What's Streaming in May 2026: The Summer Preview Starts Here

May 2026 is where the year shifts gears. The spring's prestige drama season — Vladimir, Perfect Crown, The Boys' mid-run — gives way to the summer theatrical machine: Mortal Kombat II (May 15), The Mandalorian & Grogu (May 22), and the approaching wave of summer blockbusters that begins filling the calendar through August. Streaming does not pause for summer — if anything, the platforms compete harder during summer theatrical season for the audiences at home.

The Boys Season 5 concludes on May 20 with its series finale — the episode that Eric Kripke has described as the one the show was always building toward. The cultural weight of a final episode for a show that has been this central to streaming's identity for seven years is significant: expect the finale to generate the kind of cross-platform response that series finales of this caliber produce. The complete series will remain on Prime Video afterward — all five seasons available for a rewatch that will hit differently with the ending in place.

Mortal Kombat II opens May 15 with the ambition of correcting the problems that the first theatrical adaptation identified. The 2021 Mortal Kombat generated divisive critical reception but solid audience performance — the sequel arrives with a larger budget, a more experienced creative team, and a clearer sense of what the Mortal Kombat theatrical identity should be. The game franchise's tournament format gives the sequel a structural clarity that the first film struggled to establish. The theatrical window will determine whether this becomes a streaming platform acquisition within 45 days or extends its theatrical run into June.

The Mandalorian's transition from Disney+ streaming series to theatrical release is the year's most significant test of whether episodic streaming television can generate theatrical event scale. Din Djarin and Grogu's big-screen debut arrives May 22 with the full weight of the original series' cultural impact behind it and the added pressure of being the first theatrical Star Wars film since Rise of Skywalker (2019). Disney's 45-day theatrical window places the Disney+ streaming premiere in early July — making this the summer's most anticipated streaming arrival for Disney+ subscribers who cannot access theatrical.

Netflix Korea's May premiere is The WONDERfools — starring Park Eun Bin and Cha Eun Woo in a romantic drama that follows the K-drama spring theatrical season with perfect timing. Park Eun Bin, whose performance in Extraordinary Attorney Woo made her one of Korean drama's most internationally recognized leads, is paired with Cha Eun Woo (ASTRO, True Beauty) in a production that Netflix has been building anticipation for through March and April. The combination of established international fanbase and high production value makes this the natural follow-up for audiences who finish Perfect Crown in April and need a new K-drama.

The summer theatrical season extends through August with its most notable arrivals: Toy Story 5 (June 19) — Pixar's emotional return to its most beloved franchise; The Odyssey (July 17) — Christopher Nolan's IMAX epic adapting Homer, shot entirely on the large format; Avengers: Doomsday (May 1 in this year's calendar, already passed). Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 4 arrives in July — completing the anime's final arc. Naruto's 20th anniversary specials are confirmed for late 2026.

May is where 2026 proves it has no quiet months. The spring's prestige television gives way to summer's blockbuster scale — and the streaming platforms adapt accordingly, placing their most anticipated catalogue acquisitions in the windows that theatrical dominance clears. Use fivo.to to track when every theatrical film reaches its streaming home.