Who doesn’t love a blockbuster franchise? For me, they’re the perfect movies for bingeing and the best part is watching them one after the next movie-marathon style, which you’ll be able to do this month on Netflix with three new franchises arriving.
Despite the 48 new movies coming to Netflix in July 2025, there are three exciting film series I can’t wait to stream, and they’re all iconic movies in their respective genres starting with a martial arts drama from the ’80s and ending with a landmark Hollywood thriller from the ’70s.
Although it’s exciting to see Netflix release new original movies and series, I’m always on the look out for old favorites especially if I’ve had them on my radar for some time. Plus, I love scouting out new picks for our best Netflix movies.
The Karate Kid
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The ’80s were known for many things aside from perms and Madonna, it’s also one of the best decades for Hollywood and one that gave us The Karate Kid (1984).
Starting strong with its iconic first installment, John Avildsen’s martial arts drama went on to become a blockbuster franchise with five additional movies as well as the spin-off series Cobra Kai, which has become one of the best Netflix shows.
In the original 1984 movie, teenager Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) moves to the west coast, where he struggles to fit in with other people his age and finds himself as the target of a group of teenagers from the Cobra Kai dojo – known for its practice of an aggressive form of karate.
After a brutal beating LaRusso is saved by handyman Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) who, unbeknown to the teenager, is a master of Okinawan karate. When Miyagi reluctantly takes LaRusso in as his student he teaches him important lessons in patience, balance, and self-improvement, gearing up to a big tournament where he will face his bullies head-on.
The Karate Kid (1984) will arrive on Netflix on July 1, along with the sequel The Karate Kid Part II (1986), The Karate Kid Part III (1989), and The Karate Kid (2010) remake.
Mission: Impossible
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The ’80s gave us The Karate Kid, but it was Tom Cruise in the ’90s that reinvented the espionage movie with the first movie in the Mission: Impossible franchise based on the 1966 TV show of the same name.
Every Mission: Impossible movie in the franchise has achieved some of the highest grossing box office figures in cinema. The series has reportedly come to a conclusion with its final installment Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, which came out in May 2025. A total of eight movies make up the film series, but it all started 30 years ago.
In the first movie of the film series, we meet IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise), who becomes the prime murder suspect after his mentor Jim Phelps (Jon Voight) is killed in an assignment that goes horribly wrong and as a result, he goes on the run. Determined to prove his innocence he enlists hacker Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and pilot Franz Krieger (Jean Reno) to help him clear his name and uncover the person who framed him.
Five movies from the franchise are now available to stream on Netflix, including Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible II, Mission: Impossible III, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.
Jaws
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Before The Karate Kid and Mission: Impossible, there was Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. As well as packing an iconic score, Jaws sept the gold standard for suspense movies and is still considered one of the scariest movies made even 50 years after it was released.
Following the release of the first movie, a new franchise was born and now all four movies – the last one being released in 1987 – are coming to Netflix this month. It’s great timing too, because every Jaws movie is also available to stream on Peacock for the film’s 50th anniversary.
The original movie takes place on the fictional Amity Island in New England, and follows a dangerous great white shark who terrorizes the locals with one deadly attack after the next. Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) proposes that all the beaches are closed to prevent further accidents, however mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) is worried the closures will effect tourism. The two have conflicting ideas, but more people are getting killed by the minute, so Brody takes matters into his own hands teaming up with marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) to capture the shark.
You’ll be able to stream Jaws, Jaws 2, Jaws 3 and Jaws: The Revenge from July 15 on Netflix.
