(Credits: Netflix)

The phrase “Netflix and Chill” has become so commonplace that it’s easy to forget just how much we fall back on Netflix to chill every day. However, before 2025 comes to a close, let’s take a moment to remember the times the streamer absolutely delighted the world.

This has undoubtedly been a year of wins for Netflix and, in turn, for all of us entertainment-wise. From tactical expansion to creative invention, the streamer hasn’t disappointed.

Netflix still has a few cards up its sleeve before the year ends, and one of them is about making history with the Stranger Things finale screening in theatres.

So, before the New Year’s fireworks show fogs our view, let’s celebrate the Netflix Hall of Fame with the five standout movies it delivered this year.

Five standout movies Netflix dropped this year

KPop Demon Hunters (Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, 2025)

Making it to Netflix’s top ten most popular movies chart is deemed a monumental achievement on its own, and it, no doubt, is. But KPop Demon Hunters, the most-watched Netflix film of all time, is currently on its 26th consecutive week on the charts, which is nothing less than historic. The animated musical fantasy film tells the story of an all-girls K-pop group, HUNTR/X, who are also secret demon slayers.

While they are celebrated K-pop stars in their own right, they are constantly going head-to-head with a rival boy band, Saja Boys, who live double lives as secret demons with evil intentions. KPop Demon Hunters has already been recognised with multiple awards, and it has also received five nods in the Grammy Awards, along with three Golden Globes nominations. Hence, there’s no doubt that this entry is one of a kind.

Exterritorial (Christian Zübert, 2025)

Another groundbreaking film Netflix released earlier this year is the German action thriller Exterritorial, led by Jeanne Goursaud, Dougray Scott, and Lera Abova. The nail-biter follows a former special forces soldier struggling with PTSD, who is probably on the most important mission of her life: to track down her young son after he mysteriously vanishes inside the US consulate in Germany.

As she digs deeper into his disappearance, what she finds is an unimaginable conspiracy that entwines with both her past and the consulate’s corrupt security. But to save her son, she must fight her way through it.

Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro, 2025)

Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated releases of 2025, no matter how much you say about Guillermo del Toro’s passion project, Frankenstein, it feels less. The Netflix adaptation is indeed based on Mary Shelley’s famous 1818 Gothic novel. However, it goes beyond a simple retelling of the classic tale of Victor Frankenstein and the creature he brings to life in a monstrous experiment.

From five Golden Globe nods to 11 Critics’ Choice nominations, Frankenstein’s monster magic also left its imprint on the weekly Netflix charts. While the adaptation doesn’t tell a story we haven’t heard before, it surely has something viewers haven’t minded giving their ear to twice.

Train Dreams (Clint Bentley, 2025)

Train Dreams is one of the most acclaimed dramas Netflix released in recent weeks, directed by Clint Bentley from a script by Greg Kwedar. Based on Denis Johnson’s beloved novella, the Netflix adaptation stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier and tells the story of his life during the age of unprecedented change in early 20th-century America.

Train Dreams captures the life of Grainier, who was orphaned early in his childhood. He grew into adulthood amid the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, where he eventually helped expand the country’s railroad initiatives. While the movie already generated significant buzz in cinema circles, it has also been nominated for the upcoming Golden Globes. Not to forget, it has received honours from Critics’ Choice and Film Independent Spirit Awards, among others.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (Rian Johnson, 2025)

The Knives Out film series has been a fan favourite for many reasons, and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is clearly one of them. The third instalment in Rian Johnson’s murder mystery franchise, Daniel Craig returns as Benoit Blanc to solve a case beyond belief when corrupt Monsignor Jefferson Wicks is found dead in a tiny closet inside his own church.

While the locked-door mystery is mind-boggling even for Blanc, when the conspiracy ends up implicating the young priest with a violent past, Jud Duplenticy, he has no option but to pull out the big guns, his brains, to prove his innocence. Wake Up Dead Man has debuted at number one on Netflix’s top ten charts in the week dated December 8th to December 14th and currently boasts 93% on Rotten Tomatoes. In case you’re yet to catch up, now you’ve enough reasons to!