From Jennifer Garner’s time-travel rom-com to Adam Driver’s Enzo Ferrari biopic and Bill Skarsgård’s explosive 1977 kidnapping story, here are three Netflix movies newly available in May 2026—ranked by IMDb user ratings.
By the time summer rolls around. Netflix tends to feel like a moving target: what’s “new” today can be gone tomorrow. and what’s worth your time is never obvious at first glance. In May 2026. the streamer’s rotation leans into crowd-pleasers and big-name performances—starting with a rom-com that already lives in the cultural bloodstream.
At the top of the list is Dead Man’s Wire (2025), rated 6.5 on IMDb. Bill Skarsgård plays Tony Kiritsis, and the movie doesn’t waste time making his motive unmistakable. Tony believes the Halls—father M.L. (Al Pacino) and son Richard (Dacre Montgomery)—cheated him out of money from a land development deal that went sour. He’s done asking. He kidnaps Richard at gunpoint and demands that the pair admit their crimes and apologize for defrauding him. If they don’t, Tony will shoot Richard in the head.
It’s the kind of situation that sounds like a “Dog Day Afternoon” twist. but the film draws its electricity from what it claims is real-life events. In 1977, Tony Kiritsis really did kidnap Richard and invited the media to broadcast his one-man protest. The movie’s power. as presented here. comes from the anger itself—palatable. relentless. and the engine for choices that Tony supposedly wouldn’t make under normal circumstances. The denouement is described as even wilder than the lead-up. leaving the story with the momentum of a question: what happens to Tony after the crimes?.
Dead Man’s Wire sits at No. 1 for a reason—it’s not just tense, it’s strange in a way that keeps pulling you forward.
Right behind it is Ferrari (2023), rated 6.4 on IMDb. Adam Driver takes on Enzo Ferrari, already running an impressive automobile empire in Italy by the time summer of 1957 arrives. But his personal life is collapsing. Enzo’s estranged wife, Laura (Penélope Cruz), is still mourning the loss of their only son. A mistress, Lina (Shailene Woodley), pushes Enzo to give his illegitimate son his last name. Finances are in terrible shape, and the one person who can save him is Laura—who hates him. With an all-important race looming. Enzo needs to persuade his wife to help. or he’ll lose everything he holds near and dear.
Ferrari is framed as a biopic that plays like three different movies at once: a domestic drama involving Enzo. Laura and Lina; a corporate thriller involving nervous shareholders and a merger that Enzo needs to keep manufacturing cars; and a racing picture featuring vintage cars crossing the Italian countryside. Not all of it works. but the description emphasizes a portrait of a fascinating man—his stoicism hiding anguish over his son’s death. an anguish he refuses to reveal to anyone. The racing scenes are said to be thrilling. including a spectacular crash-out so unbelievable it’s tied to an unfortunate real-life tragedy.
And then there’s 13 Going on 30 (2004), rated 6.3 on IMDb, rounding out the list at No. 3. Jennifer Garner stars as Jenna Rink, who starts the story as 13 and can’t wait to grow up. Through a magical dollhouse—one she’s clearly not interested in explaining—Jenna gets what she asks for and wakes up “30. flirty and thriving” as an editor at her favorite magazine. Poise.
But she’s still a kid at heart. She wants the things teens want: to dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller. ” stay up late without adult supervision. and finally tell her longtime crush. Matty (Sean Marquette and Mark Ruffalo). that she loves him. The fairy-tale comes with a ticking clock, though. Jenna has to work up the courage to be her true self before time runs out.
This one became a rom-com classic over the years. described as earning that status through its high-concept premise and an engaging lead performance. Time-travel rom-coms, it’s noted, show up more often than you might think. Compared to Kate & Leopold and About Time, 13 Going on 30 is said to deliver the most laughs. A Netflix remake is also in the works, with Garner on board as an executive producer.
The ordering here tells its own story: a buzzy. culturally sticky fantasy (13 Going on 30). a prestige biopic with multiple tracks (Ferrari). and a true-crime-style pressure cooker with stakes that can’t be talked down (Dead Man’s Wire). If you’re looking for May viewing that feels like a clean slate—new entries plus familiar faces—Netflix’s May 2026 lineup has a little something for every kind of night-in.
Netflix May 2026 Dead Man’s Wire Ferrari 2023 13 Going on 30 Bill Skarsgård Adam Driver Jennifer Garner Al Pacino Dacre Montgomery Penélope Cruz Shailene Woodley Sean Marquette Mark Ruffalo IMDb rating