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Movie night with friends: crowd-pleasers on Criterion Channel

Right now the best crowd-pleasers on Criterion Channel in the United States are The Great Dictator (1940), Harakiri (1962) and The Gold Rush (1925). This is the top 30 streaming there today, ranked by how well rated each one is, how many people have rated it, and what people are watching now.

Comedies, action, thrillers and the odd scare: big, well-loved films that work for a room full of people.

Updated November 11, 2026 · streaming in the United States

Pick three for me

  1. 1. The Great Dictator1940

    Film · 2h 5mComedy, War★ 8.3

    Dictator Adenoid Hynkel tries to expand his empire while a poor Jewish barber tries to avoid persecution from Hynkel's regime.

    Stream onPrime VideofuboTVHBO MaxCriterion Channel+6

  2. 2. Harakiri1962

    Film · 2h 15mAction, Drama, History★ 8.5

    Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide…

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  3. 3. The Gold Rush1925

    Film · 1h 35mAdventure, Comedy, Drama★ 8.0

    A gold prospector in Alaska struggles to survive the elements and win the heart of a dance hall girl.

    Stream onPrime VideoHBO MaxCriterion ChannelHistory Vault+11

  4. 4. Blue Velvet1986

    Film · 2h 0mMystery, Thriller, Crime★ 7.6

    The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic criminals who have kidnapped her child.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelKanopy (free)Hoopla (free)Roku Channel (free)+1

  5. 5. Boogie Nights1997

    Film · 2h 36mDrama, Comedy★ 7.6

    In 1977, an idealistic porn producer and his promising protege try to catch up with the end of an era before their never-ending party collides with cold, hard reality.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelPlex (free)

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  7. 6. M1931

    Film · 1h 50mDrama, Thriller, Crime★ 8.1

    In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert, a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelIndieFlix ShortsKanopy (free)+3

  8. 7. Infernal Affairs2002

    Film · 1h 41mDrama, Thriller, Crime★ 7.8

    Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelShout! Factory TV (free)

  9. 8. Hannah and Her Sisters1986

    Film · 1h 47mComedy, Drama★ 7.5

    Between two Thanksgivings, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.

    Stream onPrime VideoCriterion ChannelMGM+Hoopla (free)+4

  10. 9. We All Loved Each Other So Much1974

    Film · 2h 5mDrama, Comedy★ 8.3

    Three partisans bound by a strong friendship return home after the war, but the clash with everyday reality puts a strain on their bond.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  11. 10. Il Sorpasso1962

    Film · 1h 45mDrama, Comedy, Adventure★ 8.2

    Roberto, a shy law student in Rome, meets Bruno, a forty-year-old exuberant, capricious man, who takes him for a drive through the Roman and Tuscany countries in the summer.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  12. 11. Godzilla1954

    Film · 1h 36mThriller, Horror, Science Fiction★ 7.6

    Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the…

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelCinemaxTCM+1

  13. 12. The Lady Vanishes1938

    Film · 1h 36mMystery, Thriller★ 7.4

    On a train headed for England a group of travelers is delayed by an avalanche. Holed up in a hotel in a fictional European country, young Iris befriends elderly Miss Froy.

    Stream onfuboTVHBO MaxPhiloCriterion Channel+17

  14. 13. Le Trou1960

    Film · 2h 12mDrama, Thriller, Crime★ 8.2

    Four prison inmates have been hatching a plan to literally dig out of jail when another prisoner, Claude Gaspard, is moved into their cell. They take a risk and share their plan with the newcomer.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  15. 14. Woman in the Dunes1964

    Film · 2h 27mDrama, Thriller★ 8.2

    A vacationing entomologist suffers extreme physical and psychological trauma after being taken captive by the residents of a poor seaside village and made to live with a woman whose life task is shoveling sand for them.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelDarkroom

  16. 15. Big Deal on Madonna Street1958

    Film · 1h 46mComedy, Crime★ 8.1

    Best friends Peppe and Mario are thieves, but they're not very good at it. Still, Peppe thinks that he's finally devised a master heist that will make them rich.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  17. 16. Thief1981

    Film · 2h 3mCrime, Thriller, Drama★ 7.3

    Frank is an expert professional safecracker, specialized in high-profile diamond heists. He plans to use his ill-gotten income to retire from crime and build a nice life for himself complete with a home, wife and kids.

    Stream onPrime VideoCriterion ChannelMGM+Hoopla (free)+6

  18. 17. Police Story1985

    Film · 1h 39mAction, Crime, Comedy★ 7.6

    Officer Chan Ka Kui manages to put a major Hong Kong drug dealer behind the bars practically alone, after a shooting and an impressive chase inside a slum.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTencent VideoShout! Factory TV (free)

  19. 18. Monsieur Verdoux1947

    Film · 2h 4mComedy, Crime, Drama★ 7.7

    The film is about an unemployed banker, Henri Verdoux, and his sociopathic methods of attaining income. While being both loyal and competent in his work, Verdoux has been laid-off.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCMKanopy (free)

  20. 19. Three Colors: White1994

    Film · 1h 32mComedy, Drama, Mystery★ 7.4

    Polish immigrant Karol Karol finds himself out of a marriage, a job and a country when his French wife, Dominique, divorces him after six months due to his impotence.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCM

  21. 20. My Dinner with Andre1981

    Film · 1h 52mDrama, Comedy★ 7.5

    Wally, a struggling playwright and actor, reluctantly agrees to catch up with his old friend Andre, a theater director who disappeared several years prior in order to travel the world.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelYouTube Free (free)Plex (free)

  22. 21. Sanjuro1962

    Film · 1h 36mDrama, Action, Comedy★ 7.9

    In this companion piece and sequel to "Yojimbo," jaded samurai Sanjuro helps an idealistic group of young warriors weed out their clan's evil influences, and in the process turns their image of a proper samurai on its ear.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  23. 22. Dersu Uzala1975

    Film · 2h 21mAdventure, Drama★ 7.9

    A military explorer meets and befriends a Goldi man in Russia’s unmapped forests. A deep and abiding bond evolves between the two men, one civilized in the usual sense, the other at home in the glacial Siberian woods.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  24. 23. A Man Escaped1956

    Film · 1h 41mDrama, Thriller★ 8.0

    A captured French Resistance fighter during World War II engineers a daunting escape from prison.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

  25. 24. The Exterminating Angel1962

    Film · 1h 33mComedy, Drama, Fantasy★ 7.9

    After a lavish dinner party, the guests find themselves unable to depart... and, over the next few days, all of their elaborate societal pretenses and façades deteriorate as they are reduced to living like animals.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelCultpixPlex (free)Mometu (free)

  26. 25. Resurrection2025

    Film · 2h 39mScience Fiction, Fantasy, Drama★ 7.1

    In a world where humanity has lost the ability to dream in exchange for eternal life, one creature remains entranced by the fading illusions of the dreamworld.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelKanopy (free)

  27. 26. Z1969

    Film · 2h 2mThriller, Crime, Drama★ 7.8

    A prominent politician is murdered during a demonstration. The government and army are trying to suppress the truth, but a tenacious magistrate is determined not to let them get away with it.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelHBO Max

  28. 27. Meshes of the Afternoon1943

    Film · 14mMystery, Horror★ 7.6

    A woman returning home falls asleep and has vivid dreams that may or may not be happening in reality. Through repetitive images and complete mismatching of the objective view of time and space, her dark inner desires play out on-screen.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelKanopy (free)

  29. 28. Man Bites Dog1992

    Film · 1h 36mComedy, Crime★ 7.2

    The activities of rampaging, indiscriminate serial killer Ben are recorded by a willingly complicit documentary team, who eventually become his accomplices and active participants.

    Stream onCriterion ChannelHBO Max

  30. 29. Kwaidan1965

    Film · 3h 3mHorror, Fantasy, Drama★ 7.7

    Taking its title from an archaic Japanese word meaning "ghost story," this anthology adapts four folk tales. A penniless samurai marries for money with tragic results.

    Stream onHBO MaxCriterion ChannelTCM

  31. 30. Where Is The Friend's House?1987

    Film · 1h 23mDrama, Adventure★ 7.9

    An 8-year-old boy must return his friend's notebook he took by mistake, lest his friend be punished by expulsion from school.

    Stream onCriterion Channel

Questions

What are the best crowd-pleasers on Criterion Channel right now?
In the United States, as of November 11, 2026: The Great Dictator (1940), rated 8.3 out of 10 on TMDB, then Harakiri and The Gold Rush.
How is this list made?
Watchwalla asks TMDB for everything of this kind that streams in your country today, ranks it by rating (pulled toward the middle until enough people have rated a title), with a nudge for what's new and what people are watching now, and refreshes the list every day. Streaming availability comes from JustWatch, through TMDB.
Can it pick something for me?
Yes. The picker at watchwalla.com/tonight asks who's watching, how much time you have and what you're in the mood for, and gives three picks streaming where you are. Sign in and every title also gets a match score for your own taste.

More to choose from