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Binder
48. War Horse (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (151,930 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (69,771 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (238 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
47. World’s Greatest Dad (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (38,145 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (51,829 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (119 reviews)
> Directed by: Bobcat Goldthwait
46. The Young Victoria (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (59,786 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (164,756 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (156 reviews)
> Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée
45. Taken (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (580,382 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (739,058 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 59% (177 reviews)
> Directed by: Pierre Morel
44. Fly Away Home (1996)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (24,593 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (58,692 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (46 reviews)
> Directed by: Carroll Ballard
43. Flight (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (337,582 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (153,387 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (238 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
42. Unstoppable (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (191,012 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (104,757 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (194 reviews)
> Directed by: Tony Scott
41. Shame (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (189,464 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (31,411 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (227 reviews)
> Directed by: Steve McQueen
40. Run (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 6.7/10 (59,044 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (1,255 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (138 reviews)
> Directed by: Aneesh Chaganty
39. The Square (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (59,444 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (4,132 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (215 reviews)
> Directed by: Ruben Östlund
38. Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (130,965 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (136,551 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (62 reviews)
> Directed by: John Carpenter
37. Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (51,020 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (19,433 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (211 reviews)
> Directed by: Sean Durkin
36. Spider-Man (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (724,931 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (34,297,354 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (244 reviews)
> Directed by: Sam Raimi
35. Sorry to Bother You (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (70,459 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (6,418 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (311 reviews)
> Directed by: Boots Riley
34. Margin Call (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (122,167 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (20,059 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (172 reviews)
> Directed by: J.C. Chandor
33. Despicable Me 2 (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (380,993 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (369,878 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 75% (186 reviews)
> Directed by: Chris Renaud & Pierre Coffin
32. Detroit (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (51,140 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (17,915 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (304 reviews)
> Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
31. The Shape of Water (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (393,136 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (26,084 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (459 reviews)
> Directed by: Guillermo del Toro
30. Logan Lucky (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (140,497 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (27,867 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (284 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Soderbergh
29. Arthur Christmas (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (54,530 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (15,497 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (169 reviews)
> Directed by: Sarah Smith
28. The Descendants (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (236,758 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (70,034 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (268 reviews)
> Directed by: Alexander Payne
27. Pleasantville (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (125,076 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (230,983 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (97 reviews)
> Directed by: Gary Ross
26. Despicable Me (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (517,194 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (267,653 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (202 reviews)
> Directed by: Chris Renaud & Pierre Coffin
25. Akeelah and the Bee (2006)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (19,455 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (84,718 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (141 reviews)
> Directed by: Doug Atchison
24. Booksmart (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (106,360 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (4,116 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (376 reviews)
> Directed by: Olivia Wilde
23. An Education (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (131,559 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (55,006 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (197 reviews)
> Directed by: Lone Scherfig
22. In the Line of Fire (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (98,094 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (55,121 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (71 reviews)
> Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
21. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (575,740 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (1,151,886 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (274 reviews)
> Directed by: Sam Raimi
20. Predator (1987)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (387,266 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (389,324 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (49 reviews)
> Directed by: John McTiernan
19. Looper (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (550,438 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (180,475 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (269 reviews)
> Directed by: Rian Johnson
18. Source Code (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (499,931 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (125,685 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (263 reviews)
> Directed by: Duncan Jones
17. Nomadland (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (126,891 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (573 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (416 reviews)
> Directed by: Chloé Zhao
16. Black Swan (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (724,171 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (178,225 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (318 reviews)
> Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
15. Prisoners (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (637,815 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (108,697 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (253 reviews)
> Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
14. Cast Away (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (551,582 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (744,162 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (158 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
13. 127 Hours (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (360,403 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (95,966 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (238 reviews)
> Directed by: Danny Boyle
12. La La Land (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (537,558 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (71,726 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (464 reviews)
> Directed by: Damien Chazelle
11. Moneyball (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (391,423 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (92,018 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (267 reviews)
> Directed by: Bennett Miller
10. Blazing Saddles (1974)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (131,541 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (218,474 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (59 reviews)
> Directed by: Mel Brooks
9. Léon: The Professional (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (1,081,769 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (274,510 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (65 reviews)
> Directed by: Luc Besson
8. Palm Springs (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (130,989 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (2,596 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (241 reviews)
> Directed by: Max Barbakow
7. Milk (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (169,030 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (178,067 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (245 reviews)
> Directed by: Gus Van Sant
6. What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (19,816 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (52,290 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (58 reviews)
> Directed by: Brian Gibson
5. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (132,732 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (228,109 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (190 reviews)
> Directed by: Stephen Chow
4. Gandhi (1982)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (223,630 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (49,867 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (62 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Attenborough
3. Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (818,017 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (1,155,878 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (289 reviews)
> Directed by: Danny Boyle
2. Ghostbusters (1984)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (373,097 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (1,039,975 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (73 reviews)
> Directed by: Ivan Reitman
1. Groundhog Day (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (595,765 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (416,991 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: Harold Ramis