The Best Redbox Movie Releases Right Now

Remember piling into your mom’s car on a Friday night, driving to Blockbuster, and browsing the aisles for ages to find (and agree upon) what film to rent for movie night? Those were the days. Even though video and DVD rental stores are a thing of the past and streaming with sites like Netflix is the future of media, there’s still a way to capture that feeling of renting movies: by going to Redbox.

We get that you can easily access movies on tons of platforms. But what if you miss the action of physically going somewhere to pick out a movie? What if you don’t want to wait 3-5 days for a DVD to come in the mail? What if you don’t want to actually download and own the movie, you just want to watch it once? What if your internet connection is down? What if you want to pick up some snacks while you’re at it? These things happen! Streaming and DVD services are great, but we like the spontaneous, no-strings-attached aspect of renting, too.

Redbox scratches an itch we didn’t realize we had. It reminds us of the good ol’ days of renting movies. (Except it’s better, because this time, we don’t have to remember to rewind them.) It combines the best of both worlds: Renting a movie induces nostalgia, but it’s accomplished using modern-day technology. Best of all, it’s insanely cheap. You can rent a movie from Redbox for just a few bucks—seriously, and show it on your TV or computer. And if you sign up to receive Redbox emails, they send promo codes for free rentals all the time.

There are some seriously good titles at Redbox right now, across every movie genre. There are Academy Award and Golden Globe nominees and winners. There are movies you wanted to see but never got around to. There are films that made you say, I’ll just wait until it comes out on DVD. Well, that time has come. These are the best movies to rent at Redbox right now.

If you didn’t see this year’s Oscar and Golden Globe winner for Best Picture, you’re in luck, because it’s waiting for you at Redbox. Moonlight was a groundbreaking film for countless reasons. It marked a lot of “firsts” during award show season: It was the first film with an all-black cast to win Best Picture, plus the first LGBT film to win Best Picture. But accolades aside, it’s a beautiful movie that tells an important story that everybody should see.

Ever since Ghostbusters came out last summer, we can’t get enough of the Kristen Wiig/Kate McKinnon/Leslie Jones combo. All three star in Masterminds, a movie based on the true story of a security guard who stole millions of dollars from the bank where he worked. Oh, and the rest of the cast—Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, and Owen Wilson—is phenomenal, too.

2016 was The Year Of Nicole Kidman. (Okay, and 2017 was, too—who are we kidding?) One of her many successes was Lion, a film also starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, and David Wenham. It tells the story of a young Indian boy adopted by an Australian couple who finds his way back to his birth mother using Google Earth. Also, the soundtrack is a work of art.

We love a good origin story. Sure, Ray Kroc isn’t a superhero, and McDonald’s isn’t a city that needs saving. But it’s still fascinating to learn the backstory of how a brand so globally prevalent came to be the company we know today. Plus, we trust any project with Nick Offerman involved.

The Intervention has all the makings of a winning indie film: a stellar cast, a charming movie poster, an 88-minute running time, a directorial debut, a Sundance premiere, and a limited release. We’re telling you: Rent it from Redbox now before everyone else finds out about it.

We haven’t seen a film this mind-bending since Inception. Doctor Strange is technically a superhero film, but it’s more “mystical action movie” than “typical summer blockbuster” like its Marvel Cinematic Universe counterparts. Benedict Cumberbatch is the superhero the world desperately needs and probably doesn’t deserve, but we’re very thankful to have him.

Have you heard the one about Hidden Fences? Just kidding. But, in all seriousness, Hidden Figures is a must-see movie. Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae are a dream team on the big screen, bringing to life the true untold story of three African-American female mathematicians who worked for NASA during the height of the Space Race.

We’ll admit that in our current political climate, watching anything government-themed can feel overwhelming. But if the mood strikes for a political thriller, we highly recommend Miss Sloane. Jessica Chastain plays a lobbyist being questioned about her involvement with a gun control bill. Honestly, we were hooked at the mention of Jessica Chastain.

So many legit movie lists contains at least one Woody Allen film. He’s the master of the rom-com-drama and the chief of casting, and Café Society is no exception. Everybody is wonderful in their roles, but Kristen Stewart in particular. If you’re still on the fence about her, this is the role that might make you “get” the hype.