Top 10 Movies To Watch This Week on Paramount Plus | July 13-19, 2025

More than 20 years after Gladiator asked if we were not entertained, Ridley Scott is back to answer the question himself—with more sand, more swords, and more seething emperors. This time, Paul Mescal ( Aftersun) steps into the arena as Lucius, all grown up and very much out for blood.

After being exiled and captured, Lucius is forced to fight for survival in the Colosseum, just like Maximus before him. Denzel Washington plays a wealthy puppet master pulling strings in the shadows, and Pedro Pascal brings the fire as a power-hungry Roman general. Connie Nielsen returns as Lucilla, keeping the legacy thread tightly woven.

It’s gritty, epic, and occasionally unhinged in the best Ridley Scott way. If you loved Troy, The Northman, or the original Gladiator, this is your main event.

2. South Park: The End of Obesity (2024)

Cartman wants Ozempic—and if that sentence doesn’t immediately clue you in to the tone of this latest South Park special, welcome to the party. The End of Obesity skewers America’s obsession with weight-loss drugs, body image, and pharmaceutical capitalism… and it does it with the usual unfiltered South Park energy.

Directed by Trey Parker and voiced by the core crew (Parker, Matt Stone, April Stewart, Kimberly Brooks), this special follows the kids as they try to score miracle meds while chaos unfolds across town. Cartman’s denied access, and everything spirals from there. As it does.

If you’ve been missing South Park’s unholy mix of social commentary and toilet humor, this is peak form. It’s mean, sharp, and probably going to make someone mad—which is kind of the point.

3. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)

You already know the deal here—Top Gun: Maverick isn’t just a legacy sequel. It’s the legacy sequel. Tom Cruise returns as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, still defying gravity, still dodging promotions, and now training a new class of elite pilots for a near-impossible mission.

Joseph Kosinski directs with sun-drenched intensity, and the cast (Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Val Kilmer) nails the balance of nostalgia and fresh stakes. The aerial footage is real, the emotions land harder than expected, and yeah—there’s a beach scene.

It won an Oscar for Best Sound and was nominated for Best Picture for a reason. If you haven’t seen it yet, welcome to your adrenaline-fueled excuse. And if you have? It still absolutely slaps on rewatch.

4. South Park: Not Suitable for Children (2023)

This one dives deep into the OnlyFans era—and as expected, South Park doesn’t hold back. When a teacher at South Park Elementary is outed for running a spicy side hustle, Randy Marsh spirals into the seedy world of online influencers, moral panic, and suburban shame.

Written and directed by Trey Parker, this special takes aim at sex work stigma, influencer culture, and the internet’s blurred boundaries. It’s satirical, it’s crude, and it’s sneakily sharp—especially when it comes to how society polices who gets to profit off their own body.

Classic South Park chaos meets a very 2020s topic, and somehow, it sticks the landing. Just maybe don’t watch it with your mom.

5. School of Rock (2003)

Jack Black. A fake substitute teacher gig. A classroom full of kids who can shred harder than most adults. School of Rock is pure joy, and if you’ve somehow never seen it (or just need a hit of dopamine), now’s the time.

Directed by Richard Linklater and written by Mike White (The White Lotus), the film follows Dewey Finn—washed-up rocker turned accidental music teacher—as he secretly trains his students to compete in a local battle of the bands. It’s loud, funny, weirdly heartfelt, and features a perfect use of classic rock bangers.

This movie made Jack Black a household name and gave us the phrase “stick it to the man-iosis.” Enough said.

6. Scary Movie (2000)

Back when parody films weren’t afraid to be completely unhinged, Scary Movie kicked open the door and threw a pie in its face. This one goes after every late-’90s horror trope—Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Blair Witch Project—and turns them into a nonstop barrage of absurd gags and raunchy one-liners.

Directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and starring Anna Faris, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, Regina Hall, and Carmen Electra, the film somehow managed to spoof an entire era of cinema in 88 minutes. It’s dumb. It’s chaotic. It absolutely knows it.

This is the blueprint for every early-2000s parody that followed—and it still hits if you’re in the mood for lowbrow brilliance. Bonus: It weirdly holds up as a time capsule of Y2K pop culture nonsense.

7. Scary Movie 2 (2001)

If the first one skewered slasher flicks, Scary Movie 2 set its sights on haunted house horror—and yeah, things get even weirder. From possessed cats to demonic clowns to Tim Curry being very Tim Curry, this sequel dials everything up and doubles down on the chaos.

Anna Faris and Regina Hall are back, joined by Tori Spelling, Chris Elliott, and James Woods in what can only be described as one of the most unhinged exorcism scenes ever put to film. The Wayans brothers once again steer the ship, writing and starring with their usual “why not?” energy.

Critics didn’t love it. Fans absolutely did. And let’s be honest—if you’ve ever quoted the creepy butler’s tiny hand, you know exactly what this movie is.

8. Significant Other (2022)

This one sneaks up on you. What starts as a moody hiking trip through the Pacific Northwest quickly morphs into something stranger, darker, and way more unsettling. Significant Other stars Maika Monroe and Jake Lacy as a couple who aren’t quite as alone in the woods as they think.

Directed by Dan Berk and Robert Olsen (Villains), the film balances psychological dread with sci-fi horror in a way that’s both intimate and eerie. No spoilers, but halfway through, the story flips—and suddenly you’re watching something very different than what you signed up for.

It’s quiet, tense, and full of dread. If you liked Annihilation, The Invitation, or Under the Skin, this one’s right up your eerie little forest trail.

9. South Park: The Streaming Wars (2022)

What happens when the fight over water rights becomes a metaphor for the streaming service arms race? South Park: The Streaming Wars happens. Cartman goes head-to-head with his mom over a hot tub, while the town spirals into a resource crisis that—no lie—might be one of the sharpest media satires the show’s done.

Trey Parker directs, voices half the cast (as usual), and leans into the absurdity of platform politics and climate collapse with surprising depth. It’s as stupid-smart as South Park gets, wrapped in poop jokes and ridiculous twists.

If you work in media or just live online too much, this one’s going to hit real close to home.

10. South Park: The Streaming Wars Part 2 (2022)

The chaos continues in Part 2, and somehow it gets even weirder. South Park is literally drying up, and the kids are left trying to untangle the consequences of all the nonsense from Part 1. Think droughts, greed, betrayal—and yes, Cartman still being the absolute worst.

This second chapter digs deeper into environmental collapse, corporate backstabbing, and family drama. And because it’s South Park, it delivers all that through exaggerated caricatures, hilarious set pieces, and at least one joke that’ll make you question your moral compass.

Together, both parts are like a mini-season with cinematic stakes—and they’re way more thoughtful than they have any right to be. Also, it has “Streaming Wars” in the title, so technically, it’s meta and accurate.

And That’s a Wrap

There you go—ten Paramount Plus picks that span the whole spectrum. You’ve got heavy hitters (Gladiator II, Top Gun: Maverick), throwback chaos (Scary Movie, School of Rock), and full-throttle adult animation (South Park in all its unhinged glory). Whether you’re craving ancient Rome, music class rebellion, or influencer scandals, this lineup has you.

There’s old-school absurdity (Scary Movie 2), new-school psychological chills (Significant Other), and just enough satire to make you uncomfortable in the best way. Some will make you laugh. Some will make you squirm. And at least one will make you yell, “Dude… what?”

So grab your remote, clear your queue, and let the binge begin.