Everyone today could benefit from practicing some more empathy, and one way to do so is by actively trying to learn something new. That’s where Netflix’s Black Stories collection can be valuable. This library celebrates Black cinema, but, like many other categories on Netflix, it’s crowded, and can be difficult to find the best options when you’re looking for something to watch now. So, we’ve done the tough part for you by reviewing the collection and highlighting the top options in this list of the best Black movies on Netflix.
This month we add two new movies to the list: American Gangster and Ali. Read on for the full list of the best Black movies on Netflix right now.
Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new movies to stream this week, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Hulu, the best movies on Amazon Prime Video, the best movies on Max, and the best movies on Disney+.
Between his innovative methods and rigorous ethical code, Lucas rises to become one of the era’s most important Black crime bosses.
Ali became a lightning rod for pro sports of the age, as his pride in his African-American heritage and outspokenness during the Civil Rights Movement made him a hero to Black America and a villain to whites. He also remained unapologetic that he was the greatest boxer of all time, but at the top of his game, Ali’s personal and professional lives were tested to their limits.
One of the first movies to hit theaters in 2025, One of Them Days arrived on Netflix quickly after a very successful release. Something of an homage to the ’80s and ’90s movies about life in Black neighborhoods, One of Them Days takes a lighthearted view of a very, very bad day. When Alyssa (SZA) mistakenly trusts her deadbeat boyfriend, Kershawn, with the rent money, she and her ambitious roommate, Dreux (Keke Palmer), face eviction at the end of the day unless they can come up with the money.
Not only that, but they’ll have to do it before the biggest job interview of Dreux’s life, all while being pursued by Kershawn’s deranged new girl and the local crime lord.
This hit South African comedy has been repackaged as a Netflix Original and quickly cracked the platform’s Top 10 movies. Grace Khumalo (Khanyi Mbau) has a seemingly perfect life in her elite Umhlanga suburb until her high school nemesis, Bongi Sithole (Ayanda Borotho), moves in next door.
The two moms quickly rediscover their mutual animosity but are forced to pretend to play nice as their teenage children become smitten with one another. The one thing the two women seem to agree on: this relationship cannot stand.
Spike Lee’s third movie is on his pantheon. Sal Fragione (Danny Aiello) is the Italian owner of a Brooklyn pizzeria that showcases Italian actors on a kitschy Wall of Fame. However, Local Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito) doesn’t take kindly to that.
After all, Sal’s running a pizza joint in a Black neighborhood; why shouldn’t he celebrate Black actors? Sal doesn’t see it the same way, igniting a conflict that spirals into the neighborhood as the wall becomes a perverse symbol of racism in a city already humming with racial tension.
Tyler Perry directs this inspirational story about the only Women’s Army Corps unit of color to serve overseas in World War II. Not permitted to fly in combat or participate on the front lines, the unit instead receives a thankless, thought-to-be impossible task: sorting through a three-year backlog of 17 million pieces of undelivered mail and getting them to their intended American soldier recipients.
Not only that but they’re required to do it within six months. Kerry Washington, Sam Waterston, and Susan Sarandon star in this Netflix original inspired by the real-life unit.
40 years after the classic original, Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Flirting with retirement, Axel returns to the fold when his daughter’s (Taylour Paige) life is threatened.
Now, Axel and his new partner, Detective Bobby Abbot (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), join forces with old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to find the culprits behind the threat. But as often happens when Axel’s on the case, he keeps pulling on a thread and begins to unravel a deeper conspiracy.
The second Wilson play to become a Netflix original (after Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom with Black Panther‘s Chadwick Boseman), The Piano Lesson stars Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, and Danielle Deadwyler as members of the Charles family.
A story that explores the tensions between Black wealth and heritage, The Piano Lesson centers on a prized family heirloom that’s tearing two siblings apart. Boy Willie (Washington) wants to sell the piano to start building the family fortune. Berniece (Deadwyler) refuses to let go of the sole vestige of their family’s heritage. In the middle, Uncle Doaker (Jackson) attempts to mediate while failing to keep back the ghosts of the past.
Chris Rock’s first standup special since “The Slap” might not technically qualify as a movie, but we’re including it here because it made history as Netflix’s first global live-streaming event.
Chris Rock’s second special for Netflix features a pre-show hosted by Ronny Chieng and an after-show hosted by SNL contemporaries Dana Carvey and David Spade. It’s a raw and funny comedy special that highlights Rock’s gift as a stand-up comedian and expert storyteller.
Michael Bizzaco has been selling, installing, and talking about TVs, soundbars, streaming devices, and all things smart home for the better part of 15 years. He even knows a thing or two about how to fix this stuff when it starts misbehaving (because no tech is perfect!).
Mike has been writing for Digital Trends and several other publications since 2020. Fortunately, he’s still able to write after he got his index finger stuck in a vending machine at the Ramada Inn the summer before fourth grade! From hands-on reviews to best-of roundups, Mike does his best to share his expertise in a friendly and informative way with all readers, and loves staying on top of the latest AV and smart home trends.
When he’s not thanking his father for dislodging his finger from that vile vending machine in New Jersey, Mike enjoys playing guitar, reading, and indulging in horror films with his girlfriend.
Nick Perry is a freelance writer who bounced from Hollywood to Silicon Beach to pajama pants. His work has been featured on Digital Trends, Good Morning America, Entrepreneur, Mashable, and more media outlets.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.