3 Best Movies To Watch On Disney+ This Weekend (October 17-18)

Published Oct 16, 2026, 1:21 PM EDT Felipe Rangel is a Movie and TV Journalist ScreenRant. He has been writing about movies and TV since 2021. Felipe joined ScreenRant in 2022, working across different teams, covering everything from breaking news to features to reviews and more. Felipe is a writer who is an avid film and TV fan, with superhero movies and series being his biggest passion. He graduated from college in 2019, having studied Journalism. Before college, he spent a month studying at the Oxford English Centre. His superhero knowledge expands to the comics, with his undergraduate thesis being "Politics Reflected In American Comics." Sign in to your ScreenRant account Disney+ subscribers have a weekend movie binge ahead with three options that are incredibly timely for different reasons, with each of the films coming from a unique genre. On last weekend's Disney+ movie recommendations, I explored why subscribers might be interested in Hocus Pocus, Hotel Transylvania, and Midsommar. That was a full-on horror lineup, even if the first two are not really scary. Out of those three movies, only one is trending on Disney+ as we head into the weekend, and it has got some interesting company. That would be Hocus Pocus, which currently stands as the 2nd most-watched movie on Disney+ in the United States at the time of writing. The fantasy film with a horror twist is joined by its sequel on the charts. Hocus Pocus 2, which was released as a Disney+ original movie in 2022, is currently the 4th most-watched movie on Disney+ in the US. While I could have added it to our new weekend list, I felt like taking a break from the franchise and going for all-new options. It also helps that all three of these movies have become timely due to new releases, announcements, and chart movement. As such, Disney+ subscribers can prepare to check out a dark fantasy with a horror tinge in animated form, having become a classic. The other two movies on the Disney+ list are one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's biggest movies, as well as a dystopian sci-fi franchise entry that features Reacher's Alan Ritchson among many stars. These are the best movies on Disney+ this weekend: 3 The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Starting our Disney+ list on the month of Halloween, it is the only project that both fits into the horror realm and is the sole animation release among the options. At the time of writing, The Nightmare Before Christmas has become the most popular movie on Disney+ in the United States, showcasing how subscribers are already flocking to it. The Nightmare Before Christmas comes with a near-perfect 95% critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes and a similarly stellar 91% audience score. The animated movie has become a classic for both Halloween and Christmas seasons, which is a massive feat. It follows Jack Skellington, who leads Halloween Town, as he finds his way to Christmas Town, becoming captivated by the holiday, which he then tries to replicate in his Halloween world filled with supernatural creatures, and it does not go as smoothly as he expected. 2 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) The biggest new release on Disney+ in October is undoubtedly VisionQuest, the MCU's latest TV show on the streaming service. It marks the end of the WandaVision trilogy, bringing back Paul Bettany as Vision, James Spader as Ultron, and introducing Ruaridh Mollica as Tommy Maximoff/Thomas Shepherd. Avengers: Age of Ultron emerges as an essential movie to go with the new Marvel release. After all, Ultron is finally returning to the MCU for the first time since that Avengers movie, and watching it is fundamental to understand who the character is. Additionally, Avengers: Age of Ultron has only gotten better with time, as a lot of the future events it teased or set up for the MCU have now come to pass. Rewatching the MCU movie feels like a new experience, and with Avengers: Doomsday releasing on December 18, it could be part of a franchise binge. 1 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) Finally, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a fitting movie to end our list. The entire The Hunger Games movie franchise became available on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ on Wednesday, October 14. While all of them are worth watching on streaming, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is one of the best, if not the very best, movies in the dystopian sci-fi franchise. It is also a timely option. The sci-fi angle keeps the train rolling with VisionQuest and the Avengers: Age of Ultron suggestion. Additionally, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire star Josh Hutcherson was just revealed to be playing Mister Miracle in the DC Universe animated series based on the Tom King run on the character. Finally, Reacher's Alan Ritchson plays a villain in Catching Fire, and with the actor trending in Neagley and Reacher on Prime Video, maybe his fans might want to check out some of his early work. This one is intense, dark, and presents moral questions to end the weekend on Disney+. The Nightmare Before Christmas 9/10 Release Date October 9, 1993 Runtime 76 minutes The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 animated film where the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington, attempts to bring Christmas to his world. In doing so, he kidnaps Santa Claus and creates chaos, while his rag-doll girlfriend Sally tries to restore order. Cast Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page, Edward Ivory, Susan McBride, Debi Durst, Greg Proops, Kerry Katz, Randy Crenshaw, Sherwood Ball, Carmen Twillie, Glenn Walters, Mia Brown, L. Peter Callender, Ann Fraser, Jennifer Levey, Jesse McClurg, John Morris, Robert Olague, Bobbi Page, Elena Praskin Director Henry Selick Writers Caroline Thompson, Tim Burton Avengers: Age of Ultron 7/10 Release Date May 1, 2015 Runtime 141 minutes Avengers: Age of Ultron, released in 2015, follows Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man and Captain America, as they contend with Ultron, a rogue AI with plans for global annihilation. This Marvel sequel sees The Avengers form uneasy alliances and embark on a perilous global adventure to thwart Ultron's schemes. Cast Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, James Spader, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Idris Elba, Linda Cardellini, Stellan Skarsgård, Claudia Kim, Thomas Kretschmann, Andy Serkis, Julie Delpy, Stan Lee, Henry Goodman, Chris Luca Director Joss Whedon Writers Joss Whedon The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 8/10 Release Date November 22, 2013 Runtime 146 minutes The Hunger Games: Catching Fire follows Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark as they embark on a Victor's Tour after winning the 74th Hunger Games. With unrest brewing in the districts, President Snow orchestrates the Quarter Quell, the 75th games that threaten to alter the future of Panem. Cast Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Donald Sutherland, Lenny Kravitz, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Lynn Cohen, Jena Malone, Bobby Jordan, Amanda Plummer, Jack Quaid, Taylor St. Clair, Sandra Ellis Lafferty, Paula Malcomson, Brooke Bundy, Nelson Ascencio, Afemo Omilami, Kimberley Drummond Director Francis Lawrence Writers Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt, Suzanne Collins