A whole new era continues. For the past several years, our monthly column the Nerd’s Watch has been the place to find out all the best genre titles coming to the biggest streaming services. It wasn’t a complete list. We just posted the titles we think you’d care about, but it was still long and frankly, hard to pick out the best of the best.
Well, over the past few months, that changed. What follows isn’t a list of all the best stuff streaming on all the big streaming services. We’ve looked at all those lists and come up with a few dozen titles that we think are noteworthy this month. Some are new, some are old, but either way, we’ll tell you why you should care. Or at least joke about it. So sit back, grab your remote, and get ready for the new and improved Nerd’s Watch, highlighting the best movies and shows coming to streamers this month.
Anna and the Apocalypse (June 1 on Peacock)
I usually try to keep this list organized by streamer, but sometimes, you have to break tradition to get a point across. Anna and the Apocalypse is quite possibly one of my favorite, most underrated genre films in recent memory. It’s a Christmas high school zombie musical and every bit as entertaining as that sounds. Now, it loses some steam in the back half but the songs are so freaking good and characters so endearing that it’s a film I revisit often, and a soundtrack I listen to even more often. So, if you’ve never seen it, I implore you to check it out on Peacock this month.
Barbarian (June 1 on Netflix)
With Zach Cregger’s new movie, Weaponsopening later this summer, now is the perfect time to brush up on the film that put him on the map. Barbarian is a completely awesome and off-the-wall movie that starts in the most normal, relatable way, when two people realize they’ve been booked in the same Airbnb. But where things go from there needs to be seen to be believed.
Dune (1984) (June 1 on Netflix)
David Lynch’s take on Dune is always worth a watch but it’s even more interesting now in the wake of the Denis Villeneuve films. Lynch’s film does such a great job of telling the first part of this story, only for it to barrel through the second half with reckless abandon. It’s really something.
The Birds, Rear Window, and Vertigo (June 1 on Netflix)
Three of the best thrillers ever made, period, are all coming to Netflix in June, all from the same man: Alfred Hitchcock. Many would say The Birds, Rear Windowand Vertigo are three of Hitchcock’s best, so if you’ve never seen them or just want to watch them again, now is the time.
Piece by Piece (June 7 on Netflix)
If you’ve listened to any popular music in the past 30 years, you know the work of Pharrell Williams. You may not know you know it, but you do. And seeing his story unfold, told completely with Lego animation, was some of the most fun I had watching a movie back in 2024. If you missed it, check it out.
Squid Game: Season 3 (June 27 on Netflix)
Netflix’s most popular series comes to its conclusion. Fingers crossed it sticks the landing.
Ironheart (June 24 on Disney+)
With the delays of the next two Avengers movies, new Marvel content is going to be at a premium in the coming months. And while there are a few movies scheduled, this show about Black Panther: Wakanda Forever character Riri Williams, now back in the U.S, is the only one coming immediately. We sincerely hope it’s good.
The Alien franchise (June 1 on Hulu)
Yes, all of them. Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, Alien Resurrection, Prometheus, and Alien Covenant are all coming to Hulu. Almost like Hulu is doing its own Alien show later this summer. Which, of course, it is. (Alien: Romulus is already on there too.)
The Predator franchise (June 1 on Hulu)
Yes, all of them. Prey is already on there but also now we’ll get Predator, Predator 2, Predators, and The Predatoras well as Aliens vs. Predator and Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem. Almost like there’s a new Predator movie, or two, coming out. Which, of course, there are. Case in point…
Predator: Killers of Killers (June 6 is hulu)
The director of PreyDan Trachtenberg, has a theatrical movie coming in a few months—but before that, he’s got this animated anthology showing the Predator throughout history.
Edge of Tomorrow (June 1 is hulu)
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. If Edge of Tomorrowthe incredible Tom Cruise sci-fi time loop movie, is announced as returning to a streaming service, you can guarantee I’ll let you know. Every time.
Independence Day (June 1 is hulu)
Independence Day is the kind of movie we all dream about. It’s a simple, awesome concept, executed beautifully, with a scope and resonance that you remember long after the film ends. One of the most fun movies of its era and still a certified banger.
Spaceballs (June 1 on HBO Max)
In 2025, the idea of a Star Wars spoof is almost cliché. Star Wars is so incredibly prevalent in every aspect of pop culture, it seems too easy to joke about it. But in 1987, years after Return of the Jedi and without another film anywhere near reality, Mel Brooks’ send-up of the franchise wasn’t just amazing and hilarious, it scratched a franchise itch we take for granted these days.
Split (June 1 on HBO Max)
Keeping a spoiler secret is all but impossible these days, but a few years ago, M. Night Shyamalan was able to do just that in the best possible way with Split. Now, of course, we all know that Split is a sequel to the 2000 film Unbreakable—but that reveal, at the time, was a massive cherry on top of an already awesome, scary film.
The Riddick franchise (June 1 on Peacock)
We all know Vin Diesel from the Fast and Furious movies, but never forget he’s got at least one other really fantastic franchise: Riddick. Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, and Riddick are all coming to Peacock and they’re super moody, interesting, action-packed sci-fi spectacles.
Knock Knock (June 1 on Peacock)
Before they shared the screen together in the upcoming BallerinaKeanu Reeves and Ana de Armas starred in this very intense, uncomfortable, but fantastic home invasion film. Not for the faint of heart, but very worth watching.
Edgar Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy (June 1 on Peacock)
Punch! That! Shit! The amazing, awesome, hilarious classics Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End are all coming to Peacock and there’s no better way to spend a day than in the world of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and the crew.
The Jaws franchise (June 15 on Peacock)
Yes, there is a “Jaws franchise.” Though, to be fair, it’s not great. Only one of them is truly, undeniably great. But if you still want to hunt a killer shark after watching the Steven Spielberg masterpiece, Jaws 2, Jaws III,and Jaws the Revenge are right there. Perfect for a nice summer day.
Cloverfield (June 1 on Paramount+)
There are tons of found footage movies out there but only a handful of really good ones. And Cloverfield is, undoubtedly, one of those. It will always be incredibly fun to watch New York City get destroyed by a giant kaiju through the lens of a camcorder.
The Indiana Jones franchise (June 1 on Paramount+)
Most of them. Raiders of the Lost Art, Temple of Doom, Last Crusade, and Crystal Skull are all popping back on Paramount for the summer, and now you don’t have to perform archeology to find them.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (June 1 on Paramount+)
Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Angelina Jolie star in this effects-heavy sci-fi period film that we still can’t believe exists. Nothing before it, or after it, has quite looked like it, and while the movie isn’t as wonderful as you hope it’ll be, you can’t take your eyes off it.
Teen Titans GO! To the Movies (June 1 on Paramount+)
I am not usually a huge fan of Warner Bros. DC animated films but one that I very much love is Teen Titans Go! To the Movies. It’s so fun, so funny, and so, so smart. Easily one of the best animated superhero movies we’ve seen in a long time.
The Running Man (June 1 on Paramount+)
Before Edgar Wright and Glen Powell unleash their reimagining, check out the original Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi satire about a killer reality game show.
Insidious (June 1 on Shudder)
Horror is hotter than ever, and that audience appetite makes a film like Insidious feel even more miraculous. It’s a terrifying, original idea that did a lot of world-building and made us all want to come back again and again. Which, of course, has happened. But the first one is still the best.
Ash (June 20 on Shudder)
Aaron Paul and Eiza González star in this new sci-fi thriller about a woman stranded on an alien planet, and the stranger who may or may not be there to save her.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
