Picture: Universal Pictures
As 2025 draws to a close, hopefully you’ve all got some time off over the holidays to catch up on all the new releases Netflix has put out this year. In addition to those, we’d highly recommend taking some time to watch some of the incredible movies set to expire as we move into the New Year.
In all, over 150 movies and series are leaving on January 1st alone, and there’s also plenty of big TV shows that you should be binging over the festive period to catch up on before they go for good. Below, though, we’re going to walk you through 8 movies that we think should be on your list over the last remaining week of December.
You can find all the removals planned for Netflix throughout January 2026 here.
Baby Driver (2017)
Leaving Netflix: January 1st
Picture Credit: Big Talk Studios, Working Title Films, and MRC
When it comes to which movie is director Edgar Wright’s best, I often switch between two. Hot Fuzz and Baby Driver. I think Hot Fuzz wins out more often than not, but Baby Driver is so good it’s never far away. Showcasing the director’s signature action style with a big Hollywood budget, the movie centers on Baby, a getaway driver who is in debt to his paymaster but finally decides enough is enough and leaves his dangerous and thrilling role. It’s not that simple, though.
Ansel Elgort played Baby with a cast stacked with high-profile names, including Lily James, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, and Eiza González, with the latter three playing eccentric bank robbers and they do a mighty fine job. It’s high-octane from the off and features a stellar soundtrack.
Doctor Sleep (2019)
Leaving Netflix: January 1st
I was a latecomer to The Shining, having only seen it in the last couple of years. Once I did, though, I became yet another instant convert, and it’ll forever be the best Stephen King adaptation. It didn’t take me long, then, to catch up with Mike Flanagan’s epic continuation.
Set years after the events of The Shining, Danny is now a loner and a drunk with the burdens of what happened during his stay at the Overlook hotel forever haunting him. He finds a new lease of life, though, when he discovers, or rather is discovered, by another young girl with extraordinary abilities who is being hunted by a group that feeds on the shining that resides within them.
While very different in tone and story than the original, it’s a worthy successor. Flanagan demonstrates he’s one of the best storytellers right now, and it was a crying shame Netflix let him go from his overall deal.
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (2019)
Leaving Netflix: January 1st
On paper, the Lego movies shouldn’t work, but they do. While maybe not as good as the first one, the second Lego movie brought together more mischief involving the famous Lego minifigures and many IPs from across the entertainment landscape for a fusion that’s funny and endearing.
The sequel’s synopsis reads, “The battle to defeat the invaders and restore harmony to the LEGO universe will take Emmet, Lucy, Batman, and their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds, including a galaxy filled with fantastic planets, strange characters, and catchy new songs. It will test their courage, creativity and Master Building skills, and reveal just how special they really are.”
Safe House (2012)
Leaving Netflix: January 1st
Last week, we revealed that Denzel Washington’s upcoming Netflix film, Here Comes The Flood, is one of Netflix’s most anticipated titles of 2026 in an exclusive study. There’s a reason that’s the most anticipated: Washington elevates any movie he stars in to greatness, and that also applies to Safe House, in which he stars alongside Ryan Reynolds.
Released nearly 14 years ago, the action thriller from director Daniel Espinosa follows a dangerous CIA renegade who resurfaces after a decade on the run. When the safe house he’s remanded to is attacked by mercenaries, a rookie operative escapes with him. Now, the unlikely allies must stay alive long enough to uncover who wants them dead.
Captain Phillips (2013)
Leaving Netflix: January 1st
Based on a true story, we move on to Captain Phillips, which has become a somewhat controversial movie over the years, albeit the controversy has landed at the door of who the movie is based on, rather than any particular decision the filmmakers made. For those unfamiliar, the plot takes a look back at the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates. If you’ve not seen the movie, you’ve almost certainly seen the meme “I am the captain of this ship now.”
Tom Hanks is brilliant in the film, as is Barkhad Abdirahman, and the thriller raises many questions. One quick side note: because this is a Sony Pictures movie, you can’t watch it on Netflix if you are on the ad tier, as it’s one of the 100+ titles currently blocked.
Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
Leaving Netflix: January 1st
Picture: Annapurna Pictures
Added earlier this year in time for Kathryn Bigelow’s big directorial return courtesy of Netflix with A House of Dynamite (still my favorite Netflix movie of the year), Zero Dark Thirty may be the director’s most beloved movie, even if it wasn’t quite as decorated as The Hurt Locker, which came before this. Headlined by Jessica Chastain, the film transports you back to the early 2000s, following the tragic 9/11 attacks in New York and other locations in the US. You’ll follow a CIA officer who goes to the ends of the Earth to bring the responsible party to justice.
Tenet (2020)
Leaving Netflix: January 1st
Although most would agree that Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors of the past two decades, a significant portion would have a hard time giving a wholehearted recommendation for Tenet, including me. Despite that, here’s my recommendation because even if you come out the other side completely bewildered by what you just saw, it’s a trip worth taking.
Headlined by Robert Pattinson and John David Washington, the movie puts time at the center of the story, with a new technology invented that allows people to travel back in time. This technology is causing a massive temporal war that threatens the Earth. It’s complex, sometimes to the point of incomprehensibility and trippy, but still worth the experience. I just don’t think it’ll rank too highly in your Nolan rankings. Could you prove me wrong, though?
The Way Back (2020)
Leaving Netflix: January 1st
Yes, yet another Warner Bros. movie is leaving on January 1st (hopefully won’t be a problem eventually if the big deal goes through) but this one is well worth your time particularly given that a big Ben Affleck movie is just around the corner on Netflix US with The Rip set to debut in January and fingers crossed his other film, Animals, won’t be too far behind that.
Directed by Gavin O’Connor, the movie follows Jack Cunningham, who has been facing some hard times, having seemingly peaked early in his life, but ultimately missed out on sporting greatness by throwing in the towel too soon. He gets a second shot at redemption, however, when he’s drafted to teach a struggling basketball team, which, he discovers, has long been his true calling.
An inspiring tale, well-acted and directed, it’s a shame we’ve only had a couple of months to watch this sports flick, but don’t miss out on your opportunity.
That’s our picks for the movies you should watch before they leave – let us know which one you’re going to give a watch or rewatch before it departs.
