Netflix has two long-awaited sequels premiering in July, along with loads of other hits, from zombie movies to strange-but-true documentaries about some of the biggest news stories of our time. The biggest films to hit the streamer in July are definitely Happy Gilmore 2, the Adam Sandler film that arrives on July 25, and The Old Guard 2, the action fantasy that stars Charlize Theron, Veronica Van, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Kiki Layne and Uma Thurman.
Five new entries in the platform’s popular Trainwreck documentary series are also arriving this month, along with new foreign films like Ziam, a Thai zombie horror film, and Brick, a German thriller. Many other beloved movies, like Friday Night Lights and the original Karate Kid trilogy, are also coming to the streamer soon.
With a great selection of action, comedy, and some essential old faves, these are the best new titles coming to Netflix this July.
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Trainwreck: The Cult of American Apparel (July 1)
Netflix’s Trainwreck series continues this month with the release of five more films that recall some of the most dramatic moments and media sensations of the past few decades. July’s first installment, The Cult of American Apparel, follows the rise and fall of the fashion brand that marketed American-made basics toward young, trendy consumers, and ultimately folded as a result of CEO Dov Charney’s mismanagement and a series of sexual harassment accusations made against him. This month’s other Trainwreck installments include The Real Project X (July 8), Balloon Boy (July 15), P.I. Moms (July 22) and Storm Area 51 (July 29).
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (July 1)
With Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning out now, there’s no better time to go back and revisit some of the other great installments in the franchise like 2015’s Rogue Nation, the first Mission: Impossible film to be directed by Tom Cruise’s frequent collaborator Christopher McQuarrie and, some might say, one of the best films in the series. It’s also the film that brings Cruise’s Ethan Hunt together with ex-MI6 agent Ilsa Faust, played by series regular Rebecca Ferguson. The movie (as well as four others in the M:I franchise) arrives on Netflix July 1.
Mission: Impossible isn’t the only franchise dropping on Netflix in July. You can also catch the original 1984 version of The Karate Kid and the film’s two sequels when they drop on July 1. If you finished Cobra Kai and want to revisit the originals, with Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso and Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, now is the time.
Friday Night Lights (July 1)
Peter Berg’s 2004 drama Friday Night Lights spawned one of the great shows of the early aughts, but the film stands on its own as a sports classic. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Odessa, Texas, football coach Gary Gaines, whose high school team is more than just a sports club, it’s the soul of the town. After the team’s star player (Derek Luke) is injured, Gaines has to restore morale and spirit not just within his team, but in the entire community.
Charlize Theron returns as Andy, the leader of a group of immortal mercenaries, in The Old Guard 2, which arrives on Netflix July 2. (The first film, a 2020 Netflix original, is also available on the platform.) In the sequel, Theron is joined by almost the entire cast of the original film, as well as another actor with serious action chops — Uma Thurman. She plays Discord, a fellow immortal described as an “agent of chaos” that Andy is forced to battle.
You can’t beat the log line of the new Netflix original movie Ziam: A Muay Thai fighter battles zombies in order to save his girlfriend. I’m in. Thai actor and musician Mark Prin plays Singh, a retired boxer whose plan to retire to his hometown and live a quiet life with his girlfriend Rin is disrupted when zombies take over the hospital where Rin works. If you like martial arts, action and stories of the infected undead, this is the bloody good time you’re looking for.
In the new German thriller Brick, Tim and Olivia (Matthias Schweighöfer and Ruby O. Fee) wake up one day to discover they’re trapped in their apartment by an impenetrable brick wall that has shown up out of nowhere. It’s a problem affecting their entire building, so they have to work together with their neighbors to find a way out of the mysterious fortress and figure out why it’s there in the first place. Brick arrives on July 10.
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Destination Wedding (July 11)
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Destination Wedding is the 13th Madea film and the second to be produced for and streamed on Netflix. In the film, Perry returns as the outspoken Madea (as well as playing her nephew, Brian), as their family travels to the Bahamas for an unexpected, last-minute wedding.
Almost Cops is an upcoming Dutch comedy starring Jandino Asporaat and Werner Kolf as a crime-fighting odd couple. Asporaat plays Ramon, a special investigating officer in Rotterdam whose new colleague, Jack (Kolf), is an ex-detective who was demoted and reassigned to Ramon’s team. Their relationship is prickly at first but after learning that they’ve both suffered the loss of a loved one — by the same killer — they forge a bond and go full buddy cop to nab their perp.
Apocalypse in the Tropics (July 14)
Apocalypse in the Tropics is the newest documentary film from Petra Costa, whose previous work includes 2019’s Oscar-nominated film The Edge of Democracy (which is also available on Netflix). Like that film, Apocalypse in the Tropics takes viewers deep inside the often turbulent world of Brazilian politics, with the new film focusing on the rise of the Evangelical Christian influence among many of Brazil’s leaders. The film, which was four years in the making, arrives July 14.
Happy Gilmore 2 (July 25)
Timing is everything and you could argue that, now that we’re in an era of peak 1990s nostalgia, there’s no better time for Adam’s Sandler’s Happy Gilmore sequel to arrive. Happy Gilmore 2, written by Sandler and Tim Herlihy, reunites much of the cast of the original film, including Julie Bowen, Ben Stiller and Christopher McDonald. In the new film, Happy, now retired from golf, returns to the sport so he can pay for his daughter’s tuition. The film features cameos from tons of pro golfers, along with Bad Bunny, who plays Happy’s new caddy. Happy Gilmore 2 starts streaming on July 25.
