The ever-popular streaming service Netflix features a bevy of new content that comes and goes each month, but which shows and movies are leaving in May 2023? Since its inception, Netflix has positioned itself as the preeminent streaming service, and they were one of the first to delve into the world of original content, which has produced hit shows like Stranger Things and Orange is the New Black. However, the streamer also has a great reputation for hosting other content, and they are a one-stop-shop for everything from classic series to some of Hollywood’s biggest films.
The streamer has to change its lineup from month to month, and that means that shows and movies are leaving the service all the time. While Netflix’s comings and goings aren’t all that unusual, the dropping of certain original content in recent months has represented a major change for the company. Though many of Netflix’s longest-running originals seem to be there to stay, other shows and movies are departing the streamer for new homes or are simply being dropped altogether from the service. While some things might be gone for good, the departures open the door for brand-new content in the coming months.
May 1
- 21 Jump Street (2012)
- Along Came Polly (2004)
- American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile (2006)
- Are You The One (2017)
- Barefoot (2014)
- Black Crows (2017)
- CIA: Comrade in America (2017)
- Code Geass: Lelouch of… (2008)
- Coffee for All (2017)
- Den of Thieves (2018)
- Eat Pray Love (2010)
- Empire State (2013)
- Fan of Amoory (2018)
- Fletch (1985)
- Food on the Go (2017)
- Jailbreak (2017)
- King Kong (2005)
- Leap Year (2010)
- Life (1999)
- Notting Hill (1999)
- Parenthood (1989)
- Play Misty for Me (1971)
- R.I.P.D. (2013)
- Road to Perdition (2002)
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)
- The ‘Burbs (1989)
- The Bourne Identity (2002)
- The Bourne Legacy (2012)
- The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
- The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
- The Clapper (2017)
- The Dark Knight (2008)
- The Four Seasons (1981)
- The Gentlemen (2020)
- The Hangover: Part II (2011)
- The Hangover: Part III (2013)
- The Legend of Zorro (2005)
- The Mask of Zorro (1998)
- The Nutty Professor (1996)
- Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)
- The Other Side of the Mountain (1975)
- The Sting (1973)
- The Strange House (2020)
- This Is 40 (2012)
- Uncoupled (2022)
The first of the month is the big day for removals on Netflix, and many of its most high-profile Hollywood films and franchises depart on May 1, 2023. Besides award winners like 2005’s King Kong and 1999’s Notting Hill, other prestigious and popular films including The Dark Knight and 21 Jump Street depart that day. Netflix loses all the Jason Bourne films on May 1, except for 2016’s Jason Bourne, which wasn’t on the streamer to begin with. The sequels to The Hangover also drop from Netflix on May 1, but the original will remain.
In an unprecedented move, the Netflix original series Uncoupled was revived by Showtime after only one season on the streamer, and it departs its original home on May 1. The series was a critical hit, but Netflix pulled the plug on the 2022 comedy series, resulting in the need for another distributor to offer the Neil Patrick Harris-led project. Another interesting note, the 2010 comic book movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World also leaves Netflix on May 1, just a few short weeks after the announcement that the entire cast of the film would be returning for a Netflix-produced anime series.
May 2
The only film departing Netflix on May 2, 2023, is Jimmy Henderson’s Cambodian action movie Jailbreak, which has enjoyed a lengthy run on the streaming service. Initially released in 2017 in an attempt to revive Cambodian cinema, the critically acclaimed film found an international home on Netflix a year later in 2018 where it remained until 2023.
May 3
The Nigerian rom-com Mama Drama leaves Netflix on May 3, 2023, after spending a year on the service. The ensemble comedy received mixed reviews from critics, but it represented a big boost in Nigerian cinema, especially with its international availability on Netflix.
May 5
- Pup Star: World Tour (2018)
Representing the last of the Pup Star films on Netflix, 2018’s Pup Star: World Tour joins its predecessors when it leaves Netflix on May 5, 2023. Though the films were originally distributed by Netflix, all three of the family-friendly animal movies have since left the streamer’s catalog.
May 6
The harrowing diving film Last Breath leaves Netflix on May 6. The documentary was released on the streamer at the same time as its premiere and enjoyed a successful three-year run on the service before its May 2023 departure.
May 7
- Aerials (2016)
- Toc Toc (2017)
The 2016 Emirati science fiction film Aerials leaves Netflix on May 7, 2023, after it made its international debut for the streamer in 2020. The moderately well-received Spanish comedy Toc Toc also bows out from Netflix on the same day.
May 9
- Away From Home (2015)
- Bibik-Bibikku (2016)
- Cinta 100KG (2016)
- Cinta Iris (2015)
- Cinta Si Wedding Planner (2015)
- Cinta Teruna Kimchi (2016)
- Secret of Success (2015)
- The Missing Menu (2016)
- Unchained Fate (2016)
May 9, 2023, sees a bunch of content from Asia departing Netflix’s catalog, including several short-lived Malaysian drama and comedy series like Cinta 100KG. Additionally, Chinese programming selections like The Missing Menu and Unchained Fate are also departing their international home on Netflix in May.
May 11
- Ali & Alia (2019)
- Bordertown (2016)
- Dear Affy (2020)
With much of Netflix’s foreign-language content shifting from month to month, the Emirati romantic drama movie Ali & Alia leaves the service on May 11, 2023, and is joined by the 2020 Nigerian rom-com Dear Affy. Additionally, all three seasons of the Finnish crime drama series Bordertown leave Netflix on the same day. The streamer acquired the rights to the gripping show in 2021.
May 12
- Live (2018)
- Mindhorn (2017)
The best Korean dramas on Netflix have opened up the country’s cinema to an entirely new international audience through the streaming service, but the critically acclaimed one-season police procedural Live leaves Netflix on May 12, 2023. Additionally, the Ridley Scott-produced British comedy film Mindhorn also leaves on the same day after it debuted internationally on Netflix in 2017.
May 14
The politically charged documentary Weed the People found a much larger audience for its pro-medical marijuana message when it landed on Netflix. However, the documentary leaves the streaming service on May 14, 2023 after a successful run among Netflix’s host of other documentary films.
May 15
- Aiyaary (2018)
- Grandmother’s Farm (2014)
- Grandmother’s Farm Part 2 (2015)
- Heaven Without People (2017)
May 15, 2023, sees the departure of a series of films from India and the Middle East, with the epic Indian drama Aiyaary leaving after it made its international debut on Netflix. The streamer loses both of the films in the Emirati horror comedy series Grandmother’s Farm on the same day while the understated Lebanese family drama Heaven Without People also departs at that time.
May 16
- Booba: Food Puzzle (2021)
- Paddington (2014)
The Russian early childhood spinoff series Booba: Food Puzzle leaves Netflix on May 16, 2023, but all four seasons of the original series, Booba, will remain available to view on the streamer. Additionally, the widely popular and BAFTA-winning family film Paddington departs Netflix on the same day, meaning that none of the character’s content is left on the streaming service.
May 17
Ranked highly among the movies of writer and director Steven Soderbergh, the 2013 horror thriller Side Effects departs Netflix on May 17, 2023. Though Side Effects leaves the service in May, several other Soderbergh films, including 2000’s Oscar-winning drama Traffic will remain available along with Soderbergh’s Netflix-distributed 2019 film The Laundromat.
May 18
Joining several other Nigerian films leaving Netflix in May 2023, the 2021 family drama Clash will leave the service on May 18. The film from Canadian Nigerian director Pascal Atuma was originally released internationally exclusively through Netflix until its departure from the streamer in 2023.
May 19
- Taxi No. 9211 (2006)
- The Last Days (1998)
The 2006 Indian thriller Taxi No. 9211, which leaves Netflix on May 19, 2023, features an early role for international star Priyanka Chopra Jonas. The moving Steven Spielberg-produced Holocaust documentary The Last Days will no longer be available to view on Netflix after this date.
May 20
- Little Singham Future mein Satakli (2021)
The Indian animated children’s special Little Singham Future mein Satakli leaves Netflix on May 20, 2023, but it is far from the last piece of Little Singham media available on the streamer. All episodes of the original 2018 animated series Little Singham are still available to view along with the specials Little Singham Black Shadow and Little Singham Samundar Ka Sikandar.
May 22
- Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Films Theatre (2018)
The feel-good anime special Modest Heroes: Ponoc Short Films Theatre leaves Netflix on May 22, 2023, after it saw its international streaming release on the site. The film was advertised as a Netflix original movie everywhere but in Japan and the United States, and it has been available on the streamer since its release.
May 23
Originally released in Egypt, the 2018 action comedy The Suit, which was directed by Mohamed Gamal Al-Adl, leaves Netflix on May 23, 2023. It is one of many Egyptian comedies available to stream on the site, including 2021’s A Stand Worthy of Men and Mom is Pregnant, both of which will remain on Netflix after May.
May 24
- Azzurri – Road to Wembley (2021)
- Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018)
May 24, 2023, sees the departure of the 2021 Italian soccer documentary film Azzurri — Road to Wembley, but Netflix will continue to offer hours of other soccer content after the film leaves the streamer. Also, the hit South Korean action sci-fi film Illang: The Wolf Brigade leaves Netflix on the same day.
May 25
The French and Egyptian drama film The Other leaves Netflix on May 25, 2023. The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Un Certain Regard section in 1999.
May 26
- Sara’s Notebook (2018)
- Something in the Rain (2018)
The Netflix-exclusive Spanish film Sara’s Notebook leaves the site on May 26, 2023, several years after it made its international debut on the streamer in 2018. The critically acclaimed Korean romantic drama Something in the Rain originally aired in 2018 but was picked up for streaming by Netflix in 2021. The one-season show will also depart from Netflix on May 26.
May 28
The star-studded 2016 drama fantasy Collateral Beauty stars Will Smith alongside the likes of Keira Knightley and Edward Norton, and it leaves Netflix on May 28, 2023. Despite the departure of that movie, several other Will Smith projects, such as 2017’s Bright and 2013’s After Earth are still available to stream on the site.
May 30
Exiting Netflix on the second-to-last day of the month, the straight-to-streaming independent action film The 2nd will no longer be available on the site after May 30, 2023.