10 Great Movies Leaving Netflix In October

This month has featured many great additions to the Netflix lineup. But each and every day, we lose awesome movies as well—especially at the very end of October, when the streamer will trigger its monthly purge of movies. October features many unfortunate losses, but luckily you still have a week to check them out. In this article, I will highlight ten movies you don’t want to miss, from past Oscar winners that have practically been forgotten, to documentaries about food sovereignty in the United States, to animated classics that have only gained stature over time. All in all, Netflix subscribers have some great options available.

So let’s dive in. Below, I’ve picked ten movies I think should be added to your Netflix watch list in October. For each film, I include a plot description, a trailer and reasons why you should watch it. Then, at the bottom of the article, you can find a full list of every single movie leaving Netflix in the month of October. Happy watching!

10 Great Movies Leaving Netflix in October 2025

Thirteen (2003)

Thirteen only got one Academy Award nomination back in 2004: Holly Hunter for Best Supporting Actress (an award she should have won). But the movie should have gotten even more recognition than that, particularly for its screenwriting team of Catherine Hardwicke, who was directing her first film (she would go on to direct Lords of Dogtown and Twilight), and 13-year-old Nikki Reed, who based the screenplay on her own experiences growing up fast in Los Angeles. The film the two produced feels lost to time, yet I would argue its coming-of-age story hits just as hard now as it ever did. The story follows Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood), a bright, reserved 13-year-old living in Los Angeles with her single mother Melanie (Holly Hunter), a recovering alcoholic working as a hairdresser. Eager to fit in with the popular crowd, Tracy forms a toxic codependent relationship with popular girl Evie (Nikki Reed), who draws Tracy headfirst into a world of drugs, theft, sexual experimentation and rebellion, all while her mother struggles to hold on to the daughter she once knew.

Gather (2020)

The legacy of colonization that colors this nation’s history has had an untold number of consequences, including the severe disruption of Indigenous communities’ ability to grow, harvest and prepare traditional foods. This disorder has led to widespread health issues such as diabetes, heart disease and other diet-related illnesses among Native Americans. If you’d like to learn more about this issue, then watch Gather before it disappears from Netflix, as the documentary illustrates how this disruption wasn’t accidental, but part of a systemic erasure of Indigenous lifeways. Directed by Sanjay Rawal and produced in collaboration with the First Nations Development Institute, this film aims to document Indigenous efforts around food sovereignty and cultural resurgence. The story follows multiple parties, from chef Nephi Craig of the White Mountain Apache Nation as he opens a café/recovery program, to scientist Elsie DuBray of the Cheyenne River Sioux working with bison, to the Ancestral Guard of the Yurok Nation in Northern California fighting to restore salmon traditions on the Klamath River.

Miller’s Girl (2024)

Erotic dramas and thrillers feel like a thing of the past, but two recent films offered bold takes on a particular side street of that genre: when a younger person attempts to seduce someone older. Many future stars inhabited roles of the seducer, from Drew Barrymore in Poison Ivy to Alicia Silverstone in The Crush—we’ve also seen big actors take on the older roles, from Cate Blanchett in Notes on a Scandal to Kate Winslet in The Reader. We saw this play out last year between Harris Dickinson and Nicole Kidman in Halina Reijn’s Babygirl. But earlier that year, Jenna Ortega and Martin Freeman took on a similar storyline in Jade Bartlett’s Miller’s Girl. The story centers on an intellectually precocious 18-year-old from a wealthy Tennessee family named Cairo (Jenna Ortega), who becomes a creative writing student of the writer-turned-teacher Jonathan Miller (played by Martin Freeman). After Cairo writes a provocative short story about a taboo student-teacher relationship, the dynamic between them begins to blur the boundaries of mentor and mentee, student and teacher, power and desire, triggering professional and personal fallout for them both.

The Gentlemen (2020)

Ah, Guy Ritchie. Even though I don’t always love his movies, I’m always excited to see them because they’re so Guy Ritchie. His style is so instantly recognizable, from his nonlinear storytelling where either multiple storylines unfold simultaneously (Snatch) or reality and delusion bleed together (Revolver), to the deliciously stylized dialogue that either owns a British swagger (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels) or is rife with double entendres and stylish retorts (The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), to a visual language that balances flash and precision in both modern settings (the “Holmes-o-vision” in Sherlock Holmes) and centuries-old ones (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword). All those qualities were definitely on display (and more) in The Gentlemen. The film centers on the American expatriate Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), who builds a massive marijuana empire in the United Kingdom. Looking to retire, Mickey plans to sell his business to a wealthy American billionaire named Matthew Berger (Jeremy Strong). But soon enough, several parties scheme to take over, including Mickey’s loyal right-hand man Raymond (Charlie Hunnam), the ambitious private investigator Fletcher (Hugh Grant), and an unlikely ally caught in the mess named Coach (Colin Farrell). Mickey must outwit them all to protect his empire, his wife Rosalind (Michelle Dockery) and his future.

Puss in Boots (2011)

We all know from experience that these sorts of gambles almost never pay off—a film where a side character gets their own feature presentation. It happens often in the animated world, from Minions (the yellow henchmen hailed from the Despicable Me franchise) to Penguins of Madagascar (those military-style penguins came from Madagascar). But we’ve seen the experiment go awry in live-action films as well, from Bumblebee (who went from sidekick in Transformers to front-and-center star) to Get Him to the Greek (Russell Brand’s Aldous Snow was a scene-stealing rockstar in Forgetting Sarah Marshall). Maybe some people like those movies, but to me, they all fall short of the originals. But one movie—or two movies, rather—where that wasn’t the case was the Shrek alumnus Puss in Boots (the film leaving Netflix very soon) and its sequel, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The story follows our charming outlaw Puss in Boots (voiced by Antonio Banderas), who sets out on a quest to steal the fabled magic beans that will lead him to the giant’s castle and its treasure of golden goose eggs. Puss in Boots teams up with the cunning, streetwise Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and his former childhood friend turned rival, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis), as he chases the beans held by the brutish outlaws Jack and Jill.

Pacific Rim (2013)

To say Guillermo del Toro’s career went to a new level in 2013 would be an understatement. Not necessarily in terms of quality, as many great films had seen the light of day—Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone and Pan’s Labyrinth, to name a few. But no movie, including Hellboy II: The Golden Army with its $80 million budget, could quite match the $190 million price tag of the ultra-blockbuster Pacific Rim, a film destined to achieve success on a worldwide box office scale—which was certainly accomplished after $411 million in ticket receipts. None of his subsequent films (Pinocchio, Nightmare Alley, The Shape of Water) were on that scale either, with the upcoming Frankenstein (with its $120 million budget) coming closest. It just goes to show that when you give a great auteur a big budget, he can deliver a blockbuster that shatters any and all expectations. Co-written with Travis Beacham, whose original idea stemmed from imagining a child watching a giant robot rise from the ocean, this near-future story starts when Kaiju (colossal sea monsters) rise from a rift in the Pacific Ocean and start attacking major coastal cities. In response, the world unites to create the Jaeger Program, massive humanoid mechs controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are linked in a neural bridge called “the Drift.” Our main character is pilot Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnam), a former Jaeger operator who is traumatized by a mission and then pulled back into service by commanding officer Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba).

Blow (2001)

It’s not every day that the imprisoned source for an adapted screenplay—in this case, the story of George Jung, one of the most prolific cocaine traffickers of the 20th century—becomes part of the filmmaking experience. But that was the case with Blow, a movie directed by Ted Demme and based on Bruce Porter’s 1993 book Blow: How a Small Town Boy Made $100 Million with the Medellín Cocaine Cartel and Lost It All. Johnny Depp performed extensive research to inhabit the role, including meeting with Jung (who was still in prison at the time) and adopting his voice, mannerisms and look over several decades. The result was a film that, despite modest box office success at the time (it grossed $83 million), has developed a cult following over the years. The movie’s story tells of the working-class kid from Weymouth, Mass., who would catapult from being a small-time marijuana dealer in the 1960s to an infamous legend by the late 1970s and early 1980s. While serving time in prison, Jung meets Diego Delgado (Jordi Mollà), who connects him to the burgeoning Colombian cocaine trade. But Jung’s success is plagued by betrayal and addiction—particularly his relationship with his wife Mirtha (Penélope Cruz) and daughter Kristina. The film follows a classic “rise and fall” structure, spanning several decades, largely told via voiceover by George Jung, giving it a confessional, reflective tone.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)

Growing up, my grade school would put on a performance of Roald Dahl’s 1964 novel-turned-play Charlie and the Chocolate Factory every year. Needless to say, I’ve always had a soft spot for the filmic adaptation, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. But as an adult—especially as an adult with children—I’ve continued to be blown away by just how incredible the experience of watching this movie truly is, from its classic parable arc to its vibrant and playful design to its outstanding musical numbers. Above all else, Gene Wilder absolutely owns this movie, as he brilliantly plays Wonka as a walking contradiction: charming and warm on the surface, yet cryptic, sarcastic and at times cruel underneath. The result is a masterpiece that, while a great kids’ movie, also subtly critiques capitalism and commercialism as it advocates for honesty, humility and imagination. This classic story centers on a kind-hearted boy who lives in poverty named Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum). He becomes one of the five lucky children to win a worldwide contest to tour candy maker Willy Wonka’s (Gene Wilder) mysterious chocolate factory. Along with four other children, each marked by a particular vice (gluttony, greed, pride, etc.), Charlie enters the magical factory to witness fantastical inventions, edible landscapes and singing Oompa Loompas. On the off chance you haven’t seen this beloved classic, fix that right now.

The English Patient (1996)

Many great books await to be adapted into film. But a select few are considered, as critics like to note, “unfilmable,” due to their complex structures, their constant internal monologues, their sprawling narratives, their experimental streaks. But many directors have taken them on—to varying degrees of success. There is a behemoth like Frank Herbert’s Dune, a dense world with complex political structures that was (in a moment of validation for many) unsuccessfully transferred to the screen by David Lynch (although, to be honest, I love the movie) before the “successful” version was put forth by Denis Villeneuve. Then there’s the surreal, obscene, episodic, practically plotless Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs, which was interpreted by David Cronenberg in 1991. There are many others, from Cloud Atlas to Watchmen, that are either beloved or reviled by fans—but The English Patient was one of those rare cases where such resounding praise led to a Best Picture win at the Academy Awards. Directed by Anthony Minghella (who would win Best Director), the film is set against the backdrop of World War II and unfolds through a series of fragmented flashbacks centered on a severely burned man known only as “the English patient” (Ralph Fiennes). This man, who will eventually be revealed to be a Hungarian cartographer named Count László de Almásy, is cared for in an abandoned Italian monastery by a nurse named Hana (Juliette Binoche) who gradually comes to understand his mysterious past.

Varsity Blues (1999)

Football is the United States’ most popular sport, so it’s no surprise that there have been many attempts at football movies—but high school football is a different breed. In states like Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania, it’s not just a sport, but an institution, a representation of community-wide camaraderie, a microcosm of American values and traditions. Many great high school football movies have won over moviegoing audiences over the years, from popular modern stories like Friday Night Lights (which was turned into a television show) and Remember the Titans, as well as many practically forgotten gems like Lucas, All the Right Moves and The Program. And one of those gems will be leaving Netflix soon: Varsity Blues. The story is set in the small, football-obsessed town of West Canaan, Texas, where Jonathan “Mox” Moxon (James Van Der Beek) serves as a backup quarterback who is more interested in academics than sport. But after the star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) is injured, Mox must step into the spotlight and lead the team under the tyrannical rule of Coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight), who will stop at nothing to win his 23rd division title. As the team’s success intensifies the pressure, Mox begins to question the methods of Kilmer, who forces players to play through injuries and manipulates their futures.

Every Movie Leaving Netflix in October 2025

Note: The dates mark your final days to watch these movies.

• October 24: Blade of the 47 Ronin (2022); Miller’s Girl (2023)
• October 27: What a Party! Stories About Gabriel García Marquez (2022)
• October 31: 47 Meters Down (2017); A Dog’s Way Home (2019); Ali (2001); Blow (2001); Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005); Den of Thieves (2018); Dennis the Menace (1993); Despicable Me (2010); Despicable Me 2 (2013); Eat Pray Love (2010); Gather (2020); Happy Gilmore (1996); Horrible Bosses (2011); La La Land (2016); Mile 22 (2018); Minions (2015); Money Talks (1997); Pacific Rim (2013); Puss in Boots (2011); Ride Along (2014); She’s All That (1999); Shrek (2001); Shrek 2 (2004); Shrek Forever After (2010); Shrek the Third (2007); Starship Troopers (1997); The Color Purple (2023); The English Patient (1996); The Fast and the Furious (2001); 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003); The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006); Fast Five (2011); Fast & Furious 6 (2013); Furious 7 (2015); Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (2019); The Gentlemen (2020); The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997); The Running Man (1987); The Walk (2015); Thirteen (2003); Total Recall (2012); Varsity Blues (1999); Weird Science (1985); Wet Hot American Summer (2001); Wheels of Fortune (2020); Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971)