Netflix has been hitting new heights with its original movies in recent years, and August 2026 is no exception.
For proof, check out these five Netflix originals coming our way throughout the month of August, ranging from a documentary that shines the spotlight on a very specific type of fast food, to a sweet-coming-of stage story starring the daughter of a beloved comedian, to a mind-bending sci-fi thriller to a serial-killer drama starring a two-time Oscar winner.
‘Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy’
Taking a page from Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me,” British comedian Mo Gilligan embarks on a 28-day experiment to reveal some shocking truths about fried chicken.
Like Spurlock, who existed on nothing but McDonald’s for an entire month, Gilligan eats an all-fried chicken diet for 30 days. In the process, he exposes “the hidden costs behind our cravings,” according to Netflix. “Over the course of the month, [Gilligan] embarks on an eye-opening journey from South London to the United States to reveal the historical origins of fried chicken and the social, economic and industrial forces driving our mass consumption of it — from fast-food chains to large-scale farming — and the impact on our health, our planet and the way we eat.” Premiere: August 5
‘The Last House’
A couple (Wagner Moura and Greta Lee) suddenly find themselves and their two children sealed inside their home with no way out. The family must work together to survive against both their dwindling resources and the mysterious, looming threat that is keeping them trapped.
Directed by Louis Leterrier (“Now You See Me,” “Lupin”), the film “challenges the idea of a safe haven, turning a family home into a hostile environment where survival demands unity,” the director tells Tudum. “This is an ordinary family’s worst nightmare, pushing them to their limits to protect each other and exposing the fragility of security — and the desperate fight to reclaim it.”
Adds Leterrier: “I was so intrigued by the notion of what it might mean to wake up one day and be physically sealed in your home — and not even understand why,” Moura tells Tudum. “I think about how my own family would respond and handle something like that. I connected with the stakes of the film and the character on a deep level because of that.” Premieres: August 6
‘Don’t Say Good Luck’
Sunny Sandler (daughter of Adam Sandler) stars in this coming-of-age movie from director Julia Hart.
She plays Sophie Birenbaum, a teenage girl whose life take an unexpected turn when she’s cast in the leading role in her high school’s musical, only to receive some devastating news from her mother (Melanie Lysnkey).
“Sophie Birenbaum is ready for the spotlight as the lead in her high school musical — until suddenly she’s living with even more drama at home than on the stage,” notes the Netflix synopsis.
“I knew as soon as I heard about the idea that I loved it, believed in it, and wanted to do it,” Sunny Sandler tells Tudum of why she took the role. “Then I met with Julia, and it really made me want to do it.” Premiere: August 14
‘Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing’
In 2022, filmmaker Rory Kennedy unveiled the shocking documentary “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing.”
In this followup, Kennedy continues to shine the spotlight on (per Netflix) “Boeing’s broken promises to enhance safety and increase transparency, resulting in the catastrophic door plug blowout on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282.”
The synopsis adds: “This investigative documentary offers revelatory testimony from whistleblowers and regulators who have risked everything to unveil the deteriorating safety standards and chaotic conditions at Boeing.” Premiere: August 19
‘The Whisper Man’
This highly anticipated thriller adapts Alex North’s bestseller of the same name.
“When his eight-year-old son is abducted, a widowed crime writer (Adam Scott of “Severance”) looks to his estranged father, a retired former police detective (two-time Oscar winner Robert De Niro), for help, only to discover a connection with the decades-old case of a convicted serial killer known as ‘The Whisper Man,’” states the Netflix synopsis.
“‘The Whisper Man’ follows an investigation into a serial killer thought to have been imprisoned years ago,” the synopsis continues. “But when children start disappearing, the playground rhyme comes back to life — and the retired detective who first arrested the so-called Whisper Man is called back into action.” Premiere: August 28
