(Credits: Netflix)

Netflix takes entertainment very seriously, and so do we, especially when it comes to weekend watchlists.

While Netflix’s door remains open every day 24/7, it is usually during the weekends that viewers take a break from on-the-move entertainment to sit back and unwind.

Knowing very well that it consumes all the energy to make it through from Monday to Friday, why settle for a watchlist that’s mediocre at best when you can let us do the heavy lifting? Call it whatever you may, a subpar weekend recommendation is nothing less than showbiz sin.

So, to ensure you don’t commit any, here are the five best movies to watch this weekend that fit the festive bill.

The five best movies to stream on Netflix this weekend

Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery (Laura Murphy, 2022)

Christmas traditionally calls for holiday rom-coms, and Netflix knows it all too well. But this weekend, we summon the festive spin gift-wrapped in a body bag with Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery, for a complete change of air. The holiday special stars Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph as celebrity “trainees,” who join Detective Terry Seattle in the wake of an unimaginable Christmas crisis.

Following a round-the-year wait for the most special Christmas guest, when Santa is killed just in time for the holiday, Terry has to hop on the clues to uncover the killer and save the day. But with little preparation and a blinding mystery on the loose, everyone has to race against time before it’s too late.

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

Watching murder mysteries near the household fireplace while it’s entirely dark is probably the next best thing after holiday rom-coms. And if you’re a sucker for that vibe too, we hope you make the weekend count with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery. Following the success of Glass Onion, Daniel Craig returns in the third Knives Out film as the Southern sleuth, Benoit Blanc.

But the locked-door mystery is so complicated that even Blanc couldn’t find a better phrase to describe the case than a “perfectly impossible crime.” The central mystery takes place in a small parish in upstate New York when corrupt and fiery Monsignor Jefferson Wicks is discovered dead in a tiny closet inside the church. While Blanc is still trying to wrap his head around the oddities, the only suspect on everyone’s radar is a recently transferred young priest, whose violent past doesn’t exactly help the case.

Carry-On (Jaume Collet-Serra, 2024)

As we said, holidays are nothing without a surprise festive spin, and Jaume Collet-Serra surely caught us off guard with his Christmas action thriller, Carry-On, which urges a revisit this year. Starring Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, and Jason Bateman, among others, the pulsating movie primarily follows a young TSA agent, Ethan Kopek, who’s having quite a different holiday, having been tasked with a stressful Christmas shift at the airport.

While Ethan clearly has his hands full with all that’s going on with work, he’s entirely clueless about the Christmas gift Santa has planned this time around. It’s only after he’s mysteriously contacted by “The Traveller,” who is threatening his girlfriend to coerce Ethan into bypassing security protocol for a deadly package, that he gets an idea.

Jingle Bell Heist (Michael Fimognari, 2025)

By now, you must have thought that this weekend has no room for romantic comedies, but as you realise, that’s not true. Perhaps the recommendation doesn’t come straight out of a fairytale. However, Jingle Bell Heist is still very much a holiday rom-com, just with some unexpected thrills to follow up with. The festive entry tells the story of Sophia Martin, who has recently relocated from Philadelphia to London to care for her sick mother.

Sophia already works two jobs to make ends meet. So, it’s safe to assume that she loses it upon learning that her mother’s surgery won’t be covered by insurance. In a desperate bid, Sophia decides to steal from her horrible boss, only to be caught red-handed by Nick O’Connor. To Sophia’s surprise, Nick isn’t keen on turning her in to the cops. Instead, he just wants a share of the funds to take care of his daughter. But whether their relationship remains limited to scheming, only Jingle Bell Heist can reveal.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Dallas Jenkins, 2024)

Lastly, to end the weekend marathon, here’s a Christmas comedy drama to count on: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, based on Barbara Robinson’s 1972 novel. The central plot chronicles the takeover of a small-town church’s annual nativity play by a notorious and unruly set of siblings, the Herdmans, also labelled as juvenile delinquents, which begins when the usual Christmas pageant director breaks her legs.

As Beth Bradley, the narrator’s mother, chimes in as the substitute director, the Herdman siblings crash the audition, looting the entire snacks counter while grabbing all the major roles in the play. While the town can foresee a disaster brewing in the name of celebration, what they don’t know is that Christmas is not without its surprises. But you do, so do catch up on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever this weekend for a fruitful wrap to the binge session.