If you’re in the mood for pure, sweaty-palms entertainment, disaster movies are the easiest way to get there fast: one bad decision, one freak event, and suddenly everyone’s fighting to survive with the clock ticking. Netflix’s lineup covers the whole spectrum—from old-school, high-drama classics like Airport, where tension builds inside a crisis in the sky, to modern, nerve-shredding hits like Bird Box, where simply looking can be fatal. Here’s a heart-pounding guide to the best disaster movies you can stream on Netflix right now — perfect for a night in when you want big stakes, survival chaos, and edge-of-your-seat thrills.
Airport (1970)
This classic disaster film set the template for future blockbusters: an airliner in peril as crew and passengers fight to survive after a mid-flight catastrophe. It’s a must-see for fans of big ensemble drama and airborne tension.
Bird Box (2018)
One of Netflix’s biggest original hits, this post-apocalyptic thriller stars Sandra Bullock as a mother trying to get her children to safety after a mysterious force decimates society — and seeing it drives people to deadly consequences.
Don’t Look Up (2021)
A satirical take on global disaster, this film follows two astronomers racing to warn humanity about a planet-killing comet while society bungles the response — an absurd, darkly comic disaster that hits close to real-world anxieties.
Melancholia (2011)
Lars von Trier’s art-house disaster film blends psychological drama with planetary catastrophe as a rogue planet threatens all life on Earth, offering a more introspective but still tension-filled experience.
Pandora (2016)
A powerful South Korean disaster thriller in which a massive earthquake triggers a nuclear plant meltdown, forcing workers and officials into a desperate race to contain the fallout.
The Midnight Sky (2020)
Directed by and starring George Clooney, this sci-fi drama blends environmental disaster with spacefaring stakes as a scientist tries to stop astronauts from returning to a ravaged Earth.
Society of the Snow (2023)
Based on the true story of a plane crash in the Andes and the incredible lengths survivors went to stay alive, this survival epic is gripping, harrowing, and deeply human.
Suzume (2022)
A visually striking animated disaster film about a young girl confronting supernatural phenomena that unleash earthquakes across Japan — blending fantasy with natural calamity for something different but thrilling.
Train to Busan (2016)
While technically a zombie outbreak, this South Korean film offers non-stop disaster-movie intensity as passengers on a speeding train fight to survive a rapidly spreading infection.
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
If you want the heart alongside the catastrophe, this Studio Ghibli masterpiece follows two siblings struggling to survive in war-torn Japan, a quieter but emotionally devastating kind of disaster.
These films span the spectrum of disaster storytelling — from classic action set pieces and apocalyptic scares to emotional survival tales and satirical takes on existential threats — but each delivers a pulse-quickening ride perfect for your next movie night in.
