Jan 19 2011

In part one of a two part series on premium video streaming services, I review the quality of the movie offerings from NetFlix and Hulu Plus. I checked each of the top 100 movies of all time (from the Internet Movie Database) for streaming access. The clear winner is NetFlix, with just 20 percent of the top 100 to Hulu's 0(!) percent. It is clear that Hulu is not trying to get any of the premiere movie properties, even though Hulu is owned by content companies. I expect Hulu to put up a better fight with streaming television (check back for data later) because they started as a television streaming service. If you don't want to choose between movies and TV, let's hope that NetFlix wins television as well.



Rank Rating Title Votes NetFlix Hulu Plus
1 9.2 The
Shawshank Redemption (1994)
554,047 DVD Only No
2 9.2 The
Godfather (1972)
433,266 DVD Only No
3 9 The
Godfather: Part II (1974)
261,622 DVD Only No
4 8.9 The
Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
173,248 DVD Only No
5 8.9 Pulp
Fiction (1994)
442,395 DVD Only No
6 8.9 Schindler's
List (1993)
293,371 DVD Only No
7 8.9 Inception
(2010)
284,378 DVD Only No
8 8.9 12
Angry Men (1957)
129,513 DVD Only No
9 8.8 One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
228,874 DVD Only No
10 8.8 The
Dark Knight (2008)
494,589 DVD Only No
11 8.8 Star
Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
292,943 DVD Only No
12 8.8 The
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
385,692 DVD Only No
13 8.8 Seven
Samurai (1954)
102,282 Streaming No
14 8.7 Fight
Club (1999)
407,616 DVD Only No
15 8.7 Star
Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
336,095 DVD Only No
16 8.7 Goodfellas
(1990)
243,386 Streaming No
17 8.7 Casablanca
(1942)
175,827 DVD Only No
18 8.7 City
of God (2002)
178,649 DVD Only No
19 8.7 The
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
408,718 Streaming No
20 8.7 Once
Upon a Time in the West (1968)
79,705 DVD Only No
21 8.7 Rear
Window (1954)
125,471 DVD Only No
22 8.7 Raiders
of the Lost Ark (1981)
254,905 DVD Only No
23 8.7 The
Matrix (1999)
403,875 DVD Only No
24 8.7 Psycho
(1960)
152,353 DVD Only No
25 8.7 The
Usual Suspects (1995)
280,931 DVD Only No
26 8.6 The
Silence of the Lambs (1991)
261,395 DVD Only No
27 8.6 Toy
Story 3 (2010)
101,475 DVD Only No
28 8.6 Se7en
(1995)
298,504 DVD Only No
29 8.6 It's a
Wonderful Life (1946)
108,320 DVD Only No
30 8.6 Memento
(2000)
292,313 DVD Only No
31 8.6 The
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
345,660 DVD Only No
32 8.6 Sunset
Blvd. (1950)
58,193 DVD Only No
33 8.6 Forrest
Gump (1994)
322,608 DVD Only No
34 8.6 The
Professional (1994)
214,467 DVD Only No
35 8.6 Dr.
Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
162,781 DVD Only No
36 8.6 Apocalypse
Now (1979)
182,155 Streaming No
37 8.6 Citizen
Kane (1941)
144,200 DVD Only No
38 8.6 North
by Northwest (1959)
98,213 DVD Only No
39 8.5 American
Beauty (1999)
308,279 DVD Only No
40 8.5 American
History X (1998)
240,064 DVD Only No
41 8.5 Taxi
Driver (1976)
166,028 DVD Only No
42 8.5 Terminator
2: Judgment Day (1991)
252,225 DVD Only No
43 8.5 Saving
Private Ryan (1998)
285,299 DVD Only No
44 8.5 Vertigo
(1958)
96,806 DVD Only No
45 8.5 Amélie
(2001)
193,157 Streaming No
46 8.5 Alien
(1979)
190,568 DVD Only No
47 8.5 WALL·E
(2008)
198,305 DVD Only No
48 8.5 Spirited
Away (2001)
109,238 DVD Only No
49 8.5 The
Shining (1980)
189,227 Streaming No
50 8.5 Paths
of Glory (1957)
47,549 DVD Only No
51 8.5 Lawrence
of Arabia (1962)
83,327 DVD Only No
52 8.5 Black
Swan (2010)
40,612 In Theater In Theater
53 8.5 Double
Indemnity (1944)
39,317 DVD Only No
54 8.5 The
Pianist (2002)
143,959 Streaming No
55 8.5 A
Clockwork Orange (1971)
204,078 Streaming No
56 8.5 To
Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
86,985 DVD Only No
57 8.4 City
Lights (1931)
29,808 DVD Only No
58 8.4 The
Lives of Others (2006)
81,205 DVD Only No
59 8.4 M
(1931)
42,276 Streaming No
60 8.4 The
Departed (2006)
281,606 DVD Only No
61 8.4 Aliens
(1986)
178,620 Streaming No
62 8.4 Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
233,403 Streaming No
63 8.4 Requiem
for a Dream (2000)
197,274 DVD Only No
64 8.4 Das
Boot (1981)
73,487 DVD Only No
65 8.4 The
Third Man (1949)
53,293 Streaming No
66 8.4 Reservoir
Dogs (1992)
224,342 DVD Only No
67 8.4 L.A.
Confidential (1997)
172,625 DVD Only No
68 8.4 Chinatown
(1974)
83,243 DVD Only No
69 8.4 Modern
Times (1936)
38,399 DVD Only No
70 8.4 The
Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
35,069 DVD Only No
71 8.4 Life
Is Beautiful (1997)
116,564 DVD Only No
72 8.4 Back
to the Future (1985)
216,481 DVD Only No
73 8.4 Monty
Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
162,102 DVD Only No
74 8.4 The
Prestige (2006)
224,667 DVD Only No
75 8.4 Pan's
Labyrinth (2006)
165,443 DVD Only No
76 8.4 Raging
Bull (1980)
94,886 DVD Only No
77 8.4 Cinema
Paradiso (1988)
48,624 DVD Only No
78 8.3 Singin'
in the Rain (1952)
58,408 DVD Only No
79 8.3 Some
Like It Hot (1959)
71,163 DVD Only No
80 8.3 The
Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
61,803 DVD Only No
81 8.3 Rashomon
(1950)
41,321 Streaming No
82 8.3 All
About Eve (1950)
36,533 Streaming No
83 8.3 Amadeus
(1984)
102,581 Streaming No
84 8.3 Once
Upon a Time in America (1984)
76,713 DVD Only No
85 8.3 The
Green Mile (1999)
213,422 DVD Only No
86 8.3 Full
Metal Jacket (1987)
161,420 Streaming No
87 8.3 Bicycle
Thieves (1948)
29,509 Streaming No
88 8.3 2001:
A Space Odyssey (1968)
168,187 Streaming No
89 8.3 The
Great Dictator (1940)
39,746 ? No
90 8.3 Braveheart
(1995)
254,303 DVD Only No
91 8.3 Inglourious
Basterds (2009)
200,289 DVD Only No
92 8.3 The
Apartment (1960)
38,636 DVD Only No
93 8.3 Downfall
(2004)
88,113 DVD Only No
94 8.3 Up
(2009)
127,017 Streaming No
95 8.3 Gran
Torino (2008)
142,767 DVD Only No
96 8.3 Metropolis
(1927)
42,438 DVD Only No
97 8.3 Gladiator
(2000)
297,058 DVD Only No
98 8.3 The
Sting (1973)
69,520 Streaming No
99 8.3 Unforgiven
(1992)
105,106 DVD Only No
100 8.3 The
Maltese Falcon (1941)
53,939 DVD Only No