Best New Movies on KLM August 2026: What Just Arrived

KLM's August catalog runs to 438 titles, and most of those were already flying in July. This article covers what's genuinely new: the films that debuted on KLM's inflight entertainment system this month. August isn't a festival-premiere month — it's a library-depth month, built around two franchise-completion stories and the biggest family-catalog expansion since June. Scores below are combined Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic averages.

→ Browse the full KLM August 2026 catalog on inflight.guide

Why August Is a Library-Depth Month, Not a Premiere Month

Every few months, KLM's IFE rotation brings a wave of brand-new festival films. August isn't that. Instead, it's the month two long-requested franchises finally completed themselves on KLM's system, and the deepest family-viewing update since the early summer. If you've been waiting to watch a specific Marvel or fashion-world title on a flight, this is probably the month it showed up.

The Best New Movies on KLM in August 2026

1. Black Panther (2018) & Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) — 92% and 76%

Black Panther: 135 min | RT 96% | Metacritic 88 — Wakanda Forever: 161 min | RT 84% | Metacritic 67

Ryan Coogler's Black Panther duology arrives on KLM together, and it's the single biggest superhero-catalog story of the month. The original — Chadwick Boseman and Michael B. Jordan in the film that redefined what a Marvel movie could look and sound like — remains a 92% combined performer, one of the strongest scores of any superhero title on the site. Wakanda Forever, with Letitia Wright and Lupita Nyong'o carrying the story forward after Boseman's death, is the more divisive but still solid sequel at 76%. Watch them back to back on a long-haul sector; the runtime works out to just over five hours combined, which is most of a transatlantic flight. For the full superhero breakdown, see our Best Superhero Films on KLM — August 2026.

2. The Devil Wears Prada (2006) & The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026) — 69% and 32%

Original: 109 min | RT 75% | Metacritic 62 — Sequel: 119 min | Metacritic 63 (RT not yet aggregated)

Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway return as Miranda Priestly and Andy Sachs, and David Frankel — director of the 2006 original — is back behind the camera for the sequel. The original remains a dependable 69% combined performer, the kind of comfort watch that works on any flight length. The sequel is a genuinely new 2026 theatrical release, with Streep and Hathaway both reprising their roles at Runway; early Metacritic numbers sit at 63, with Rotten Tomatoes yet to post a full aggregate as of this writing. Worth naming, worth searching for, and worth watching the original again first if it's been a while.

3. Dumbo (2019) — 96%

Runtime: 112 min | RT Score: 95% | Metacritic: 96/100

The best-reviewed new arrival of the month is Tim Burton's live-action reimagining of Dumbo — not the 1941 animated original. Colin Farrell and Michael Keaton star in this grand family adventure about a circus elephant who can fly, and the 96% combined score makes it one of the best-reviewed titles in KLM's entire catalog this month, family or otherwise. If you're travelling with kids in August, this is the one to queue up first. It anchors the deepest family-catalog wave on KLM since June — full breakdown in our Kids & Family Films on KLM — August 2026.

4. Up (2009) — 93%

Runtime: 96 min | RT Score: 98% | Metacritic: 88/100

Pixar's Up — Carl Fredricksen tying thousands of balloons to his house rather than move into a retirement home, with young stowaway Russell along for the ride — lands on KLM this month at a 93% combined score. It's one of the most acclaimed animated films ever made, and at just 96 minutes it fits comfortably into a short- or medium-haul flight without asking for a huge time commitment.

5. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026) — 19%

Runtime: 98 min | Metacritic: 37/100 (RT not yet aggregated)

The newest theatrical release in this month's arrivals, with Chris Pratt and Anya Taylor-Joy returning to voice Mario and company as they meet Yoshi and try to reform a miniaturised Bowser. Early critic numbers are soft — a 37 Metacritic score translates to a 19% combined figure using the site's half-RT, half-Metacritic method, since Rotten Tomatoes hasn't posted a wide-release aggregate yet. Kids' search intent for this one will be high regardless of the score; it's a new release and it's genuinely new to KLM.

6. Crazy Rich Asians (2018) — 83%

Runtime: 121 min | RT Score: 91% | Metacritic: 74/100

Jon M. Chu's romantic comedy — Constance Wu's Rachel Chu discovering her boyfriend's family is Singapore's wealthiest — is the strongest new comedy arrival of the month at 83% combined. It's genuinely one of the better-reviewed comedies on KLM's entire IFE system, and its blend of romance, family drama and outright spectacle makes it an easy recommendation regardless of who you're flying with.

7. Tenet (2020) — 70%

Runtime: 150 min | RT Score: 70% | Metacritic: 69/100

Christopher Nolan's time-inversion thriller, with John David Washington and Robert Pattinson navigating a plot that runs forwards and backwards simultaneously, joins KLM's catalog at a 70% combined score. It's demanding, occasionally confusing, and genuinely rewards a second viewing — which a long-haul flight, with nothing else competing for your attention, is well suited to provide.

8. Kong: Skull Island (2017) — 69%

Runtime: 118 min | RT Score: 75% | Metacritic: 62/100

Tom Hiddleston and Samuel L. Jackson lead an expedition into Kong's uncharted island territory in this MonsterVerse entry, landing at 69% combined. It's a big, loud, visually spectacular popcorn film — the kind of title that benefits from KLM's larger IFE screens on the 787 and 777 fleet.

9. Just Mercy (2019) — 77%

Runtime: 137 min | RT Score: 85% | Metacritic: 68/100

Michael B. Jordan as lawyer Bryan Stevenson, defending wrongly condemned prisoners in Alabama, with Jamie Foxx as his client Walter McMillian. At 77% combined, this is the strongest new drama arrival this month by a clear margin. It's a serious, unhurried film — better suited to a night flight when you can give it full attention than a short daytime hop.

10. Motherless Brooklyn (2019) & Turtles All the Way Down (2024) — 63% and 75%

Edward Norton directs and stars in Motherless Brooklyn, a Tourette's-affected private detective unravelling his mentor's murder, alongside Bruce Willis, landing at 63% combined. Turtles All the Way Down, Hannah Marks' adaptation of John Green's novel about a teenager navigating anxiety and first love — with Isabela Merced in the lead — arrives at a stronger 75%. Neither is a headline arrival, but both round out August's new drama slate. See our Best Drama Films on KLM — August 2026 for the full ranking.

Also New This Month

August's family wave doesn't stop at Dumbo and Up. Also arriving: Mary Poppins Returns (73%, Emily Blunt as the new-generation Mary Poppins), Hercules (79%, the 1997 animated Disney classic), A Bug's Life (85%, Pixar's second feature and one of the best-reviewed titles in this whole batch), Ice Age: The Meltdown (58%), The Ant Bully (60%), Gulliver's Travels (26%, Jack Black's 2010 comedy take on the Swift novel), and Looney Tunes: Back in Action (61%). On the adult side, Don't Worry Darling (43%, Olivia Wilde's psychological thriller with Florence Pugh) also joins the catalog this month.

New International Arrivals

August brings a genuine wave of new international titles, several without a Rotten Tomatoes or Metacritic aggregate yet — worth naming even without a score, since availability is the point of this article, not just ranking. From Bollywood: Dhadak 2, Haq, and Metro.... In Dino. From the Arabic catalog: Laylat El Eid and Waqt Edafy. New to Dutch cinema: Loverboy: Emoties uit. Two new Japanese titles: Tokyo Taxi and Sato and Sato. And from Brazil: Último Episódio. For the full regional breakdown, see our Best International & World Cinema on KLM — August 2026.

New Arrivals — August 2026 Ranked Table

Rank Title Year RT Metacritic Combined
1 Dumbo 2019 95% 96 96%
2 Up 2009 98% 88 93%
3 Black Panther 2018 96% 88 92%
4 A Bug's Life 1998 92% 78 85%
5 Crazy Rich Asians 2018 91% 74 83%
6 Hercules 1997 83% 74 79%
7 Just Mercy 2019 85% 68 77%
8 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 2022 84% 67 76%
9 Turtles All the Way Down 2024 85% 64 75%
10 Mary Poppins Returns 2018 80% 66 73%
11 Tenet 2020 70% 69 70%
12 The Devil Wears Prada 2006 75% 62 69%
13 Kong: Skull Island 2017 75% 62 69%
14 Motherless Brooklyn 2019 65% 60 63%
15 Looney Tunes: Back in Action 2003 57% 64 61%
16 The Ant Bully 2006 61% 59 60%
17 Ice Age: The Meltdown 2006 56% 59 58%
18 Don't Worry Darling 2022 38% 48 43%
19 The Devil Wears Prada 2 2026 N/A 63 32%*
20 Gulliver's Travels 2010 19% 33 26%
21 The Super Mario Galaxy Movie 2026 N/A 37 19%*

*Titles marked with an asterisk have not yet received a full Rotten Tomatoes aggregate; the combined score reflects the available Metacritic figure only. Scores sourced from Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic as of August 2026.

→ Filter new arrivals and all August films by genre on inflight.guide

Why These Films Work at 35,000 Feet

Franchise-completion arrivals like the Black Panther duology are made for long-haul flights — you can watch both entries back to back on a single transatlantic sector and get the full arc in one sitting, which you'd rarely manage at home. The family wave, meanwhile, is built for shorter attention spans and shared armrests: Dumbo and Up both run under two hours and reward a full watch without needing a second sitting. I'd genuinely save Tenet for a night flight — it demands the kind of sustained, undistracted attention that only a dark cabin with nothing else going on can really provide.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Black Panther on KLM in August 2026? Yes — both Black Panther (2018, 92% combined) and its sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022, 76% combined) join KLM's inflight entertainment catalog this month. See our full Best Superhero Films on KLM — August 2026 for the complete ranking.

Is the Dumbo on KLM the 1941 animated original or the 2019 remake? It's the 2019 live-action reimagining directed by Tim Burton, starring Colin Farrell and Michael Keaton — not the 1941 animated classic. It's also one of the best-reviewed titles in the entire August catalog at 96% combined.

Is The Devil Wears Prada 2 on KLM? Yes — the 2026 sequel joins the original 2006 film on KLM this month, both starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. Early Metacritic scores for the sequel sit at 63; Rotten Tomatoes has not yet posted a full aggregate.

How often does KLM add new movies? KLM's inflight entertainment catalog rotates monthly. New titles typically appear at the start of each month, while others are removed. This article is updated monthly to reflect current availability. For live listings, visit inflight.guide.

Are these new movies available in all cabin classes on KLM? Yes — KLM's IFE system offers the same film catalog across Economy, Premium Comfort, and World Business Class on long-haul widebody aircraft (Boeing 787 and 777 routes). Short-haul European flights on the A321neo have a smaller catalog via personal device streaming.

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