The calendar says spring starts in March, but the weather in many parts of the country may still force people to huddle in dens and family rooms and seek movies to stream – and one of the leading streaming platforms for feature films (as well as series), of course, is Netflix.
To determine the best movies to stream on Netflix this March, 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 March 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, current as of early March, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood. Directorial credits are from IMDb.
Of the 50 films on our list, 22 of them have at least a 90% Freshness score from Rotten Tomatoes critics. Five of the films received a 90% score or higher from both Rotten Tomatoes audience members as well. (Among the platform’s own productions, these are the 25 best original Netflix movies.)
Click here to learn about the best movies on Netflix right now
There are plenty of movies ready to be streamed based on historical events and real people. These include “Darkest Hour,” “The Aviator,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “First They Killed My Father,” “Philomena,” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” Foreign films weigh in with Oscar-honored “Roma,” “Night Comes For Us,” and “White Tiger.” (See which movies number among the most successful foreign films in America.)
“Notting Hill,” one of six motion pictures on our list that was released in the 20th century, represents the rom-com genre, as does “Always Be My Maybe.” Horror flicks “Creep 2” and Stephen King’s “It” will have viewers ducking under the covers – where at last it will be warm.
50. Fletch (1985)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (49,947 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (45,163 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (31 reviews)
> Directed by: Michael Ritchie
[in-text-ad]
49. Seabiscuit (2003)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (74,088 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (118,456 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (206 reviews)
> Directed by: Gary Ross
[recirclink id=1177719]
48. Christine (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (15,663 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (5,547 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (128 reviews)
> Directed by: Antonio Campos
47. The King (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (132,974 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (2,286 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (143 reviews)
> Directed by: David Michôd
[in-text-ad-2]
46. Hush (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 6.6/10 (115,593 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (6,853 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (42 reviews)
> Directed by: Mike Flanagan
45. Other People (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (10,699 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (2,563 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (60 reviews)
> Directed by: Chris Kelly
[in-text-ad]
44. Tully (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (55,750 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (3,715 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (285 reviews)
> Directed by: Jason Reitman
[recirclink id=1149901]
43. Easy A (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (372,419 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (129,164 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (192 reviews)
> Directed by: Will Gluck
42. Our Souls at Night (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (12,653 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 75% (1,024 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (44 reviews)
> Directed by: Ritesh Batra
[in-text-ad-2]
41. Notting Hill (1999)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (290,457 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (508,607 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 83% (100 reviews)
> Directed by: Roger Michell
40. The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (66,831 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (6,058 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 77% (35 reviews)
> Directed by: Rob Burnett
[in-text-ad]
39. Loving (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (34,944 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (19,722 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (294 reviews)
> Directed by: Jeff Nichols
[recirclink id=1078057]
38. Creep 2 (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (22,511 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (1,086 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (25 reviews)
> Directed by: Patrick Brice
37. Parenthood (1989)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (47,354 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (49,387 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (58 reviews)
> Directed by: Ron Howard
[in-text-ad-2]
36. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (45,888 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (2,617 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (362 reviews)
> Directed by: Barry Jenkins
35. Always Be My Maybe (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 6.8/10 (50,782 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (2,029 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (99 reviews)
> Directed by: Nahnatchka Khan
[in-text-ad]
34. Copenhagen (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (12,929 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (1,093 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (16 reviews)
> Directed by: Mark Raso
[recirclink id=1158623]
33. The Sky Is Pink (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (8,148 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 91% (80 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (21 reviews)
> Directed by: Shonali Bose
32. First They Killed My Father (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (18,916 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (2,399 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (71 reviews)
> Directed by: Angelina Jolie
[in-text-ad-2]
31. 21 Jump Street (2012)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (527,323 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (257,844 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 85% (226 reviews)
> Directed by: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller
30. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (46,581 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (1,141 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 98% (297 reviews)
> Directed by: George C. Wolfe
[in-text-ad]
29. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (133,130 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (3,708 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (234 reviews)
> Directed by: Joel & Ethan Coen
[recirclink id=998918]
28. Mirai (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (14,186 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (945 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (84 reviews)
> Directed by: Mamoru Hosoda
27. Darkest Hour (2017)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (205,576 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (14,148 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 84% (318 reviews)
> Directed by: Joe Wright
[in-text-ad-2]
26. The Aviator (2004)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (365,136 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (207,698 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 86% (227 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
25. The White Tiger (2021)
> IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (54,128 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (1,016 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (170 reviews)
> Directed by: Ramin Bahrani
[in-text-ad]
24. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
> IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (401,541 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (142,303 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (273 reviews)
> Directed by: Edgar Wright
[recirclink id=1177719]
23. The Night Comes for Us (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (23,843 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 82% (984 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (33 reviews)
> Directed by: Timo Tjahjanto
22. Dope (2015)
> IMDb user rating: 7.2/10 (82,817 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (34,031 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (160 reviews)
> Directed by: Rick Famuyiwa
[in-text-ad-2]
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. Official Secrets (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (49,024 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (361 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (166 reviews)
> Directed by: Gavin Hood
[in-text-ad]
19. The Nice Guys (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (299,978 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (56,468 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (320 reviews)
> Directed by: Shane Black
[recirclink id=1149901]
18. El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (205,157 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (5,048 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (129 reviews)
> Directed by: Vince Gilligan
17. Roma (2018)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (148,393 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 72% (5,701 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (400 reviews)
> Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
[in-text-ad-2]
16. The Half of It (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (32,458 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (969 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (101 reviews)
> Directed by: Alice Wu
15. Minority Report (2002)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (526,585 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (481,676 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 90% (253 reviews)
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
[in-text-ad]
14. The Raid 2 (2014)
> IMDb user rating: 8.0/10 (118,592 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 87% (24,310 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 82% (175 reviews)
> Directed by: Gareth Evans
[recirclink id=1078057]
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. I Lost My Body (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (29,388 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 83% (633 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (83 reviews)
> Directed by: Jérémy Clapin
[in-text-ad-2]
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. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
> IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (179,508 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 90% (2,455 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (331 reviews)
> Directed by: Aaron Sorkin
[in-text-ad]
9. Forrest Gump (1994)
> IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (1,905,676 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,244,237 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (104 reviews)
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
[recirclink id=1158623]
8. Marriage Story (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (272,813 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (184 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (391 reviews)
> Directed by: Noah Baumbach
7. Rush (2013)
> IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (482,996 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 88% (79,330 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 89% (235 reviews)
> Directed by: Ron Howard
[in-text-ad-2]
6. The Irishman (2019)
> IMDb user rating: 7.8/10 (392,363 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (1,057 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (453 reviews)
> Directed by: Martin Scorsese
5. Dangal (2016)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (193,082 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (2,333 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (17 reviews)
> Directed by: Nitesh Tiwari
[in-text-ad]
4. Reservoir Dogs (1992)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (958,136 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (446,711 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 92% (71 reviews)
> Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
[recirclink id=998918]
3. The Sting (1973)
> IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (250,672 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (61,793 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (63 reviews)
> Directed by: George Roy Hill
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
> IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (1,731,527 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,355,751 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (235 reviews)
> Directed by: Peter Jackson
[in-text-ad-2]
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
> IMDb user rating: 9.0/10 (2,419,864 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (1,831,566 votes)
> Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (345 reviews)
> Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Top Gaining Stocks
Top Losing Stocks