Countless streaming services are now available to viewers in America, most of which charge a monthly fee. The array of movies such services make available may be well worth the money if you’re a film-lover. But it’s also possible to stream a wide range of movies on services that won’t cost you a penny. At that price, what’s not to like?
To determine the best movies to stream for free this July, 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 June 2022, weighting all ratings equally.
We considered only movies with at least 5,000 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes that are streaming on Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, Amazon Freevee, Peacock, Vudu, and/or Crackle, and did not include documentaries. Data on streaming availability, current as of this month, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood.
Free does not mean bad – not by a long shot. Some 35 of the films on our list have a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer critics score of 90% or higher, and four of them had a 100%.
This month, as usual, film aficionados or even casual movie fans can luxuriate in any genre they chose. There is plenty of starpower this month, featuring such blue-chip names as Robert Mitchum, Bruce Lee, Frank Sinatra, Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, William Holden, Grace Kelly, Henry Fonda, and Wynona Ryder. (These are the hardest working actors in Hollywood.)
For the science-fiction/futuristic flick fan, the offerings include “Logan,” “The Matrix,” and “The Edge of Tomorrow.” There are four war-themed movies on tap, and they don’t pull any punches on the horrors of war and its aftermath – “The Best Years of Our Lives,” “The Great Escape,” “Saving Private Ryan,” and “1917.”
If your taste is more toward thrillers, check out “The Sixth Sense” and “The Manchurian Candidate.” And corporate irresponsibility gets examined in the films “Dark Waters” and “The Insider.”
These are the 50 best movies to stream for free this month
It’s not all serious stuff, however. Charlie Chaplin, one of filmdom’s greatest stars, appears in two silent movies, “The Kid” and “The Gold Rush,” considered among the high points of the moviemaker’s art. Both hold a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 100%. (These are the best comedy movies available to stream right now.)
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
50. Love, Simon (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (106,016 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (7,815 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (239 reviews)
> Directed by: Greg Berlanti
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
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Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
49. Lion (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (224,618 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (39,877 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (267 reviews)
> Directed by: Garth Davis
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee, Vudu
Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
48. Deadpool (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (948,399 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (188,078 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (349 reviews)
> Directed by: Tim Miller
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
Source: Courtesy of Artisan Entertainment
47. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (795,904 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (328,609 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 79% (138 reviews)
> Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
> Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
46. Malcolm X (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (90,113 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (57,040 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (62 reviews)
> Directed by: Spike Lee
> Streaming on: Tubi
Source: Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution
45. 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
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
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Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
44. Midnight Express (1978)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (76,584 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (31,124 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (27 reviews)
> Directed by: Alan Parker
> Streaming on: Crackle
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Courtesy of Gramercy Pictures
43. Dazed and Confused (1993)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (174,013 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (236,467 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (62 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Linklater
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
42. The Sixth Sense (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (942,340 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (1,036,884 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (158 reviews)
> Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
> Streaming on: Tubi
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Source: Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
41. Blue Velvet (1986)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (189,207 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (77,108 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (76 reviews)
> Directed by: David Lynch
> Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV
Source: Courtesy of Miramax
40. The Station Agent (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (68,931 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (34,815 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (160 reviews)
> Directed by: Tom McCarthy
> Streaming on: Pluto TV
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
39. Sabrina (1954)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (62,060 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (55,338 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (44 reviews)
> Directed by: Billy Wilder
> Streaming on: Pluto TV
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
38. Days of Heaven (1978)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (55,552 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (16,348 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (53 reviews)
> Directed by: Terrence Malick
> Streaming on: Pluto TV
Source: Courtesy of GEM Entertainment
37. Before Midnight (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (148,768 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (37,550 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (206 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Linklater
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
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Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
36. Dark Waters (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (73,532 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (2,642 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (229 reviews)
> Directed by: Todd Haynes
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
Source: Courtesy of New Line Cinema
35. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (100,832 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (41,047 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (55 reviews)
> Directed by: James Foley
> Streaming on: Pluto TV
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
34. The Green Mile (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (1,204,006 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (814,054 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (134 reviews)
> Directed by: Frank Darabont
> Streaming on: Tubi
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
33. Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (631,189 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (148,067 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (325 reviews)
> Directed by: Doug Liman
> Streaming on: Plex, Crackle
Source: Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
32. The Artist (2011)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (235,905 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (58,691 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (320 reviews)
> Directed by: Michel Hazanavicius
> Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV
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Source: Courtesy of Mister Smith Entertainment
31. 1917 (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (491,524 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (30,525 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (458 reviews)
> Directed by: Sam Mendes
> Streaming on: Peacock
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
30. A Little Princess (1995)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (33,377 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (240,459 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (35 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
> Streaming on: Tubi
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
29. The Matrix (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 8.7/10 (1,759,161 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (33,324,202 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (155 reviews)
> Directed by: Lana & Lilly Wachowski
> Streaming on: Tubi
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Courtesy of Continental Distributing
28. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (121,700 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (130,710 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (74 reviews)
> Directed by: George A. Romero
> Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, Amazon Freevee, Peacock, Vudu
Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
27. Enter the Dragon (1973)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (100,869 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (105,412 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (55 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Clouse
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
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Source: Courtesy of Focus Features
26. Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (461,276 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (92,983 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (264 reviews)
> Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallée
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
Source: Courtesy of Buena Vista Pictures
25. The Insider (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (166,006 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (59,252 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (137 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Mann
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
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Source: Courtesy of Warner Bros.
24. Dial M for Murder (1954)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (166,706 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (38,208 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (47 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
> Streaming on: Tubi
Source: Courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment
23. The Man from Earth (2007)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (180,871 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (19,142 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (05 reviews)
> Directed by: Richard Schenkman
> Streaming on: Tubi, Plex, Amazon Freevee, Vudu
Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
22. Star Trek (2009)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (589,910 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (747,981 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (354 reviews)
> Directed by: J.J. Abrams
> Streaming on: Pluto TV
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Source: Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
21. Logan (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (688,052 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (93,272 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (423 reviews)
> Directed by: James Mangold
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
20. Manhattan (1979)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (136,504 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (51,871 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (69 reviews)
> Directed by: Woody Allen
> Streaming on: Tubi
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Source: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
19. Charade (1963)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (72,875 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (42,943 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Donen
> Streaming on: Pluto TV, Plex, Amazon Freevee, Vudu
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
18. The Night of the Hunter (1955)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (85,564 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (24,773 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (77 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Laughton
> Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
17. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (73,496 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (31,403 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (60 reviews)
> Directed by: John Frankenheimer
> Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV
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Source: Courtesy of Batrax Entertainment
16. The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (82,141 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 96% (4,708 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (220 reviews)
> Directed by: Tyler Nilson & Michael Schwartz
> Streaming on: Peacock
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
15. High Noon (1952)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (100,798 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (25,494 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (58 reviews)
> Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
> Streaming on: Pluto TV
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Source: Courtesy of United Artists
14. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (73,742 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (8,681 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (23 reviews)
> Directed by: Stanley Kramer
> Streaming on: Pluto TV
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
13. Notorious (1946)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (97,303 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (35,835 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (48 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
> Streaming on: Tubi
Source: Courtesy of Lionsgate
12. Knives Out (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (528,467 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (33,859 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (466 reviews)
> Directed by: Rian Johnson
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
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Source: Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
11. His Girl Friday (1940)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (56,106 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (24,333 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (67 reviews)
> Directed by: Howard Hawks
> Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, Amazon Freevee, Vudu
Source: Courtesy of Cinedigm Entertainment Group
10. Short Term 12 (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (85,013 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 92% (21,553 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (174 reviews)
> Directed by: Destin Daniel Cretton
> Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, Amazon Freevee, Peacock, Vudu
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
9. How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (693,881 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (312,983 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (212 reviews)
> Directed by: Chris Sanders & Dean DeBlois
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
8. The Great Escape (1963)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (233,835 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (103,579 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (49 reviews)
> Directed by: John Sturges
> Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
7. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (60,985 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (10,855 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (91 reviews)
> Directed by: William Wyler
> Streaming on: Pluto TV
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Source: Courtesy of DreamWorks Distribution
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
> IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (1,292,307 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (993,591 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (143 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
> Streaming on: Pluto TV
Source: Courtesy of United Artists
5. The Gold Rush (1925)
> IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (106,473 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (20,591 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (50 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
> Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
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Source: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
4. Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
> IMDb user rating: 8.5/10 (314,446 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (65,906 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (65 reviews)
> Directed by: Sergio Leone
> Streaming on: Pluto TV
Source: Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures
3. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
> IMDb user rating: 8.6/10 (422,428 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (219,179 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (87 reviews)
> Directed by: Frank Capra
> Streaming on: Plex
Source: Courtesy of First National Pictures
2. The Kid (1921)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (120,168 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (15,470 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (48 reviews)
> Directed by: Charles Chaplin
> Streaming on: Pluto TV, Amazon Freevee
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Source: Courtesy of United Artists
1. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
> IMDb user rating: 8.4/10 (116,454 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (9,011 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (33 reviews)
> Directed by: Billy Wilder
> Streaming on: Tubi
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