Netflix’s Most Popular Movies — 3 You Need to Watch Now (November 17-21)

The middle of November has arrived, and Netflix is offering a wide variety of movies for subscribers to enjoy as we head into the holiday season.

You may have noticed a lot of Christmas movies invading Netflix’s top 10 movies this week. We’ll spare you from those for now, because there are better options.

The Watch With Us team has selected the following films as Netflix’s three most popular movies that you need to watch now.

Our picks include an action movie starring a familiar face, an animated comedy and a psychological thriller.

‘The Marksman’ (2021)

Like a magic trick, Netflix has whipped out a Liam Neeson action flick that flew completely under the radar upon its release in 2021. It doesn’t matter that the film didn’t make any money to speak of because it’s the new No. 1 movie on Netflix, and it’s finally got an audience for another great performance by Neeson. In this film, he plays Jim Hanson, a widowed man who served in Vietnam as a Marine sniper.

Now, Jim lives on his land, which illegal immigrants frequently cross. After witnessing drug cartel thugs pursue a mother, Rosa (Teresa Ruiz), and her son, Miguel (Jacob Perez), Jim takes up arms and attempts to protect them. Rosa’s dying wish is for Jim to take her son to their family in Chicago. That’s a tall order, especially since the cartel’s top enforcer, Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba), wants revenge on Jim, and he won’t stop coming after Miguel.

The Marksman is streaming on Netflix.

‘In Your Dreams’ (2025)

Netflix’s latest animated hit, In Your Dreams, has broken through to the top 10 without much promotion behind it. The story follows a teenage girl named Stevie (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport) and her magic-obsessed younger brother, Elliot (Elias Janssen). Stevie has to take care of her brother even as she realizes that their parents (voiced by Simu Liu and Cristin Milioti) are splitting up.

Stevie’s feelings of helplessness are amplified until she and Elliot find themselves transported to the world of dreams. Every dream they’ve ever had lives there, including Elliot’s old stuffed animal, Baloney Tony (Craig Robinson). The siblings believe that they can save their family if they can find the Sandman. However, nightmares are also a part of the dream realm. And they won’t let Stevie, Elliot or Baloney Tony go without a fight.

In Your Dreams is streaming on Netflix.

‘Ballad of a Small Player’ (2025)

Colin Farrell headlines Netflix’s new psychological thriller Ballad of a Small Player as Brendan Reilly, a compulsive gambler hiding out in the casinos of Macau. Reilly is a financial criminal who has gambled away most of the money he embezzled under the assumed name, Lord Doyle.

When an investigator, Cynthia Blithe (Tilda Swinton), tracks him down and threatens to have him deported to stand trial, Brendan’s losing streak reaches epic proportions. However, he finds a kindred spirit in Dao-Ming (Fala Chen), a credit broker who is going through her own personal crisis. Brendan is convinced that he can turn around his fortunes and Dao-Ming’s as well, but it just may be his last bet if his instincts are wrong.

Ballad of a Small Player is streaming on Netflix.