Kevin Hart's 72 Hours leads Netflix's Friday drop, plus the Scream trilogy arrives

Eight titles arrive on Netflix US this Friday, led by the Kevin Hart comedy 72 Hours from Ride Along director Tim Story that critics are mostly calling a forgettable Hangover knockoff. Wes Craven's original Scream trilogy joins the catalog with two well-reviewed entries, a Spanish conspiracy thriller starring Jose Coronado, a 35-minute Heartstopper behind-the-scenes farewell special, an Indian romance led by Vikrant Massey, and a Filipino teleserye led by Kathryn Bernardo all debut, while Saturday Night leaves tomorrow.

The pick of the day: 72 Hours

72 Hours is the biggest name on today's docket: a Netflix Original R-rated comedy reuniting Kevin Hart with his Ride Along director Tim Story, about a 40-year-old ad executive who gets accidentally added to a Gen Z bachelor party group chat and decides to crash the Miami weekend to research "youth culture" for a flailing vodka campaign. The film held its world premiere at Manhattan's Paris Theater on July 20 before landing on Netflix today.

The cast stacks Hart against three current Saturday Night Live cast members (Marcello Hernández, Ben Marshall, Kam Patterson) plus Mason Gooding (Scream VI), with Teyana Taylor, Andy Garcia, and Michael Mando in supporting roles. The screenplay comes from the Cobra Kai team of Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg alongside Kevin Burrows and Matt Mider. Rated R, 1 hour 45 minutes.
Critics are mostly not laughing. The Hollywood Reporter says it "aims for the lowest common denominator" (THR, July 24), Variety calls it "mediocre" and says it "disappointingly throws everything at the wall" (Variety, July 24), USA Today gives it 1.5 out of 4 stars and calls the comedy "DOA" (USA Today, July 24), and ScreenRant calls it "forgettable" and a "wasted opportunity" (ScreenRant, July 24). The lone positive outlier is the News-Herald, which says it "goes down pretty smoothly" (News-Herald, July 24).
For Hart completists and anyone curious what a Hangover retread with SNL energy looks like on a Netflix budget. The premise is sharper than the execution: a man old enough to know better chasing the feeling of being included in a plan that was never meant for him.

The Scream trilogy (1996-2000)

All three of Wes Craven's original Scream films join Netflix's catalog today, giving the platform the foundation of the self-aware slasher franchise that redefined horror in the late '90s.

Scream (1996): Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, and Skeet Ulrich in the Woodsboro original that asked "what's your favorite scary movie?" 78% on Rotten Tomatoes from 131 reviews, 80% audience score, Metacritic 66 (RT). Roger Ebert praised characters who "know what to do, and what not to do" because they have seen horror films (Ebert).
Scream 2 (1997): Sidney Prescott heads to college and Ghostface follows. 83% on RT from 133 reviews, the highest-rated of the trilogy (RT).
Scream 3 (2000): The franchise goes Hollywood as the cast of the in-universe Stab 3 gets targeted. 45% on RT from 164 reviews, the lowest-rated of the trilogy, trading suspense for broader comedy (RT).

Note: Scream 4 (2011) and the 2022-2023 revival films (Scream V and Scream VI) are not part of this batch. The first two are genuine weekend-watch material. The third is for completists.

Also arriving today

The Truthers is a Netflix Original Spanish mystery-thriller (original title Los creyentes) starring Jose Coronado and Stephanie Magnin, about a woman who returns to her hometown after her mother's sudden death and starts questioning her conspiracy-obsessed father's account of what happened. European Spanish, rated M. No critic consensus yet. (RT)

Heartstopper: Ending on a Hi is a 35-minute Netflix Original behind-the-scenes documentary special, arriving one week after the Heartstopper Forever finale film (covered last Friday). It combines unseen archival footage spanning every season, cast and crew interviews (Kit Connor, Joe Locke, creator Alice Oseman), and fan voices reflecting on the show's cultural impact. For Heartstopper devotees. (Netflix Tudum)

Musafir Cafe Season 1 is a Netflix Original Indian romantic drama, 8 episodes, TV-14, starring Vikrant Massey (12th Fail, Haseen Dillruba) as a man whose carefully mapped future is upended when he meets a fiercely independent divorce lawyer, only to cross paths years later with a different kind of love. Based on Divya Prakash Dubey's novel, directed by Ruchir Arun (Little Things). Netflix India's pivot toward the romance genre. A Times Now review calls it "heart but not enough heartbeat" (Times Now, July 24).

Someone, Someday is a Filipino romantic thriller series starring Kathryn Bernardo and James Reid, premiering on Netflix three days before its Philippine television broadcast on July 27. Bernardo plays a dating-app CEO who unknowingly befriends someone out for revenge, jeopardizing her company, her family, and her dream of finding romance. Also starring Maja Salvador. A Dreamscape Entertainment production. (Wikipedia)

New episodes of ongoing shows

Agent Kim Reactivated drops episode 9 today (TheFutonCritic). The So Ji-sub Korean action series, based on the Naver webtoon Manager Kim, airs two episodes per week on Fridays and Saturdays, with its 10-episode finale arriving tomorrow, July 25. (Netflix)

Weekend-watch pick

The Scream trilogy is the obvious weekend marathon. The first two films (78% and 83% on Rotten Tomatoes) are among the best-reviewed horror films of their era, and at roughly two hours each you can run all three in a single sitting. Start with the 1996 original, which still crackles 30 years later, and skip Scream 3 if you value your time. If horror is not your speed, Wicked: For Good (which arrived on Netflix Monday from its Peacock window) remains the biggest film on the platform this week, though the first Wicked film is not on Netflix, so you will need Peacock or Prime to watch Part 1 first.

Leaving soon

Saturday Night (2024), Jason Reitman's film about the 90 minutes before the first SNL broadcast on October 11, 1975, leaves Netflix tomorrow, Saturday July 25. Today is your last full day to watch. 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, starring Gabriel LaBelle, Dylan O'Brien, and Finn Wolfhard. (whats-on-netflix)

Sliding Doors (1998), the Gwyneth Paltrow alternate-timeline Tube romance, leaves Monday July 27 (Netflix Tudum).

Tallulah (2016), the Netflix Original dramedy starring Elliot Page and Allison Janney as a drifter who snatches a baby from a neglectful mother, leaves Wednesday July 29 (Netflix Tudum).