From La La Land to The Sound of Music, musicals have marked generations for decades, with record audiences and awards; remember 15 popular musicals to watch online.
Several musical movies are available on streaming services such as Star+, Amazon Prime Video, and Max (formerly HBO Max ). This genre won over the public decades ago when it left theater stages and reached cinema and TV screens. This universe also features award-winning movies, such as La La Land, Les Misérables, Moulin Rouge, and The Sound of Music — titles that have competed for dozens of awards at the Oscars and Golden Globes over the years.
Another advantage of the musical is that it has something for everyone: from dramatic and tense stories to romantic comedies, ideal for watching when you need to relax. Luckily, some of the most popular musicals in the world are available on different streaming platforms. Check out 15 titles to marathon while singing the most popular songs from each work.
In the StreamEast Watch list, you will find the following musicals:
- La La Land (2016)
- Mamma Mia! (2008)
- High School Musical (2006)
- Les Misérables (2012)
- Moulin Rouge – Love in Red (2001)
- Mean Girls (2024)
- Chicago (2002)
- Dirty Dancing – Hot Rhythm (1987)
- Grease – Nos Tempos de Brilhantina (1978)
- Dreamgirls – In Search of a Dream (2006)
- Across the Universe (2007)
- The Sound of Music (1965)
- The Wizard of Oz (1939)
- Love, Sublime Love (1961)
- Singing in the Rain (1952)
1. La La Land (2016)
Starring Emma Stone ( Poor Creatures ) and Ryan Gosling ( Barbie ) as Mia and Sebastian, the movie focuses on the story of two artists trying to create a career in Los Angeles. He is a jazz pianist, while the young woman is an aspiring actress. John Legend (Shake of Soul) and JK Simmons (Whiplash) complete the cast as Keith and Bill.
Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, La La Land competed for 12 Oscar awards, winning six statuettes, including Best Actress for Stone. The movie is available on Star+, Telecine, and Amazon Prime Video, accumulating 8 points on IMDb, with a 91% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
2. Mamma Mia! (2008)
Sophie has lived for years with her mother, Donna, who owns a hotel in Greece. About to get married, the young woman reads Donna’s diary in hopes of finding out who her father is. Without telling her mother, she invites three of the woman’s ex-boyfriends, who may have answers about her past. Mamma Mia! is a musical with songs by the group ABBA, directed by Phyllida Lloyd. In 2018, the movie received a sequel.
Amanda Seyfried (Letters to Juliet) and Meryl Streep ( The Devil Wears Prada ) take on the roles of Sophie and Donna, while Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) and Pierce Brosnan (007) are Harry and Sam. The title is available on Star+, Telecine, and Amazon Prime Video. On IMDb, Mamma Mia! has 6.5 points, while it has a 55% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
3. High School Musical (2006)
One of the most popular children’s musicals in recent years, High School Musical stars Vanessa Hudgens (The Princess and the Commoner), Zac Efron (The Greatest Showman), Ashley Tisdale ( Scary Movie 5 ) and Lucas Gabriel ( Switched in Maternity) in the roles of Gabriella, Troy, Sharpay, and Ryan. In the first movie of the trilogy, available on Disney+, the basketball player and the leader of the science group, Troy and Gabriela, decide to compete in the school musical, threatening the brothers Sharpay and Ryan Evans.
Created and directed by Kenny Ortega, High School Musical has 5.6 points on IMDb and 67% critical approval on Rotten Tomatoes. Corbin Bleu (Jump In) and Monique Coleman (Missão Baile de Natal) complete the cast as Chad and Taylor, best friends of the protagonist couple.
4. Les Misérables (2012)
Inspired by a book by Victor Hugo, which became a play on Broadway, the Les Miserables movie stars Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), Anne Hathaway (One Day), Russell Crowe ( Gladiator ), and Amanda Seyfried in the cast as Jean Valjean, Fantine, Javert, and Cosette. The plot focuses on the story of Valjean, a man who transforms his life after being arrested and faces adversity in France, amid revolutions and conflicts in the 19th century.
All of the movie’s dialogues are performed through songs, requiring great preparation from the actors. The movie, directed by Tom Hooper, competed for seven Oscar awards, winning three. On IMDb, Les Miserables has 7.5 points, while 70% of critics approve of the work on Rotten Tomatoes. The musical is available for rent in the Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV catalogs.
5. Moulin Rouge – Love in Red (2001)
The idealistic Christian, played by Ewan McGregor (The Impossible), ends up getting involved in the dynamics of the Parisian nightclub Moulin Rouge. In this context, he falls in love with Satine, one of the most famous artists there, played by actress Nicole Kidman (The Others). The musical is directed by Baz Luhrmann and is available on Star+.
With popular and well-known songs, such as Your Song and Lady Marmalade, Moulin Rouge competed for eight Oscar awards, winning in two categories. On IMDb, the title has 7.6 points and has a 75% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
6. Mean Girls (2024)
Based on the 2004 movie of the same name, Mean Girls also became a Broadway musical. The 2024 version tells the story of Cady, a young woman who, after years away from civilization, falls headlong into a North American high school, full of popular and controlling girls. The musical is directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. and written by Tina Frey, responsible for the original movie.
The cast of the 2024 movie is made up of Renée Rapp ( The Sex Life of College Girls ), Christopher Briney ( The Summer That Changed My Life ) and Angourie Rice (Dos Caras Leiais) in the roles of Regina George, Aaron and Cady. The title is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+ . In total, the new version of Mean Girls has 5.7 points on IMDb, with 70% critical approval on Rotten Tomatoes.
7. Chicago (2002)
Velma and Roxie are two women accused of murdering their own partners, who count on media lawyer Billy Flyn to free them. The movie, which is also a Broadway musical, is directed by Rob Marshall. Catherine Zeta-Jones (No Reservations), Renée Zellweger (Bridget Jones’s Diary), and Richard Gere ( Pretty Woman ) star as Velma, Roxie, and Billy.
The musical Chicago was nominated for 12 Oscar awards, winning six categories — including Best movie. It was the first musical in decades to win the main statuette of the night. With 7.2 points on IMDb and 86% approval on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie is available on Amazon Prime Video.
8. Dirty Dancing – Hot Rhythm (1987)
Frances is going to spend her holidays at a resort with her parents and believes it won’t be a summer of strong emotions. Everything changes when she meets dance instructor Johnny and the two end up falling in love. The couple is played by Jennifer Gray (Curtindo a Vida Adoidado) and Patrick Swayze (Ghost).
Among the musical’s most popular tracks is (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life. The movie is directed by Emile Ardolino and is available on Telecine and Amazon Prime Video. On IMDb, the work accumulates 7 points, while 72% of Rotten Tomatoes critics approve of the title. Furthermore, Dirty Dancing also won an Oscar for Best Original Score.
9. Grease – Nos Tempos da Brilhantina (1978)
The naive Sandy and the popular Danny have a love affair in the summer of 1959. When they return to class, they discover that they now study at the same school, however, the boy is not the same one she fell in love with. So, the two need to decide if they really want to be together. Olivia Newton-John (Fellow) and John Travolta ( Pulp Fiction ) are the protagonists.
Some tracks from Grease became very well known, such as You’re The One That I Want and Summer Nights. The song Hopelessly Devoted to You was nominated for an Oscar and the movie also received five Golden Globe nominations. With 7.2 points on IMDb and a 66% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Grease is available in the Amazon Prime Video catalog.
10. Dreamgirls (2006)
One of the movies starring pop diva Beyoncé, Dreamgirls is an adaptation of a Broadway musical that analyzes the evolution of the R&B genre, focusing on the trio of women who make up the group Dreamettes. Jamie Foxx ( They Cloned Tyrone! ), Jennifer Hudson (Respect), Eddie Murphy ( Certain People ), and Beyoncé (The Lion King) are Curtis, Effie, Thunder, and Deena, characters based on real artists.
It is directed by Bill Condon, who also wrote the script. Dreamgirls won two Oscars, including Best Supporting Actress for Hudson. In total, the movie accumulates 6.6 points on IMDb, with a 79% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The title is available for rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV+.
11. Across the Universe (2007)
In the 1960s, British Jude decides to go to the United States in search of his father. There, he meets and falls in love with Lucy, while the country is experiencing political conflicts due to the Vietnam War, with the emergence of progressive groups. Across the Universe is a complete musical featuring only Beatles songs.
Jim Sturgess (One Day) and Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) play Jude and Lucy, while Joe Anderson (The Ruins) and Dana Fuchs (The Mortician) play Maxwell and Sadie. It is directed by Julie Taymor, who also wrote the script. The movie, available to rent on Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV, is rated 7.3 on IMDb, 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was nominated for an Oscar.
12. The Sound of Music (1965)
Based on the musical of the same name, the movie tells the story of a novice who, after failing to adapt to the rules of the convent, becomes a governess in the house of a Navy Captain. The family suffers from the loss of their mother, but the protagonist, played by actress Julie Andrews (The Princess Diaries), brings joy back to the home.
Directed by Robert Wise, the title won five Oscar awards, including Best movie and Best Director. In total, there were 10 nominations. The Sound of Music, available on Disney +, accumulates 8.1 points on IMDb and is also highly rated on Rotten Tomatoes, with 83% critical approval.
13. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Based on a famous tale, The Wizard of Oz tells the story of Dorothy, a girl who finds herself in a fantastic universe after a tornado hits Kansas City. There, she learns magic and faces some villains until she returns home. The protagonist is played by Judy Garland (A Star Is Born).
Available on Max and Amazon Prime Video, The Wizard of Oz is a classic in the history of cinema. Directed by Victor Fleming, the movie was nominated for five Oscars, winning two awards for music, including the track Over the Rainbow. The title has 8.1 points on IMDb, with a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
14. Love, Sublime Love (1961)
Inspired by the story of Romeo and Juliet, Love, Sublime Love focuses on Tony, the leader of a criminal group, who is in love with Maria, the sister of the rival gang leader. The couple is played by Richard Beymer (Venus for Sale) and Natalie Wood (Astray Youth), while Rita Moreno (One Day at a Time) and George Chakiris (The Sun Kings) play Anita and Bernardo.
Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The musical was a success, winning 10 Oscar awards, including Best Picture, Best Direction, and Best Supporting Actor for Moreno and Chakiris. The work is available in the Amazon Prime Video catalog, accumulating 7.6 points on IMDb and a 92% positive rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
15. Singing in the Rain (1952)
Don and Lina, by actors Gene Kelly (One Day in New York) and Jean Hagen (Adam’s Rib), are two great stars of silent cinema. Their fame is so great that the media even circulates rumors of a relationship between the two off-screen. After the arrival of sound in Hollywood works, artists have to adapt to the novelty, without losing relevance.
The title song, Singin’ in the Rain, is still known today. The musical was directed by Stanley Donen and the protagonist Gene Kelly himself. In total, the movie was nominated for two Oscar awards. It is currently part of the Max catalog and accumulates 8.3 points on IMDb, with 100% critical approval on Rotten Tomatoes.
