New Disney Plus movies: February 9, 2024 update
Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
The Marvels has finally flown onto Disney Plus, so it’s one of two new movies that have joined this article in this week’s update. The other is Suncoast, which is available on Hulu in the US. We’ve also updated our ‘coming soon’ section with the latest news about films that will join the service soon, plus our X-Men entry as two new mutant-based flicks have also landed on Disney Plus stateside.
Welcome to TechRadar’s new Disney Plus movies article. In this guide, you’ll find a list of the latest big-name films to join the streaming giant’s back catalog – and, after a dearth of new additions recently, we’ve finally got two new movies to enjoy.
Indeed, the most recent Marvel movie – The Marvels – has made its official streaming debut on Disney Plus, as has Suncoast, an indie flick that’s viewable on the platform internationally (it can only been seen on Hulu in the US). Whether you’re a superhero film fan or not, then, there’s something new for you to check out on one of the world’s best streaming services.
For a more comprehensive round-up of big-budget offerings on Disney’s primary streamers, be sure to read our best Disney Plus movies guide. Bookmark that for later, though, and read our new Disney Plus movies article first.
New Disney Plus movies: February 2024
Suncoast
Release date: February 9 (streaming on Hulu in the US)
Director: Laura Chinn
Cast: Nico Parker, Woody Harrelson, Laura Linney, and Ella Anderson
20th Century Studios’ latest dramady is, given its story and thematic content, one you’ll certainly need to be in the right frame of mind for. Indeed, it’s equal parts a weepy drama and heart-warming dark comedy, so we advise you to be in the mood to laugh and/or cry if you stick it on.
Suncoast stars Parker (The Last of Us) as Doris, a struggling teenager who feels overlooked by her mom Kristine (Linney) due to the latter looking after her disabled son 24/7. When Doris strikes up an unlikely friendship with eccentric activist Paul (Harrelson), though, she finds a new way to look at and approach life.
Suncoast was fairly well-received by critics (its 69% Rotten Tomatoes score proving as much), but it’s been eaten up by general audiences, as evidenced by its perfect 100% rating on the same review aggregation website.
The Marvels
Release date: February 7
Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, and Samuel L. Jackson
Following a terrible box office run that earned its the worst-performing theatrical release in Marvel’s entire history, The Marvels has cut its losses and made its Disney Plus debut.
Primarily a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel, it sees Larson’s superpowered Carol Danvers team up with Parris’ Monica Rambeau (the grown-up daughter of Danvers’ late best friend) and Vellani’s Kamala Khan to thwart a new Kree threat. That individual is Ashton’s Dar-Benn, who wants to usher in a new dawn for the Kree empire at the expense of other worlds – and, potentially, the multiverse itself.
With its 62% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and abject $206.1 million box office takings, The Marvels doesn’t rank highly in our best Marvel movies list. Audiences enjoyed one of the studio’s breezier big-screen offerings far more than critics, though, so it’s a Marvel Phase 5 flick that’s worth streaming if you want to see what all the fuss is about. If nothing else, there’s an unexpected post-credits scene that’s absolutely worth watching. Find out where it sits on the MCU timeline in our Marvel movies in order guide while you’re here, too.
New Disney Plus movies: January 2024
The Creator
Release date: January 17 (available on Hulu in the US)
Director: Gareth Edwards
Cast: John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Allison Janney, and Sturgill Simpson among others
The latest addition to our new Disney Plus movies guide, Gareth Edwards’ (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Godzilla) latest sci-fi spectacle blew us away visually upon its theatrical release in September 2023. If you missed The Creator last year, you can now enjoy it in all its cinematic glory on the biggest home screen possible.
And you’ll want to. The Creator‘s reported $100 million belies its sheer size and epic scope, even if its story is made up of broad strokes from iconic sci-fi fare we’ve seen before. Indeed, the release of its first trailer had us comparing it to Terminator, Star Wars, and The Last of Us, so it wasn’t a great surprise to see people bemoan its plot as its weakest part.
Still, it’s worth watching for its awe-inspiring visual effects and expansive world-building. And, if you’re not bothered by its generic story, you should have a good time with it. Here’s a brief synopsis, for those interested: Washington stars as Joshua Taylor, a former army sergeant who, amid an ongoing war between humans and artificial intelligence, tracks down the latter’s ‘Creator’, a so-called super-weapon that could turn the tide of the decades-spanning conflict. However, when Taylor finds the individual in question, he’s forced to confront his own humanity and decide whether he’s fighting for the right side.
X-Men (2000)
Release date: January 5
Director: Bryan Singer
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Famke Janssen, James Marsden, and Anna Paquin among others
The first movie in Fox’s now-defunct X-Men universe is now viewable in the US (it was already available on Disney Plus internationally).
It’s a tad corny in places – that’s early 21st century film dialog for you – but, overall, it holds up. It gave us some fantastically realized (and cast!) characters in Jackman’s Wolverine, McKellen’s Magneto, and Stewart’s Professor X, who have all gone on to make these legendary superpowered individuals their own since. Its story also contains relatable themes about xenophobia, its action sequences are creative and enjoyable, and it’s surprisingly emotional at times, too. Oh, and it was one of the first films Kevin Feige produced, which set him on his path to become overseer of the cinematic juggernaut known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
With Fox’s X-Men universe set to get a fitting (and likely humorously R-rated) send-off in the highly anticipated Marvel Phase 5 movie Deadpool 3, the arrival of 2000’s X-Men on Disney Plus is most welcome.
NB: as of February 7, X-2: X-Men United and X-Men: Days of Future Past are also streamable stateside. To see where they fit on the X-Men film timeline, read our guide on how to watch the X-Men movies in order.
New Disney Plus movies: what’s coming soon?
Wondering what other new Disney Plus movies are set to arrive in February? Read on for more details:
- Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian – February 16 (US only)
- Revolver – February 16 (UK only)
- Survivor – February 23 (UK only)
Not up for a movie? Try our pick of the best Disney Plus shows, see if there’s a free Disney Plus trial available, read our Disney Plus review, or get the lowdown on the new Disney Plus price points.
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