Welcome to the deep dive. If you're staring at
your streaming options this 4th of July weekend,
wondering what to watch. Well, you're in the
right place. Our mission today to help you cut
through all that clutter in the 2024 streaming
world and build your perfect holiday watch list.
Consider this your remote control cheat sheet.
Yeah, it's a fascinating space right now. Really
dynamic and figuring out who's top dog. Well,
it really depends on how you slice it doesn't
it how so well look at Nielsen's the gauge data
from October 2024 that tracks actual viewing
time Disney Plus was leading an hours watched
about eleven point seven percent YouTube right
behind Okay viewing hours, but then if you look
at paid subscriptions SVOD market share Statista
says Amazon Prime video leads with 22 % Netflix
just a fraction behind so wait this is number
seen What's the real picture with these streaming
wars? It just shows the different strategies,
right? Free platforms like YouTube, they pull
in massive hours. Paid services like Netflix,
Prime Video, they're building huge subscriber
bases. And Disney Plus. Disney Plus is all about
leveraging that incredible IP they own. So for
today, we kind of narrowed it down. We're focusing
on the big six. You see topping charts across
the board. Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus.
Max, Hulu, and Peacock, they all have their own
angle. Makes sense. And it's interesting how
they use big holidays like the fourth. Yeah.
It's not just red, white, and blue content anymore.
Not at all. They use these weekends as prime
real estate to launch massive new originals,
often not even themed, stuff designed to dominate
chat or get people signing up. Right. OK, so
let's dive into those premieres first, the premieres
club. Yeah. Netflix has The Old Guard 2. Yeah,
the sequel. Charlie's Theron's back. High budget
superhero stuff. Looks like Uma Thurman and Henry
Golding are joining, too. And the plot. Andy
Theron's character is grappling with losing her
immortality just as Quinn returns. Expect lots
of action, maybe some angst. Got it. Prime video.
They've got heads of state. Action comedy. John
Cena plays a, well, the description says, doofus
American president. Yeah. And Idris Elba is a
gruff British prime minister. They apparently
have to go on the run after Air Force One gets
shot down. Priyanka Chopra Jonas is in it, too.
Sounds like pure popcorn fun. That's star power.
Definitely feels like it. And over on Max, something
totally different. Sinners. Oh, right. The Ryan
Coogler one from the Black Panther director.
Exactly. Michael B. Jordan stars playing twin
brothers. It's set in 1932 Mississippi. They
open a juke joint, and then vampires show up.
Whoa. Vampires. Yeah, they're calling it a horror
musical phenomenon. Southern Gothic, historical
drama, supernatural horror. Explore some heavy
themes, too. And it's making history using Black
American Sign Language. Streams July 4th. Wow,
that sounds intense. Okay, switching gears a
bit. Red, white, and blockbusters for that classic
patriotic feel. Got to start with Independence
Day, the 96 one, pure unadulterated alien fighting
fun. Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum, and Bill Pullman's
speech. Iconic. Absolutely iconic. Or if you
need speed. Top Gun. You can do the 86 original
and the 2022 sequel Maverick. Classic Tom Cruise.
And honestly, many argue Maverick is even better.
Yeah, I've heard that. Amazing aerials. Totally.
And for just like pure Americana nostalgia, The
Sandlot. Oh, The Sandlot. Great call. Such a
sweet coming of age movie. And that scene, the
Fourth of July night game with the fireworks.
just perfectly captures that summer feeling.
It really does. OK, moving towards maybe something
a bit more thoughtful, a more perfect union for
contemplative patriotism. Right. Spielberg's
Lincoln, Daniel Day -Lewis is just incredible.
It focuses on the intense fight to pass the 13th
Amendment. It's less a history lesson, more a
gripping political thriller about how democracy
actually works or doesn't sometimes. Definitely
shows the struggle. What else fits here? How
about glory? The 1989 film, true story of the
54th Massachusetts Infantry, one of the first
all -black regiments in the Union Army. Denzel
Washington won an Oscar. Just a powerful story
about incredible courage against, well, everything.
A truly important story. And maybe something
more modern, but just as inspiring, hidden figures.
Oh, fantastic movie. Yeah, 2016. About the brilliant
African -American women mathematicians at NASA.
Their contributions were ignored for so long
while they were battling racism and sexism. Great
one to watch with the family. Absolutely. And
we can't forget the revolutionary take. Hamilton.
Lin -Manuel Miranda's masterpiece. The filmed
version of the Broadway show telling Alexander
Hamilton's story using hip -hop, jazz, R &B.
It's like that quote says, the story of America
then told by America now. It's just electrifying.
Only on Disney Plus though. Good point. Exclusive
there. Okay, final category. Maybe you need a
break from the patriotism. The Great Escape.
Summer blockbusters without the flag waving.
And you have to start with the film that basically
invented the summer blockbuster. Jaws. Spielberg
again. Yep, 1975. Ironically set over a chaotic
holiday weekend, it's just a master class in
suspense. Honestly, some people call Jaws the
best 4th of July movie, period, even without
the patriotism. I can see that argument. It's
brilliant. What else for pure escape? How about
National Treasure, the 2004 one? Nicolas Cage
as a historian who steals the Declaration of
Independence. To find a treasure map hidden on
the back, it's so ridiculous, but so much fun.
Exactly. Rollicking, witty, totally improbable,
great. family adventure. Okay, so that's quite
a list from brand new stuff like the Old Guard
2 and Sinners to classics like Independence Day,
thoughtful films like Glory and Lincoln, and
pure fun like Jaws or National Treasure. Your
remote should be feeling pretty powerful right
now. Definitely armed and ready and maybe as
you're scrolling through these options this holiday
think about it this range of choices From the
celebratory to the critical to pure escape kind
of reflects the complex story of America itself,
doesn't it? That's a great point Yeah, both the
ideals and the messy ongoing reality So the question
for you is which story will you choose to stream
this fourth and what might it reveal?