Netflix, Amazon, Stan, Foxtel and more: Everything new to streaming in July 2020

From a $75 million Disney acquisition to a new take on a classic sci-fi story, here’s everything coming to streaming in July.

It’s actually movies that will get you excited in July.

The highlights of the month features films starring the likes of Charlize Theron, Tom Hanks and tickling fetishists, plus a few series to hook into.

The Umbrella Academy S2 (Netflix, July 31): According to Netflix, some 45 million account holders watched the first season of the comic book adaptation about a group of eccentric powered people – superheroes with many, many hang-ups. So that means at least some people will be excited for the second series dropping this month.

Hamilton will also make its Australian stage premiere in Sydney in 2021.

Hamilton (Disney+, July 3): Ever since Lin-Manuel Miranda’s subversive and political musical about America’s founding fathers debuted on Broadway in 2015, it’s been feted and hyped, and it’s been near-impossible to get tickets. Now, instead of forking out $300 for a seat, for the cost of a Disney+ subscription, you can stream it, filmed in 2016 with most of the original cast. Disney paid $US75 million for the rights.

The Hot Zone (SBS On Demand, July 2): Maybe a miniseries about the 1989 ebola outbreak is a little too close for comfort right now, but people watched Contagion by the masses so who knows. Based on Richard Preston’s nonfiction book, it stars The Good Wife’s Julianna Margulies as Colonel Nancy Jaax, an army veterinarian pathologist who first identifies ebola in monkeys.

Greyhound (Apple TV+, July 10): With a screenplay by Tom Hanks, who also stars, Greyhound was originally slated for cinema release last month but in the wake of the pandemic, Apple bought the rights from Sony and now it’ll stream directly at home. It’s based on a C.S. Forester book about a convoy of ships trying to cross the Atlantic with German submarines in pursuit during WWII.

Tom Hanks wrote the screenplay for Greyhound.

Mad Men S1-7 (Amazon Prime Video, July 3): If there’s one premium drama from the past 20 years you haven’t seen yet but really, really should, it’s Mad Men. The exploits of Don Draper and his cohort at a 1960s Manhattan ad agency is laced with personal demons, social upheaval and deep character explorations. Strong contender for best writing for a TV series.

Tickled (DocPlay, July 20): If you haven’t seen this 2016 New Zealand documentary before, you may not believe just how strange it is. It follows Kiwi TV reporter David Farrier as he delves into the world of competitive endurance tickling and a whole subculture of online tickling videos, searching for an elusive figure said to be the mysterious pioneer of the fetishistic activity.

The Singapore Grip S1 (Foxtel Now/Binge, July 27): Adapted by Christopher Hampton (Atonement, Dangerous Liaisons) from J.G. Farrell’s novel, The Singapore Grip is set in Singapore during World War II as the Japanese forces threaten to take the then-British colony. It’s centred on a British rubber merchant and his family. It stars David Morrissey, Luke Treadaway, Jane Horrocks and Charles Dance.

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The Old Guard (Netflix, July 10): Those wishing Netflix would put their generous bank account to good use by commissioning an action thriller that is both brawny and emotionally grounded, The Old Guard is that movie. Charlize Theron stars as the literal arse-kicking leader of a group of immortal soldiers now being hunted by a dodgy pharmaceutical boss.

Charlize Theron also produced the film directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood

Why Women Kill S1 (SBS On Demand, July 16): From Marc Cherry, the creator of Desperate Housewives, this dark dramedy is set across three periods – 1960s, 1980s and present day – about three women, played by Lucy Liu, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Ginnifer Goodwin, who have lived in the same house and are all cheated on by their husbands, leading to a death.

Ready Or Not (Foxtel Now, July 22): Samara Weaving stars in this devilishly fun horror slasher flick which proves you can do a lot with a simple premise. Weaving stars as Grace, the newly betrothed bride to Alex Le Domas. But what Grace doesn’t know yet is the Le Domases have a secret ritual – a deadly game on the night of any new family member’s wedding. Wildly entertaining.

War of the Worlds (SBS On Demand, July 9): It’s a little confusing because in the same year there were two TV miniseries adaptations of H.G. Wells’ classic alien invasion story. This is the Gabriel Byrne and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) version, set in modern-day Europe where it only takes days for extraterrestrials to lay waste to mankind, leaving the survivors with a difficult task.

During an alien invasion, no one can hear you scream.

The X-Files S1-11 (Amazon Prime Video, July 7): There’s no other alien-fighting duo as iconic as Mulder and Scully. And if you have about 156 hours, you can binge every episode, including the two revival seasons. But if you can’t devote the next three months of your life to The X-Files, you can also just pick and choose the best instalments, from hilarious satires to the truly horrifying.

Military Wives (Stan, July 3): This heartwarming crowd-pleaser was released in cinemas for only one week earlier this year before the pandemic shut cinemas down. It was originally due for a second theatrical release but has now opted to be a streaming special. Inspired by the real-life movement, it follows a group of military spouses who form a choir when their partners are shipped to Afghanistan. It stars Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan.

Relic (Stan, July 10): Starring Robyn Nevin, Bella Heathcote and Emily Mortimer, this Australian-American production is a haunted house movie that stands in for the ravages of Alzheimer’s. Mortimer plays a woman and her daughter who must contend with her elderly mother’s disease and a home that threatens to consume them.