Picture: Sony Pictures
This is your final call to watch these 8 movies on Netflix before they depart the streamer on May 1, 2026.
As we look ahead to May 2026, Netflix has a particularly big purge coming our way. The streamer is offering plenty of original titles, such as Remarkably Bright Creatures, but so too are a large number of licensed movies departing. This includes some long-standing staples in Netflix’s library, as well as critically-acclaimed films, and horror, sci-fi, and fantasy classics. Consider this your final call to watch these 8 movies.
Leaving May. 1
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
It’s not often that a remake lives up to the brilliance of the original, but Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead is certainly one of the rare successes — it’s hard to believe that it was his directorial debut. The movie takes the concept of George A. Romero’s beloved zombie classic and puts a chaotic twist on it.
Following the outbreak of the zombie apocalypse, a group of survivors seeks refuge in an abandoned shopping center. While trying to survive, they face threats from both the living and the undead. Unlike Romero’s original, Snyder makes his zombies faster and more chaotic. It’s one of the most high-octane zombie flicks you’ll ever watch.
Snyder would later helm another zombie movie, Army of the Dead, at Netflix. While not as critically acclaimed, Army of the Dead was a fun approach to the genre and one of Netflix’s most successful original zombie films.
Leaving May. 1
Whiplash (2014)
Easily one of the most intense movies of the century, Whiplash (2014) follows aspiring professional drummer Andrew Neiman (Miles Teller), who enlists in New York City’s prestigious (and extremely pretentious) Shaffer Music Conservatory. There, he meets Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons), the conductor of the school’s elite studio jazz band, whose physical and intense techniques push the boundaries of reason.
The performances of both Teller and J.K. Simmons throughout Whiplash are incredible; it’s emotional, tense, and hard to watch at times. The movie was a monumental critical success, taking home Oscars for Best Film Editing and Best Sound Mixing, and receiving a Best Picture nomination.
Leaving May. 1
Jaws (1, 2, & 3)
Picture: Universal Pictures
The Jaws franchise needs no introduction. Directed by Steven Spielberg, it’s one of the most classic horror movies ever made, spawning a series of three sequels. Jaws has been a regular entry in Netflix’s library over the last decade. Its two sequels have followed similar paths. The franchise’s fourth instalment, Jaws: The Revenge, has never been available on Netflix.
The first movie started streaming on Netflix in September 2016. It has since been added and removed several times. Come May 1, 2026, it’ll once more vanish. Up until now, it’s never been absent from Netflix’s US library for over a year since 2016.
Leaving May. 1
Fury (2014)
Directed by David Ayer and headlined by Brad Pitt, Fury (2014) is a fictional war epic inspired by the untold stories of WWII tank crews. It follows Don ‘Wardaddy ‘ Collier (Pitt), along with his 5-man crew as they embark on a dangerous, seemingly-impossible trek behind enemy lines and into the heart of Nazi Germany.
Outside of Brad Pitt, the movie also boasts a stellar supporting cast, including Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson), Michael Peña (Ant-Man), Scott Eastwood (The Longest Ride), Jon Bernthal (The Punisher), and Shia LeBoeuf (Transformers).
Leaving May. 1
Conan the Destroyer (1984)
While Conan the Destroyer may not be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most famous or beloved work, it undoubtedly has a cult following. The sequel to Conan the Barbarian continues our hero’s journey, following him as he’s tasked with escorting the Queen’s niece to the fortress of a powerful wizard in order to find a magic gem.
In addition, there’s a big reason why Conan the Destroyer is relevant to watch right now before it leaves Netflix. Earlier this year, Schwarzenegger himself revealed that a long-awaited threequel is in the works. “With King Conan, it’s a great old story that Conan was forty years as King, and now he gets forced out of the kingdom, and there’s conflict, of course, but somehow he comes back, and there’s all kinds of madness, violence, magic, and creatures and stuff like that,” Schwarzenegger said, per Deadline.
Leaving May. 1
Annie (2014)
Picture Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing
Directed by Will Gluck (Peter Rabbit), produced by Will Smith and Jay-Z, and starring Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, and Quvenzhané Wallis — Annie (2014) oozes talent. Unlike the previous two adaptations (in 1982 and 1999), this movie is a contemporary re-imagining of the classic 1977 Broadway musical by Thomas Meehan, featuring re-worked versions of the original songs. It replaces Daddy Warbucks with tech mogul Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx), and switches the orphanage to a foster home. The changes work and translate mostly seamlessly, with a few caveats.
Annie received mixed ratings from critics on release and its box office ratings weren’t quite up to scratch. Admittedly, it always felt drowned out by other big franchise movies that released around the same time, not least Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies.
Leaving May. 1
How to Train Your Dragon (1 & 2)
Back in the naughties, DreamWorks was debuting some of the most celebrated animated movies of all-time: Shrek, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda. When 201o rolled around, they hit the jackpot once more with How to Train Your Dragon, an animated adaptation of the children’s fantasy novel by Cressida Cowell.
The movie spawned an entire franchise, with the most recent being The Hidden World in 2019. It’s been a massive success story. Just last year, a live-action adaptation hit movie theatres, grossing $636 million worldwide (and is streaming on Netflix as part of its Pay-1 window).
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) and its sequel have been on and off Netflix since 2022. It will leave the streamer again in May — but we expect it to return sometime in the future.
Leaving May. 1
Dune (1984)
Picture Credit: Universal Pictures
Before Denis Villeneuve bought Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi series Dune to the big screen, the novels were first adapted by David Lynch back in the 1980s. To say Lynch’s Dune is a great movie would be a little generous, but since the birth of the modern Dune franchise, many fans have gone back to check it out. The movie has endured something of a big resurgence.
Unlike Villenueve’s film, Lynch’s movie adapts the entire first novel into one movie. It’s tightly-packed and fast-paced, cramming in a lot of story. Protagonist Paul Atreides is played by Kyle MacLachlan, who went on to be the star of Lynch’s magnum opus series Twin Peaks.
With Dune: Part III out later this year, now is a good time to go back and see what the original adaptation has to offer — and you might be surprised.
What other movies are leaving Netflix in May 2026?
There are also a number of other fan-favorite movies leaving the streamer throughout May 2026. This includes Korean zombie epic Train to Busan (2016), Adam Sandler’s Pig (2021), and Peter Rabbit (2018). Check out our article here for the full list of departures.
Which of these movies will you be streaming before it departs Netflix in May 2026? Tell us in the comments down below!
