Hulu was launched in 2007 by partners including Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation and NBCUniversal. The Walt Disney Company acquired a controlling interest in the company in 2019 and today owns 67% of the company (the rest still belongs to NBCUniversal, but they will relinquish their interest to Disney in 2024).
Considering its Disney connection, it’s hardly surprising that Hulu streams a lot of Disney product, animated and otherwise. But that’s hardly all that’s on offer.
To determine the best movies to stream on Hulu this May, 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 early May 2023, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only movies with at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes, and ruled out documentaries. Data on streaming availability, also current as of early May, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood. Directorial credits are from IMDb.
Among the platform’s animation offerings this month are “Anastasia,” “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Alita: Battle Angel,” and “Shrek” – the last of these being one of the most influential animation franchises ever, and one selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2020. Another successful animated franchise, Despicable Me, and the live-action Hunger Games franchise are each represented by two movies on this month’s schedule. (These are the worst movies from every major franchise.)
Click here to see the best movies to stream on Hulu this month
Gay themes are addressed in two movies in distinctly different genres – the rom-com “Happiest Season” and the drama “The Miseducation of Cameron Post.” Horror films weigh in with “Haunt,” “It,” “Haunt,” and the raucous zombie-film send-up “Little Monsters.” The latter two are the only movies on the list with a perfect 100% score from Rotten Tomatoes audiences.
Robbery gone wrong is the theme of “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead” and “Bottle Rocket,” while time loops are the plot motivator for “Groundhog Day” and “Palm Springs.”
50. Prospect (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (25,086 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (1,287 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (52 reviews)
> Directed by: Zeek Earl & Christopher Caldwell
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49. Runaway Jury (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (94,624 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (62,788 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 73% (162 reviews)
> Directed by: Gary Fleder
48. Boss Level (2021)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (48,731 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (730 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 74% (81 reviews)
> Directed by: Joe Carnahan
47. Happiest Season (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (31,005 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (948 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (204 reviews)
> Directed by: Clea DuVall
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46. Dredd (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (263,296 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (153,915 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (168 reviews)
> Directed by: Pete Travis
45. Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (107,098 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (469,806 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (157 reviews)
> Directed by: Gurinder Chadha
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44. Enemy of the State (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (234,497 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (373,095 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (86 reviews)
> Directed by: Tony Scott
43. Dangerous Beauty (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (16,612 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (9,262 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 68% (28 reviews)
> Directed by: Marshall Herskovitz
42. Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (246,568 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (34,249 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 61% (328 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Rodriguez
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41. The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (20,501 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (1,560 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (187 reviews)
> Directed by: Desiree Akhavan
40. Haunt (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (24,396 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 100% (50 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 69% (48 reviews)
> Directed by: Scott Beck & Bryan Woods
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39. American Psycho (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (525,565 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (304,898 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 69% (150 reviews)
> Directed by: Mary Harron
38. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (100,426 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (86,616 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (178 reviews)
> Directed by: Sidney Lumet
37. 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
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36. Bottle Rocket (1996)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (73,251 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (61,613 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (66 reviews)
> Directed by: Wes Anderson
35. Anastasia (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (126,418 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (432,703 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (56 reviews)
> Directed by: Don Bluth & Gary Goldman
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34. The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (30,812 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (12,015 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (168 reviews)
> Directed by: Marielle Heller
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33. The Hunger Games (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (871,907 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (902,975 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (313 reviews)
> Directed by: Gary Ross
32. 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
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31. Sixteen Candles (1984)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (110,041 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (257,059 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (43 reviews)
> Directed by: John Hughes
30. The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (133,085 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (209,440 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 73% (143 reviews)
> Directed by: Kevin Reynolds
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29. That Thing You Do! (1996)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (65,296 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (126,552 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (59 reviews)
> Directed by: Tom Hanks
28. Little Monsters (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 6.3/10 (15,650 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 100% (50 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (131 reviews)
> Directed by: Abe Forsythe
27. 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
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26. Patriots Day (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (104,734 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (26,155 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (237 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Berg
25. Moulin Rouge! (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (273,711 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (505,354 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 76% (201 reviews)
> Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
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24. Speed (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (344,662 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (669,034 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (69 reviews)
> Directed by: Jan de Bont
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23. Black Dynamite (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (47,489 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (15,678 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (64 reviews)
> Directed by: Scott Sanders
22. Atonement (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (262,734 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (227,243 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (219 reviews)
> Directed by: Joe Wright
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21. It (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (488,616 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (67,821 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (386 reviews)
> Directed by: Andy Muschietti
20. Red Cliff (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (45,071 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (22,595 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (117 reviews)
> Directed by: John Woo
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19. Stan & Ollie (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (38,061 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (2,087 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (221 reviews)
> Directed by: Jon S. Baird
18. As Good as It Gets (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (286,975 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (378,808 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (79 reviews)
> Directed by: James L. Brooks
17. 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
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16. Big (1988)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (207,973 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (402,079 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (75 reviews)
> Directed by: Penny Marshall
15. 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
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14. I, Tonya (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (219,878 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (12,586 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (384 reviews)
> Directed by: Craig Gillespie
13. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (632,802 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (424,606 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (293 reviews)
> Directed by: Francis Lawrence
12. High Fidelity (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (173,740 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (211,818 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (165 reviews)
> Directed by: Stephen Frears
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11. Philomena (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (101,025 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (52,457 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (200 reviews)
> Directed by: Stephen Frears
10. 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
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9. Best in Show (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (59,123 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (56,525 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (115 reviews)
> Directed by: Christopher Guest
8. Shrek (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (638,681 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (1,378,744 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (208 reviews)
> Directed by: Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson
7. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (316,987 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (188,724 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (188 reviews)
> Directed by: Dean DeBlois
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6. Glory (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (136,710 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (60,300 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (44 reviews)
> Directed by: Edward Zwick
5. 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
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4. Once Upon a Time in America (1984)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (329,016 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (75,039 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (54 reviews)
> Directed by: Sergio Leone
3. Fight Club (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (1,940,882 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (1,093,796 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (179 reviews)
> Directed by: David Fincher
2. Ford v Ferrari (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (398,868 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 98% (24,159 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (351 reviews)
> Directed by: James Mangold
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1. L.A. Confidential (1997)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (551,824 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (150,890 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (115 reviews)
> Directed by: Curtis Hanson
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