Take a look at the series, movies, documentaries, and specials coming to Netflix in May 2023. Prepare your schedule for all the releases for this month.
All new releases on Netflix in May 1 2023
May 1
1. Above Suspicion :
A young woman desperately tries to escape a seedy life of crime and drugs in a Kentucky coal mining town. She believes her bad luck may finally be changing when a newly minted FBI agent recruits her as an informant for a high-profile case.
Release date: May 7, 2021 (USA)
Director: Phillip Noyce
Distributed by: Lionsgate Films
Based on: Above Suspicion; by Joe Sharkey
Box office: $25,396
Cinematography: Elliot Davis
2. Airport :
Airport is a 1970s film series consisting of four airplane-themed disaster films: Airport, Airport 1975, Airport ’77 and The Concorde … Airport ’79. They are based on the 1968 novel Airport by Arthur Hailey. The four films grossed $387.5 million worldwide.
Characters: Capt. Joe Patroni, Ada Quonsett, D.O. Guerrero
Directors: George Seaton, Jack Smight, Jerry Jameson, David Lowell Rich
Adapted from: Airport
Box office: $387.5 million
Production company: Universal Pictures
Screenplay by: George Seaton; Don Ingalls; Jennings Lang; Eric Roth
3. Airport ‘77:
The story about the mid-air hijack of a multi-millionaire’s private 747 carrying a collection of priceless works of art. The terrified pilot is forced by the hijackers to fly low to avoid radar detection and, as a result, the plane hits an oil rig and crashes into the sea.
Release date: March 11, 1977 (USA)
Director: Jerry Jameson
Film series: Airport
Story by: H. A. L. Craig; Charles Kuenstle
Box office: 91 million USD
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
4. Airport 1975:
When an in-flight collision incapacitates the pilots of an airplane bound for Los Angeles, stewardess Nancy Pryor (Karen Black) is forced to take over the controls. From the ground, her boyfriend Alan Murdock (Charlton Heston), a retired test pilot, tries to talk her through piloting and landing .
Initial release: October 18, 1974
Director: Jack Smight
Music by: John Cacavas
Box office: 103 million USD
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Adapted from: Airport
5. American Gangster:
Frank Lucas takes control of his boss Ellsworth Johnson’s business after he dies of a heart attack. Soon, Lucas expands his control to various businesses while secretly running a drug cartel.
Release date: October 19, 2007 (USA)
Director: Ridley Scott
Screenplay: Ridley Scott, Steven Zaillian
Music by: Marc Streitenfeld
Distributed by: Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Based on: “The Return of Superfly”; by Mark Jacobson
6. Austin Powers in Goldmember:
Austin Powers chases after Dr Evil, Mini-Me and Goldmember through time when they kidnap his father. He stops in 1975 for Foxxy Cleopatra’s help, his ex-girlfriend, and track down the kidnappers.
Release date: July 22, 2002 (USA)
Director: Jay Roach
Screenplay: Mike Myers, Michael McCullers
Music by: George S. Clinton
Distributed by: New Line Cinema
Based on: Characters; by Mike Myers
7. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery:
Austin Powers, a cryogenically frozen British spy from 1960s, is thawed and reinstated when his arch nemesis Dr. Evil returns from space and terrorizes earth with his evil schemes.
Release date: May 2, 1997 (USA)
Director: Jay Roach
Screenplay: Mike Myers, Jay Roach
Music by: George S. Clinton
Distributed by: New Line Cinema, Pathé
Box office: $67.7 million
8. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me:
Criminal Dr Evil goes back to the 1960s after stealing Austin Powers’s magical charm, from which he derives his sexual prowess. Austin, along with Felicity, a CIA agent, follows him to retrieve it.
Release date: June 8, 1999 (USA)
Director: Jay Roach
Music by: George S. Clinton
Distributed by: New Line Cinema, FilmFlex
Based on: Characters; by Mike Myers
Box office: $312 million
9. Black Hawk Down:
Captain Mike Steele leads a team of nearly 100 US Army Rangers who travel to the capital city of Mogadishu to catch the top two lieutenants of a Somali warlord.
Release date: January 18, 2002 (USA)
Director: Ridley Scott
Adapted from: Black Hawk Down
Music by: Hans Zimmer
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing
Box office: $173 million
10. The Cable Guy:
Steven befriends Chip, the person who installs cable at his new home. However, Chip wreaks havoc in Steven’s life when he rejects their friendship.
Release date: June 14, 1996 (USA)
Director: Ben Stiller
Screenplay: Lou Holtz Jr.
Music by: John Ottman
Awards: MTV Movie & TV Award for Best Comedic Performance
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing
11. Captain Phillips:
Somali pirates attack the Maersk Alabama, a container ship, while it is on its course to Kenya. Richard Phillips, the captain of the ship, uses his wits to negotiate with them to save his crew.
Release date: October 11, 2013 (USA)
Director: Paul Greengrass
Nominations: Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures, United International Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing
Based on: A Captain’s Duty; by Richard Phillips; Stephan Talty
Box office: $220.6 million
12. Chicken Run:
Rocky, a rooster, and Ginger, a chicken, decide to escape from a chicken farm when they learn that their owner is plotting to have them killed.
Release date: June 21, 2000 (USA)
Directors: Nick Park, Peter Lord
Production companies: Aardman Animations, DreamWorks Pictures, Pathé, Allied Filmmakers, Pathé Pictures
Sequel: Chicken Run 2
Distributed by: DreamWorks Pictures, Pathé, Universal Pictures, 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Home Entertainment
13. Cliffhanger:
A mountain ranger haunted by a failed rescue attempt returns to the mountains to help plane crash survivors. He soon learns that they are crooks using him to find the loot scattered near the wreckage.
Release date: May 28, 1993 (USA)
Director: Renny Harlin
Music composed by: Trevor Jones
Screenplay: Sylvester Stallone, Renny Harlin, John Long, Michael France
Nominations: Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
Box office: 255 million USD
14. Conan the Barbarian:
Conan, who was sold into slavery when he was a kid, sets off to find the sorcerer responsible for the genocide of his family and people.
Release date: May 14, 1982 (USA)
Director: John Milius
Music by: Basil Poledouris
Film series: Conan the Barbarian
Distributed by: Universal Pictures, 20th Century Studios, FilmFlex
Adapted from: Conan the Barbarian
15. The Croods:
In the primaeval era, Grug and his family risk the dangers of their surroundings to find a new dwelling place. Along the way, they meet a modern boy who woos them with his adventurous ways.
Release date: January 23, 2014 (Nepal)
Directors: Kirk DeMicco, Chris Sanders
Distributed by: DreamWorks Pictures, 20th Century Studios, Paramount Pictures
Box office: $587.2 million
Music by: Alan Silvestri
Produced by: Kristine Belson; Jane Hartwell
16. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button:
While lying in a hospital bed after Hurricane Katrina’s devastation, Daisy remembers her friendship with Benjamin Button, a person suffering from a rare ageing ailment wherein he aged backwards.
Release date: December 25, 2008 (USA)
Director: David Fincher
Adapted from: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Warner Bros. Pictures, FilmFlex
Box office: $335.8 million
Cinematography: Claudio Miranda
17. Dawn of the Dead:
Survivors of an epidemic which causes the infected to turn into flesh-eating zombies take refuge in a shopping mall. In addition to battling the undead, they also have to tackle problems from within.
Release date: March 19, 2004 (USA)
Director: Zack Snyder
Screenplay: George A. Romero, James Gunn
Adapted from: Dawn of the Dead
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Box office: $102.3 million
18. Flight:
Whip Whitaker, an airline pilot, saves a flight from crashing. However, the mandated investigation reveals that he was flying the plane under the influence of alcohol and cocaine.
Release date: November 2, 2012 (USA)
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Nominations: Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures
Budget: US$31 million
Cinematography: Don Burgess
19. For Colored Girls:
This movie portrays the different stories of African American women. It deals with issues and problems faced by women based on a collection of 20 poems by Ntozake Shange.
Release date: November 5, 2010 (USA)
Director: Tyler Perry
Story by: Ntozake Shange
Adapted from: For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf
Distributed by: Lionsgate, Lionsgate Films
Budget: $21 million
20. Girl, Interrupted:
A directionless teenager, Susanna, is rushed to Claymoore, a mental institution, after a supposed suicide attempt. There, she befriends a group of troubled women who deeply influence her life.
Release date: December 8, 1999 (USA)
Director: James Mangold
Nominations: Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Music by: Mychael Danna
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Adapted from: Girl, Interrupted
21. The Glass Castle:
Based on a memoir, four siblings must learn to take care of themselves as their responsibility-averse, free-spirit parents both inspire and inhibit them. When sober, the children’s brilliant and charismatic father captured their imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life
Release date: August 9, 2017 (USA)
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Adapted from: The Glass Castle
Story by: Jeannette Walls
Distributed by: Lionsgate, Lionsgate Films
Box office: $22.1 million
22. Home Again:
Recently separated from her husband, Alice Kinney decides to start over by moving back to Los Angeles with her two daughters. While celebrating her 40th birthday, Alice meets Harry, George and Teddy, three young filmmakers who need a place to live. Complications soon arise when she agrees to let the… MORE
Release date: September 8, 2017 (USA)
Director: Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Screenplay: Hallie Meyers-Shyer
Producers: Nancy Meyers, Erika Olde
Distributed by: Open Road Films
Box office: $37.3 million
23. Hop:
Fred, who has never taken life seriously, unintentionally injures an Easter Bunny and is forced to take him in as a guest. Soon, hilarity ensues as they struggle to deal with the situation.
Release date: March 27, 2011 (USA)
Director: Tim Hill
Production companies: Illumination, Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Dentsu Inc.
Music by: Christopher Lennertz
Distributed by: Universal Pictures, UIP-Dunafilm
Box office: $184.4 million
24. Igor:
Amidst the world of mad scientists and evil inventions, an aspiring and talented lab assistant of an evil scientist dreams of winning the annual Evil Science Fair by becoming a mad scientist himself.
Release date: September 19, 2008 (USA)
Director: Tony Leondis
Distributed by: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, The Weinstein Company, 20th Century Studios, Universal Pictures, TF1 Group
Box office: $30.7 million
Music by: Patrick Doyle
Production company: Exodus Film Group
25. Kindergarten Cop:
John, a detective, is assigned the responsibility of posing as a kindergarten teacher so that he can track down a criminal.
Release date: December 21, 1990 (USA)
Director: Ivan Reitman
Sequel: Kindergarten Cop 2
Story by: Murray Salem
Distributed by: Universal Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Box office: $202 million
26. Last Action Hero:
Danny Madigan is an ardent fan of a Hollywood superstar. His best friend gives him a magical ticket that teleports him into the world of his favourite star.
Release date: June 13, 1993 (USA)
Director: John McTiernan
Screenplay: Shane Black, David Arnott
Box office: 137.3 million USD
Music by: Michael Kamen
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
27. Legends of the Fall:
Colonel Ludlow decides to move to Montana’s country-side and raise his three children. His life changes when he learns that all his children have fallen in love with the same girl.
Release date: January 13, 1995 (USA)
Director: Edward Zwick
Nominations: Academy Award for Best Cinematography, MORE
Music composed by: James Horner
Awards: Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Bronze Wrangler for Theatrical Motion Picture
Adapted from: Legends of the fall
28. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events:
After the Baudelaire children lose their parents in a house fire, they are kept under the care of Count Olaf. However, the wicked man does everything in his power to seize their inheritance.
Release date: December 17, 2004 (USA)
Director: Brad Silberling
Distributed by: Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Home Entertainment, FilmFlex
Adapted from: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window
Box office: $211.5 million
Music by: Thomas Newman
29. Léon: The Professional:
When 12-year-old Mathilda’s family is killed, her neighbour Leon, who is a professional assassin, reluctantly takes her under his wing and teaches her the secrets of his trade.
Release date: September 14, 1994 (France)
Director: Luc Besson
Nominations: César Award for Best Actor, MORE
Screenplay: Luc Besson
Adapted from: Silas Marner Illustrated
Adaptations: Bichhoo (2000)
30. Marshall:
Thurgood Marshall is a lawyer primarily working to fight against racial prejudice. He takes on a case to defend Joseph Spell, an African American man accused of raping a wealthy Caucasian woman.
Release date: October 13, 2017 (USA)
Director: Reginald Hudlin
Nominations: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture, MORE
Distributed by: Open Road Films
Box office: $10.1 million
Music by: Marcus Miller
31. Paranormal Activity:
Paranormal Activity is an American supernatural horror franchise consisting of seven films and additional media. Created by Oren Peli, the original film premiered in 2007 and was widely released in 2009.
Characters: Katie, Micah, Daniel Rey, Hunter Rey, Kristi Rey, Ryan, MORE
Directors: Oren Peli, Gregory Plotkin, William Eubank, Ariel Schulman, Tod Williams, Henry Joost, Christopher Landon
Based on: Created by Oren Peli
Produced by: Oren Peli; Jason Blum; Steven Schneider (1 & 3)
Production companies: Blumhouse Productions; Solana Films; Room 101, Inc. Paramount Pictures (7); Paramount Players (7)
32. Peter Pan (2003):
In the early 1900s in London, the Darling siblings receive a visit from Peter Pan, who transports them to Never Never Land to help in a fight against the evil Captain Hook.
Release date: December 9, 2003 (UK)
Director: P. J. Hogan
Music by: James Newton Howard
Distributed by: Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group
Adapted from: Peter and Wendy
Box office: $122 million
33. Pitch Perfect:
Beca, a college fresher, reluctantly joins an all-girls a cappella group and later infuses freshness into their repertoire. They then take on a male a cappella group in a competition.
Release date: September 28, 2012 (USA)
Director: Jason Moore
Distributed by: Universal Pictures, Rogue Pictures
Adapted from: Pitch perfect
Box office: $115.4 million
Cinematography: Julio Macat
34. Rainbow High: Season 3:
Girls at a visual arts school face challenges as they learn to flaunt their true colours and let their talent shine.
First episode date: October 2, 2020 (USA)
35. Rugrats: Seasons 1-2:
| Genre | Animation/Television |
| Format | NTSC |
| Language | English |
| Number Of Discs | 6 |
| Publication Date | February 5, 2019 |
36. The Smurfs: Season 1:
Led by 543-year-old Papa Smurf, life is seemingly perfect for the three-apple-tall blue pals living in Smurf Village, except for all the times they must battle the evil wizard Gargamel and his nasty cat Azrael.
Networks: BBC, NBC, ZDF, ITV, Kanal D, Italia 1, TVP1, Global Television Network, Seven Network, Jetix, Toon Disney, Fox Kids
Adapted from: The Smurfs
Final episode date: December 2, 1989
Created by: Pierre “Peyo” Culliford
Ending theme: “The Smurfy Way” (instrumental); “La La Song” (instrumental)
37. Starship Troopers:
Johnny Rico completes his graduation and joins the Mobile Infantry to serve the nation. Soon, he finds himself fighting against alien bugs that are hell-bent on destroying life on Earth.
Release date: November 7, 1997 (USA)
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Box office: 121 million USD
Distributed by: TriStar Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Adapted from: Starship Troopers
Budget: $100–110 million
38. Steel Magnolias:
M’Lynn is afraid that she might lose her daughter in childbirth. So, she turns to her girlfriends for strength, support and to celebrate the miracle of life.
Release date: November 5, 1989 (USA)
Director: Herbert Ross
Screenplay: Robert Harling
Nominations: Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, MORE
Awards: Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture, MORE
Adapted from: Steel Magnolias
39. The Tale of Despereaux:
Three unlikely heroes: a misfit mouse, an unhappy rat and a servant girl find their fate intertwined with that of a princess.
Release date: December 19, 2008 (USA)
Directors: Sam Fell, Robert Stevenhagen
Narrator: Sigourney Weaver
Adapted from: The Tale of Despereaux
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Box office: $86.9 million
40. This Is the End:
Three unlikely heroes: a misfit mouse, an unhappy rat and a servant girl find their fate intertwined with that of a princess.
Release date: December 19, 2008 (USA)
Directors: Sam Fell, Robert Stevenhagen
Narrator: Sigourney Weaver
Adapted from: The Tale of Despereaux
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Box office: $86.9 million
41. Traffic:
The lives of four people intertwine because of the drug trade in America. Each experiences personal loss and despair in the ongoing war on drugs, but is helpless.
Release date: December 27, 2000 (USA)
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Nominations: Academy Award for Best Picture, MORE
Awards: Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, MORE
Screenplay: Stephen Gaghan
Adapted from: Traffik
42. Vampires:
Jack and his team of mercenaries must hunt down vampires and retrieve the Black Cross of Berziers, an ancient relic that, should it be obtained by vampires, will allow them to endure the sunlight.
Release date: October 30, 1998 (USA)
Director: John Carpenter
Sequel: Vampires: Los Muertos
Adapted from: Vampires
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures, Summit Entertainment, FilmFlex
Box office: $20.3 million (domestic)
43. The Wedding Date:
Kat Ellis is all set to be the maid of honor at her younger sister’s wedding. She is taken back when she finds out that the best man is none other than her ex-fiance.
Release date: February 4, 2005 (USA)
Director: Clare Kilner
Adapted from: Asking for Trouble
Music composed by: Blake Neely, Debbie Wiseman
Distributed by: Universal Pictures, Mandate Pictures, LLC
Box office: $47.2 million
44. The Young Victoria:
The film portrays the early childhood, teen and the following turbulent years of a young princess who came to be known as Queen Victoria. It also follows her enduring romance with Prince Albert.
Release date: March 6, 2009 (UK)
Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Nominations: Academy Award for Best Costume Design, MORE
Producers: Sarah, Duchess of York, Graham King, Martin Scorsese, Tim Headington
Music composed by: Ilan Eshkeri
Distributed by: Momentum Pictures
