Oscar-Favorite Movie Tops Streaming Charts Ahead of 2026 Academy Awards

An Oscar-nominated film has topped the streaming charts ahead of the 98th Academy Awards, scheduled for later this week. It generated considerable buzz at the time of its theatrical release, thanks to reviews lauding the film’s writing and performances, among other things. Accordingly, the positive word of mouth helped the movie cultivate a strong viewership in its second life on streaming, resulting in it climbing to the top of streaming charts.

Hamnet tops Peacock movies streaming charts

As of March 9, 2026, Hamnet, directed by Chloé Zhao and starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, is the #1 movie on Peacock’s top 10 list in the United States (via FlixPatrol).

Accordingly, the film surpasses all the other movies on the list. These include Home (#2), Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (#3), Madagascar (#4), The Beekeeper (#5), Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (#6), Song Sung Blue (#7), Ted (#8), The Super Mario Bros. Movie (#9), and Megamind (#10).

Hamnet originally premiered on August 29, 2025 at the Telluride Film Festival before hitting US theaters via limited release on November 26, 2025. It later premiered in the United Kingdom on January 9, 2026. The film has grossed an estimated $96 million globally against an estimated budget of $35 million.

The movie has received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Director for Zhao, and Best Actress for Buckley. It has also done incredibly well on review aggregator websites.

On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a “certified fresh” critical score of 86% and a higher “verified hot” audience score of 92%. Meanwhile, Metacritic has given the film a Metascore of 84, pointing to “universal acclaim,” and a user score of 7.7, denoting “generally favorable” reception.

Based on Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel of the same name, Hamnet follows William Shakespeare and his wife, Anne Hathaway/Agnes, who deal with the death of the title character, their 11-year-old son.

Chloé Zhao co-wrote the movie’s screenplay with O’Farrell, besides directing it. In addition to Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, the cast features Joe Alwyn, Justine Mitchell, Emily Watson, Jacobi Jupe, and Olivia Lynes, among others.

Source: Comingsoon.net