It’s all big stars this week as the streaming release schedule includes the Russo Bros’ The Electric State, Apple TV+’s Dope Thief, VOD debuts of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, the streaming debut of Moana 2, and more!
SERIES
Dope Thief S1
14 March 2025
Peter Craig might not be a household name, but he’s a few big years as the screenwriter for The Town, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 & 2, Bad Boys for Life, The Batman, and Top Gun: Maverick. And now he’s turning his attention to the small screen with the star-studded crime series Dope Thief. Co-produced by Ridley Scott and Peter Berg, the show stars Brian Tyree Henry and Wagner Moura as two friends and smalltime crooks who pose as DEA Agents to rob low-level local drug dealers. Their perfect gameplan goes horribly awry though when they accidentally steal a massive shipment belonging to a major cartel who are now out to get back their goods and get some revenge!
The Residence S1
20 March 2025 – Netflix
You would be forgiven for immediately turning away when you see anything to do with the White House these days, but The Residence could not be more different to the headlines coming from the home of the American President. Starring Uzo Aduba, Giancarlo Esposito, Randall Park, and more, The Residence is a self-described “screwball whoddunnit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion,” featuring “132 rooms, 157 suspects, 1 dead body, 1 wildly eccentric detective, 1 disastrous State Dinner”.
MOVIES
Moana 2
12 March 2025 – Disney+
With a current global box office take of $1.027 billion, earning it the title of third-highest-grossing film of 2024, Moana 2 has obviously been seen by a lot of people already. It’s still playing in theatres locally, so if you missed it, you can still catch it. Or, even better, watch it in the comfort of your own with your whole family. Following an unexpectedly quick VOD release, the Disney sequel (which recently earned a Best Animated Film nomination at the Golden Globes) debuted on Disney+ just a few days ago. Now there’s nothing to stop you from catching up with Auliʻi Cravalho’s titular heroine and Dwayne Johnson’s demigod Maui, as “Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced”, after receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors.
The Electric State
14 March 2025 – Netflix
Let’s not mince words. After a string of record-breaking historic successes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe culminating in Avengers: Endgame, filmmaking siblings Anthony and Joe Russo have not had a good run. Thus far, not a single one of their post-MCU films have managed a fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and their latest effort is not breaking that unfortunate trend. Loosely inspired by the iconic work of artist Simon Stålenhag, The Electric State is a sci-fi action adventure set in the aftermath of a robot uprising in an alternate version of the 1990s, which stars Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt, alongside a killer support cast that includes Ke Huy Quan, Jason Alexander, Woody Harrelson, Anthony Mackie, Brian Cox, Jenny Slate, Giancarlo Esposito and Stanley Tucci. Although not confirmed officially, Netflix reportedly shelled out an eye-watering $320 million (excluding advertising costs) for this blockbuster, so a 19% debut score on RT is not what the streamer would want to see. However, I think that may just entice more people to check it out to see if it’s really as bad as these highbrow critics say. Heck, I will be one of those people later this evening.
Abigail
20 March 2025 – Showmax
It’s been nearly a year since its theatrical release, but vampire feature Abigail is finally debuting on local streaming services, and you definitely need to check it out if you haven’t yet. Coming from the directing team of Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, the duo behind 2022’s Scream and Scream VI, as well as 2019’s Ready or Not, Abigail is another super fun and gory comedy-horror entry in their filmography. This one is very different to their previous efforts though, following a group of criminals who break into the mansion of a powerful crime boss to kidnap and hold ransom his 12-year-old daughter. Except the titular young Abigail is most definitely not as innocent and defenseless as she would appear, much to the bloody regret of the crooks. As Noelle says in her 8.5/10 review, “horror, heart, and humour go hand-in-hand throughout this crazy, unmissable wild ride.”
VOD RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Purchase: Apple TV – R170 / Google Play Movies – R264
Rental: Apple TV – R45 / Google Play Movies – R45
Despite the fact that I really enjoyed 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog, I am yet to see any of the follow movies and TV series to the fan-favourite video game adaptation. And thus, I will just ask you to trust Sam’s 7/10 review where he says that “Sonic the Hedgehog 3 stays the course blazed by previous instalments in this franchise to deliver an enthusiastic and entertaining ride. Its infuriating moments are balanced out by solid performances by Jim Carrey and Keanu Reeves, as well as an appreciable commitment to give the fans what they want, without forcing matters.”
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie
Purchase: Apple TV – R160 / Google Play Movies – R161
Rental: Apple TV – R45
I was practically raised on merry melodies and silly stories of Looney Tunes, but I must admit that the various modern incarnations of Warner Bros.’s classic cartoon stable has not really done it for me. However, I’ve been thoroughly looking forward to The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie as the feature film has gained a whole lot of strong critical responses and looks like a real throwback to the classic cartoons as it follows Daffy Duck and Porky Pig after they discover a secret alien plot to take over the world via mind-control. The movie was originally set for just an HBO Max release but also scored a limited theatrical run. If you missed it at the cinemas like I did, you can now check it out at home with VOD rental.