All 4 Sci-Fi Movies and Shows You Can Stream This Week at Home or Watch in Theaters, Including ‘Elio’

This week brings a fun mix of science fiction for every mood. There is a new Pixar adventure to watch at home, a dinosaur filled war story roaring into cinemas, and fresh installments of two series that lean into big ideas and bigger mysteries. You can plan a couple of nights out and still have time for some couch bound episodes.

Below you will find concise details that make it easy to decide what to watch right now. For each pick we have the plot essentials, the key cast and creatives behind the scenes, and exactly where and when you can see it this week.

‘Elio’ (2025)

Disney and Pixar’s ‘Elio’ follows an imaginative kid who is mistaken for Earth’s leader and whisked to the Communiverse, a council of alien civilizations. Yonas Kibreab voices Elio, with Zoe Saldaña as Aunt Olga and Remy Edgerly as Glordon. The film is directed by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina, with Molina also writing the screenplay and Mary Alice Drumm producing for Pixar Animation Studios. ‘Elio’ arrives for home viewing on August 19, 2025 through digital retailers, so you can rent or buy it to stream at home the same day it lands.

Set across a colorful galaxy of new species and oddball diplomats, the story tracks Elio as he tries to prove he can speak for humanity while discovering who he is. The movie runs about an hour and a half and is rated PG for thematic elements and some action. If you want to watch it this week, look for it on major digital storefronts beginning August 19, 2025 and enjoy it on your preferred device without leaving the couch.

‘Primitive War’ (2025)

‘Primitive War’ is an Australian science fiction action horror film set in 1968 during the Vietnam War. A recon unit called Vulture Squad is sent into a remote jungle valley to find a missing Green Beret platoon, only to confront de extinct dinosaurs born from a failed experiment. Luke Sparke directs and co writes with author Ethan Pettus, adapting Pettus’s novel of the same name. The cast includes Ryan Kwanten, Tricia Helfer, Nick Wechsler, Jeremy Piven, Anthony Ingruber, Aaron Glenane, Carlos Sanson, and Albert Mwangi as Miller. The film opens in theaters on August 21, 2025, with distribution handled in Australia by Rialto Distribution and in the United States by Fathom Entertainment.

Production was led by Sparke Films with cinematography by Wade Muller and a score by Frederik Wiedmann. The movie runs 135 minutes and leans into practical military action and creature heavy set pieces to tell its survival story. If you want to catch it this week, find a local cinema screening beginning August 21, 2025 and plan a night out with plenty of jungle peril on the big screen.

‘Alien: Earth’ (2025– )

‘Alien: Earth’ is the first television series set in the ‘Alien’ universe and takes place two years before the events of the original 1979 film. Created and showrun by Noah Hawley, the series introduces new characters tied to a powerful company called Prodigy while keeping the franchise’s themes of corporate ambition and terrifying encounters with Xenomorphs. Sydney Chandler stars as Wendy, a synthetic human hybrid, with Alex Lawther as her brother Joseph Hermit. The main cast also features Essie Davis as Dame Sylvia, Samuel Blenkin as Boy Kavalier, Babou Ceesay as Morrow, Adarsh Gourav as Slightly, David Rysdahl as Arthur Sylvia, and Timothy Olyphant as Kirsh. The show airs on FX with streaming on Hulu in the United States, and the latest episode arrives on August 19, 2025.

Season one premiered on August 12, 2025 with two episodes and continues weekly. The series is produced by 26 Keys Productions, Scott Free Productions, and FX Productions, with Ridley Scott among the executive producers and Jeff Russo composing the score. Episodes run close to an hour and release on Tuesdays, so you can jump into a new chapter this week on August 19, 2025 on FX and on Hulu.

‘The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch’ (2020– )

‘The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch’ returns with season six as the crew investigates strange activity on a 500 acre property in Utah. The series follows ranch owner Brandon Fugal, aerospace engineer Travis S. Taylor, principal investigator Erik Bard, ranch superintendent Thomas Winterton, and security chief Bryant Dragon Arnold as they run experiments and sift through data collected around the mesa and homesteads. The show airs on History, and the latest episode is scheduled for August 19, 2025, keeping its weekly cadence for viewers who want fresh findings.

Across the season the team uses tools like ground penetrating radar and aerial imaging to look for buried structures and track unusual readings on and above the property. The series began in 2020 and has continued to evolve with new tests, guest experts, and follow up investigations. To watch the newest episode this week, tune in to History on August 19, 2025 or stream it through the History app and participating TV providers after it airs.

Share which pick you are pressing play on first this week in the comments.