We’re officially in a new year, which means the major streaming services are once again refreshing their libraries, and Hulu is no exception. With fresh titles landing as 2026 gets underway, it’s a natural moment to take stock of what’s newly available to stream.
While this month doesn’t deliver a huge number of new additions boasting high Rotten Tomatoes scores, there are still a few releases that stand out from the crowd. With watchlists already overflowing, a slimmer slate might actually be a good thing. Rotten Tomatoes scores can be a useful guide, but they’re far from the full picture.
With that in mind, we’ve rounded up a handful of new to Hulu movies worth streaming right now, ideal picks for easing into the year without adding too many more titles to an ever-growing list.
‘The Illusionist’ (2010)
Not to be confused with Edward Norton’s 2006 movie, “The Illusionist” follows an aging French stage magician named Tatischeff (Jean-Claude Donda) whose traditional sleight-of-hand act is losing ground in late-1950s Paris as rock-and-roll and new entertainment styles emerge. Struggling to find work, he travels to Britain and ends up performing in a small Scottish village’s pub, where his modest tricks draw genuine curiosity.
There, he meets a young woman named Alice (Eilidh Rankin), who is captivated by his performances and becomes convinced he possesses real magic. Tatischeff begins to travel and perform with her, and she accompanies him to Edinburgh in search of better opportunities. As they share a tiny room with other out-of-work performers and he spends his income on gifts she believes he conjures, his financial situation grows unstable.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 90%
Watch it now on Hulu
‘Fremont’ (2023)
If you’re looking for a softly paced movie captured in black and white, “Fremont” is definitely deserving of a spot on your watchlist. Audiences willing to follow this modest, tenderly moving, and (ultimately uplifting) story will find it well worth their time. The drama centers on Donya (Anaita Wali Zada), a young Afghan refugee living alone in Fremont, California, after having worked as a translator for the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
Struggling with loneliness and insomnia, she makes her daily routine by crossing the Bay to San Francisco to work in a family-run fortune cookie factory, where she eventually gets to write the fortunes placed inside the cookies. Each day feels quiet and repetitive as Donya interacts with coworkers, neighbors and an odd therapist. Still feeling isolated and unsure of her path, she uses the fortunes to send a personal message out into the world, hoping it might reach someone.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%
Watch it on Hulu starting January 12
‘Twinless’ (2025)
Dylan O’Brien is starting 2026 strong, starring in Sam Raimi’s first horror movie in nearly 16 years, “Send Help.” But before booking your theater ticket, check out “Twinless” first, as it features one of the best performances of 2025. Roman (O’Brien) is a young man in Portland, Oregon, reeling from the sudden death of his identical twin brother. After their encounter at a diner ends with Rocky’s tragic death in a car accident, Roman struggles to cope and eventually joins a local support group for people who have lost their twins.
There, he meets Dennis (James Sweeney), another man in the group, and the two strike up a close friendship despite coming from very different personalities and backgrounds. Roman and Dennis start spending more time together outside of meetings, deepening their bond, and Dennis introduces Roman to his coworker Marcie (Aisling Franciosi). As their relationships grow and evolve, long-held secrets between Roman, Dennis, and Marcie emerge, testing the trust and connection they’ve built.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
Watch it on Hulu starting January 16
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