Blame it on a certain super big cinema release today, but it’s a relatively quiet week on the streaming release front. Headlining though is streaming debut of long-awaited sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, new Stephen King adaptation The Institute, and the third season return of Foundation.
SERIES
Foundation S3
11 July 2025 – Apple TV+
I have no idea why, but for some reason the Season 3 trailer for Foundation has been pulled from Apple TV+’s YouTube page (hence using a different source above). Given that the new season of the acclaimed big-budget adaptation of Isaac Aasimov’s beloved generation- and galaxy-spanning sci-fi epic is out today, this is a little weird. At least what they have left up is an “Actually Helpful Recap”, detailing all the major events thus far, which you can check out OVER HERE.
The Institute S1
14 July 2025 – Showmax
Adapted from Stephen King’s 2019 novel of the same name, The Institute is a new supernatural mystery horror series. The eight-episode limited series is directed in its entirety by Lost, From, and Under the Dome alum Jack Bender and stars fan-favourite actor Ben Barnes as former police officer Tim Jamieson, who’s come to start a new life in a small town. His sought after peace and quiet doesn’t last long though when Tim’s life becomes intertwined with that of Luke Ellis, a 12-year-old genius who was abducted and brought The Institute, a facility full of children who all got there the same way he did, and who all have unusual abilities.
Untamed S1
17 July 2025 – Netflix
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Eric Bana headline something substantial, but the Australian-born actor is back in Untamed, a new six-episode limited series from creators Mark L. Smith (American Primeval, The Revenant) and Elle Smith (The Marsh King’s Daughter). Billed as “a character-driven mystery-thriller”, the show follows Kyle Turner (Bana), a special agent for the National Parks Service who works to enforce human law in nature’s vast wilderness. When a woman is found dead in Yosemite National Park, seemingly from an accidental fall from the top of the El Capitan rock formation, the investigation sends him on a collision course with the dark secrets within the park, and in his own past. Lily Santiago and Wilson Bethel co-star.
MOVIES
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
11 July 2025 – Showmax
The first scripts for a Beetlejuice sequel were optioned all the way back in 1990, just two years after the release of director Tim Burton’s much-beloved Oscar-winning gothic fantasy horror comedy. It would take another 24 years (and many, many script iterations) for that follow-up to actually hit screens, with Burton back in the director’s chair and original stars Micheal Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O’Hara reprising their roles alongside a new cast led by Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Belluci, and Willem Dafoe. So, was it worth the wait? While the aptly named Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was a box office success, it didn’t quite reach the critical heights of its predecessor. That doesn’t mean it wasn’t fun though, especially with Burton’s insistence on using the practical effects that won the original its Oscar. As Noelle mentioned in her 7/10 review, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a hot, overstuffed mess. But with everyone in the cast, and director Tim Burton, clearly having a blast, the effect is contagious. Plus, it’s nice to watch something that has a throwback practical attitude to special effects and world-building in the sleek CGI age.”
Here
14 July 2025 – Showmax
And from physical effects to digital. Director Robert Zemeckis and star Tom Hanks have a long working relationship, with many of their collaborations pushing the envelope on visual effects. Arguably their most famous team-up would be the six-time Oscar-winning Forest Gump, and in Here (yes, that’s the title) the duo is back and joined once again by Robin Wright and Eric Roth, the co-star and writer, respectively of that classic film. Billed as “a tale of love, loss, laughter and life,” this massive ensemble drama adapts Richard McGuire’s 2014 graphic novel. Told in a non-linear fashion, it brings us a story that travels through generations and across multiple families, all set on in a single plot of land, from the distant past to the 21st century. The cast also includes Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly, and Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), with several of them using digital de-aging technology to play various characters at different points in their lives, with Zemeckis’ efforts earning the film a nomination for this year’s Emerging Technology Award from the Visual Effects Society.