The VOD debuts of recent box office behemoths Project Hail Mary and The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, alongside the premiere of the star-studded TV series adaptation of Cape Fear headline this week’s streaming release schedule.

SERIES

Cape Fear S1

5 June 2026 – Apple TV+

If you saw the trailer for the new TV series remake of Cape Fear, you may have thought it was totally unnecessary as Martin Scorsese’s 1991 film is still a great watch, especially for Robert De Niro and Juliette Lewis’ Oscar- and Golden Globe-nominated performances. But did you know that that movie was itself a remake of a 1962 film starring Gregory Peck, and that this film was actually an adaptation of 1957 novel The Executioners? All of which is a very roundabout way of saying don’t dismiss something just because it’s not original. Especially when it boasts as much talent as this latest version! Created by Nick Antosca (Channel Zero, Brand New Cherry Flavor) and produced by Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, this 10-episode series version of Cape Fear stars Javier Bardem as Max Cady, a vicious and unreformed ex-con recently released from prison where he had spent the last 17 years plotting revenge. His targets are Patrick Wilson and Amy Adams’s Tom and Anna Bowden, a husband-and-wife team of lawyers who represented Cady in his trial and who he now blames for getting him incarcerated. Charming, scheming, and outright psychotic, Cady seeks to turn the Bowdens’ life of luxury into a living nightmare.

Alice & Steve S1

8 June 2026 – Disney+

While it was Jermaine Clement (big fan since the Flight of the Conchords days) that first caught my eye in new series Alice & Steve, it was it being billed as a “wrong-com” that actually got my attention. The British comedy series stars Nicole Walker and Clement as the titular duo, a pair of middle-aged misfits who have been best friends for over three decades. When Alice’s twenty-something daughter Izzy moves back home to stay with her parents after a messy break up with her boyfriend though, it leads to an unexpected fling with the much older and admittedly lonely Steve. Clearly the Bro Code doesn’t apply to daughters of best friends. Much to Alice’s increased ire, the pair decide to start dating, forcing her to spin out entirely as she tries everything in her power to sabotage Steve and Izzy’s relationship, friendships be damned.

Every Year After S1

10 June 2026 – Prime Video

In case you haven’t noticed, Prime Video has seemingly been cornering the market on steamy teen romantic dramas over the last few years. And the latest title to be added to that expanding repertoire is Every Year After. Adapted from Carly Fortune’s NY Times bestseller Every Summer After by creator/showrunner Leila Gerstein (Hart of Dixie), Every Year After plays out across six summers in the past and one weekend in the present, which is an interest structural hook, at least. The show follows Persephone Fraser, who left her small coastal town home of Barry’s Bay for city life years ago, but now has to return home following her mother’s untimely passing. Along with familial tragedy, also waiting for her there is Sam Florek, the man she once thought she would never be without. Once, over the course of those aforementioned six summers, Persephone and Sam fell in love against all odds, but then it all fell apart. Every Year After is the tale of just how their relationship bloomed and died, and how they now face it again.

MOVIES

Hoppers

3 June 2026 – Disney+

Unfortunately, this one was missed in last week’s lineup as announcement of its release came a little late, but you can still check it out. Boasting the voice talents of Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, and Dave Franco, Hoppers follows animal-loving college student Mabel, who discovers a new scientific program that allows human consciousness to be “hopped” into lifelike robotic animals, allowing people to learn about and communicate with animals better. When Mabel hops into a robotic beaver though and gets passionate about saving an animal habitat from human destruction, she inadvertently starts a chaotic animal uprising. As Noelle mentioned in her 7.5/10 review, “It doesn’t pack the emotional wallop of similarly themed The Wild Robot, but Hoppers is buoyed by its energy and warmth, not to mention a freshness in its messaging. Kids and adults alike should connect with this one.”

David

4 June 2026 – Netflix

Biblical animated family film David was arguably one of the biggest surprises of last year. Not so much in terms of box office success (the numbers just about broke even) but due to the fact that this is a South African production and it’s way better than you may have been expected. As much as our country is a prime production location for overseas films, and as much as we have very talented animators working here, we don’t generally produce these types of films on this level. As Noelle noted in her 8/10 review though, “David is visually dazzling, rousing and sophisticated in areas where you least expect it”. Based on the Biblical Books of Samuel, David tells the tale of the titular shepherd boy who would grow up to become a warrior in the court of King Saul and of Israel and Judah before famously ascending to the throne himself. As can be expected, the religious messaging here is very heavy handed – this is the type of film that is literally preaching to the choir, after all – but even if your views skew more secular, there’s a lot more to appreciate from a filmmaking perspective. Wonderfully detailed animation, catchy musical numbers, memorable villains, and solid storytelling. As Noelle put it, David is “ideal, epic family fare for the holidays.” Of course, she was referring to the Christmas holidays at the time, but the June school holidays is around the corner and now you can catch this one at home.

RENTALS/PURCHASES

The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:

Project Hail Mary

Purchase: Apple TV – R170

Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary is easily one of my favourite sci-fi books of the last decade, as it was the perfect blend of the author’s highly detailed and realistic scientific geekery alongside hugely inventive storytelling and perfect character beats. So, it was no surprise just how excited I was that it was being adapted to the screen by directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) and writer Drew Goddard (who had previously adapted Weir’s The Martian to wildly successful effect as well). And boy, did they deliver! Amaze! Amaze! Amaze! As I mentioned in my 8.5/10 review, “A never-been-better Ryan Gosling leads this wildly triumphant adaptation of Andy Weir’s novel that benefits massively from directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s masterful tonal balance, and eye for visuals. Balancing the source’s detailed science experimentation with strong emotional storytelling – while also just being plain fun! – Project Hail Mary is one of those rare crowd-pleasing blockbusters that also has something meaningful to say.” Now you will notice that I’ve not really mentioned anything about the film’s plot, and that is by design. In fact, I’m hoping that you haven’t actually clicked play on that trailer above. One of the original book’s great joys were all the unexpected directions the plot took you in, including some very surprising character additions. But unfortunately, that got thrown out of the window in the film’s promo phase as several big reveals got shown ahead of time. If somehow you’ve not had the movie spoiled for you yet – which is a tall order given how massively popular it was on theatrical release – then I highly suggest going into this one as cold as possible at home.

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie

Purchase: Apple TV – R170

If you were to just go on critical reception, you would think that The Super Mario Galaxy Movie is an abject failure, especially disappointing given how much warmer of a reception its 2023 predecessor received. But this is a video game movie about a cartoon plumber voiced by Chris Pratt, who traveled through a magical sewer portal to the Mushroom Kingdom to save a princess from a crooning dinosaur monster. It’s not that kind of movie. And the audience certainly agrees as The Super Mario Galaxy Movie has earned just shy of $1 billion at the box office, currently making it the highest earning film of 2026 and the second highest earning video game film of all time, with the number one spot occupied by its predecessor. All of that means that there’s a very good chance if you’re reading this, that you’ve already watched this one in cinemas. If you haven’t though, well now you can grab it at home for basically the price of a single movie ticket! The Super Mario Galaxy Movie sees the return of Pratt’s Mario alongside Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), Luigi (Charlie Day), Bowser (Jack Black), and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) butnow expands its cast and scope. Bowser’s son and Prince of the Koopas, Bowser Jr. (Benny Safdie) is determined to avenge his father’s previous loss to Mario and co, and has concocted a plan to kidnap Princess Rosalina (Brie Larson), the adoptive mother of the Lumas living in outer space, and draining her powers for his own use. When a Luma arrives in the Mushroom Kingdom seeking help for their matriarch, it kicks off an intergalactic adventure for Mario and Luigi, alongside newly hatched dino pal Yoshi (Donald Glover) and mercenary space pilot Fox McCloud (Glen Powell)!