Where to Watch the Best 1980s Movies Online – A Complete Streaming Guide

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The 1980s were a decade of celebrated movies that continue to resonate with audiences today. With the introduction of iconic characters that have stood the test of time, the films of the ‘80s have given rise to some of the most recognizable figures in film history. In this guide, we'll show you where to watch 200 of the best movies released between 1980 and 1989. This includes streaming offers for all popular streaming services in the United States.

What are the best movies of the 1980s?

No discussion of '80s cinema would be complete without mentioning Back to the Future from 1985, a classic adventure-comedy directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring the beloved Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly. With its memorable characters, inventive plot and catchy soundtrack, Back to the Future has become an enduring favorite for audiences of all ages.

The decade also saw the rise of the sci-fi genre with the release of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and John Carpenter’s The Thing – both films released in the same year! While they initially seem to have major differences in the kind of science fiction they’re depicting, both ultimately explore the theme of what it means to be human. The Thing questions the nature of identity while Blade Runner examines the boundaries of humanity in a dystopian future. Action films were also all the rage during the time as seen with The Terminator from 1984 and Die Hard in ‘88. Both feature key iconic figures who use their unique insights and physicality to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds – although you know you shouldn’t root for The Terminator to destroy Sarah Connor, you can’t help but commend his dedication to getting the job done! 

Where to watch the best 1980s movies online

Below you will find a list of 200 incredible movies from the 1980s and streaming details for where to watch them all online today. This includes whether they are available on services such as Netflix, Prime Video, MAX and many more.

Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Disney Plus
Apple TV Plus
Apple TV
Hulu
Crunchyroll
fuboTV
Max
Max Amazon Channel
MGM Plus Amazon Channel
Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Peacock
Kocowa
Amazon Video
Google Play Movies
YouTube
Paramount Plus
Paramount+ with Showtime
Paramount Plus Apple TV Channel
Starz Apple TV Channel
AMC Plus Apple TV Channel
Britbox Apple TV Channel
Paramount+ Amazon Channel
Discovery+ Amazon Channel
AMC+ Amazon Channel
The Roku Channel
Showtime Roku Premium Channel
Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
Starz Roku Premium Channel
AMC+ Roku Premium Channel
Showtime Amazon Channel
AMC+
MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel
YouTube Premium
YouTube Free
Hoopla
The CW
CW Seed
Vudu
Starz
VUDU Free
Showtime
Criterion Channel
PBS
Pantaflix
FXNow
Tubi TV
Comedy Central
Kanopy
Microsoft Store
Redbox
Sun Nxt
Crackle
AMC
AMC Theatres
Fandor
Curiosity Stream
NBC
MGM Plus
Freeform
History
A&E
Lifetime
Shudder
Acorn TV
Screambox
Sundance Now
Popcornflix
GuideDoc
BritBox
MUBI
Netflix Kids
Boomerang
Urban Movie Channel
History Vault
Yupp TV
Eros Now
MyOutdoorTV
WWE Network
Smithsonian Channel
Laugh Out Loud
Pure Flix
Lifetime Movie Club
PBS Kids Amazon Channel
Boomerang Amazon Channel
Cinemax Amazon Channel
Hallmark Movies Now Amazon Channel
PBS Masterpiece Amazon Channel
MZ Choice Amazon Channel
Viewster Amazon Channel
Spamflix
Pluto TV
HiDive
VIX
Night Flight Plus
Topic
MTV
Retrocrush
Classix
Dekkoo
Shout! Factory TV
Chai Flicks
OVID
Mhz Choice
Shudder Amazon Channel
Vice TV
MUBI Amazon Channel
AcornTV Amazon Channel
BritBox Amazon Channel
Fandor Amazon Channel
Screambox Amazon Channel
Sundance Now Amazon Channel
Adult Swim
USA Network
Fox
FlixFling
Bet+ Amazon Channel
Rakuten Viki
AMC on Demand
TCM
TNT
Bravo TV
Food Network
BBC America
IndieFlix
AHCTV
TLC
DIY Network
HGTV
Investigation Discovery
Science Channel
Destination America
Animal Planet
Discovery Life
Discovery
Motor Trend
Travel Channel
Cooking Channel
Paramount Network
Here TV
TV Land
VH1
Logo TV
DreamWorksTV Amazon Channel
Flix Premiere
TBS
AsianCrush
Revry
Rooster Teeth
DOCSVILLE
Spectrum On Demand
OXYGEN
Hi-YAH
tru TV
DisneyNOW
WeTV
ARROW
Plex
Plex Live TV
Plex Player
WOW Presents Plus
Magellan TV
BroadwayHD
The Oprah Winfrey Network
Filmzie
Dogwoof On Demand
MovieSaints
True Story
Martha Stewart TV
DocAlliance Films
KoreaOnDemand
Hoichoi
iQIYI
Metrograph
Public Domain Movies
Freevee
Kino Now
Cultpix
Eventive
FilmBox+
aha
ShortsTV Amazon Channel
Bet+
Takflix
Klassiki
Starz Amazon Channel
Netflix basic with Ads
Cohen Media Amazon Channel
Popflick
ViX Premium Amazon Channel
Runtime
Fandango
Telemundo
Discovery+
Reveel
Ovation TV
Angel Studios
Cineverse
AD tv
Midnight Pulp
FYI Network
Xumo Play
National Geographic
Atom Tickets
Shahid VIP
DistroTV
myfilmfriend
Cinemark
Outside Watch
Cinepolis USA
Full Moon Amazon Channel
Citytv
Univer Video
GlewedTV
Toon Goggles
Noggin Apple TV Channel
A&E Crime Central Apple TV Channel
Acorn TV Apple TV
ALLBLK Apple TV channel
UP Faith & Family Apple TV Channel
Topic Apple TV Channel
Tastemade Apple TV Channel
Sundance Now Apple TV Channel
Shudder Apple TV Channel
Showtime Apple TV Channel
ScreenPix Apple TV Channel
OUTtv Apple TV Channel
MotorTrend Apple TV channel
Lifetime Movie Club Apple TV Channel
Hallmark Movies Now Apple TV Channel
Eros Now Select Apple TV Channel
CuriosityStream Apple TV Channel
Cinemax Apple TV Channel
BBC Select Apple Tv channel
BET+  Apple TV channel
Carnegie Hall+ Apple TV Channel
IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel
HISTORY Vault Apple TV Channel
HISTORY Vault Amazon Channel
Carnegie Hall+ Amazon Channel
Lifetime Movie Club Amazon Channel
Film Movement Plus
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Troma NOW
Filters
  1. Back to the Future

    Back to the Future

    1985

    IMDB 8.5 (1m)

    #1

    Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.

  2. Ghostbusters

    Ghostbusters

    1984

    IMDB 7.8 (399k)

    #2

    After losing their posts at an university, three parapsychology professors go into business as „ghostbusters“ who fight against ghouls, hobgoblins and supernatural pests of all kinds. After they found a gateway to another dimension, the evil gets released upon the city. The three professors now have to save New York from complete destruction.

  3. The Princess Bride

    The Princess Bride

    1987

    IMDB 8.0 (450k)

    #3

    In this enchantingly cracked fairy tale, the beautiful Princess Buttercup and the dashing Westley must overcome staggering odds to find happiness amid six-fingered swordsmen, murderous princes, Sicilians and rodents of unusual size. But even death can't stop these true lovebirds from triumphing.

  4. Blade Runner

    Blade Runner

    1982

    IMDB 8.1 (822k)

    #4

    In the smog-choked dystopian Los Angeles of 2019, blade runner Rick Deckard is called out of retirement to terminate a quartet of replicants who have escaped to Earth seeking their creator for a way to extend their short life spans.

  5. Scarface

    Scarface

    1983

    IMDB 8.3 (916k)

    #5

    After getting a green card in exchange for assassinating a Cuban government official, Tony Montana stakes a claim on the drug trade in Miami. Viciously murdering anyone who stands in his way, Tony eventually becomes the biggest drug lord in the state, controlling nearly all the cocaine that comes through Miami. But increased pressure from the police, wars with Colombian drug cartels and his own drug-fueled paranoia serve to fuel the flames of his eventual downfall.

  6. The Thing

    The Thing

    1982

    IMDB 8.2 (466k)

    #6

    In the winter of 1982, a twelve-man research team at a remote Antarctic research station discovers an alien buried in the snow for over 100,000 years. Soon unfrozen, the form-changing creature wreaks havoc, creates terror... and becomes one of them.

  7. The Terminator

    The Terminator

    1984

    IMDB 8.1 (923k)

    #7

    In the post-apocalyptic future, reigning tyrannical supercomputers teleport a cyborg assassin known as the "Terminator" back to 1984 to kill Sarah Connor, whose unborn son is destined to lead insurgents against 21st century mechanical hegemony. Meanwhile, the human-resistance movement dispatches a lone warrior to safeguard Sarah. Can he stop the virtually indestructible killing machine?

  8. Die Hard

    Die Hard

    1988

    IMDB 8.2 (945k)

    #8

    NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her office, the entire building is overtaken by a group of terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down.

  9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

    #9

    An alien is left behind on Earth and saved by the 10-year-old Elliot who decides to keep him hidden in his home. While a task force hunts for the extra-terrestrial, Elliot, his brother, and his little sister Gertie form an emotional bond with their new friend, and try to help him find his way home.

  10. The Shining

    The Shining

    1980

    IMDB 8.4 (1m)

    #10

    Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.

  11. Airplane!

    Airplane!

    1980

    IMDB 7.7 (261k)

    #11

    An ex-fighter pilot forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.

  12. Do the Right Thing

    Do the Right Thing

    1989

    IMDB 8.0 (112k)

    #12

    Salvatore "Sal" Fragione is the Italian owner of a pizzeria in Brooklyn. A neighborhood local, Buggin' Out, becomes upset when he sees that the pizzeria's Wall of Fame exhibits only Italian actors. Buggin' Out believes a pizzeria in a black neighborhood should showcase black actors, but Sal disagrees. The wall becomes a symbol of racism and hate to Buggin' Out and to other people in the neighborhood, and tensions rise.

  13. Raging Bull

    Raging Bull

    1980

    IMDB 8.1 (380k)

    #13

    The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.

  14. Raiders of the Lost Ark

    #14

    When Dr. Indiana Jones – the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist – is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.

  15. The Empire Strikes Back

    #15

    The epic saga continues as Luke Skywalker, in hopes of defeating the evil Galactic Empire, learns the ways of the Jedi from aging master Yoda. But Darth Vader is more determined than ever to capture Luke. Meanwhile, rebel leader Princess Leia, cocky Han Solo, Chewbacca, and droids C-3PO and R2-D2 are thrown into various stages of capture, betrayal and despair.

  16. Raising Arizona

    Raising Arizona

    1987

    IMDB 7.3 (150k)

    #16

    When a childless couple--an ex-con and an ex-cop--decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintuplets, their lives become more complicated than they anticipated.

  17. Grave of the Fireflies

    Grave of the Fireflies

    1988

    IMDB 8.5 (304k)

    #17

    In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.

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  18. The Evil Dead

    The Evil Dead

    1981

    IMDB 7.4 (232k)

    #18

    In 1979, a group of college students find a Sumerian Book of the Dead in an old wilderness cabin they've rented for a weekend getaway.

  19. Stand by Me

    Stand by Me

    1986

    IMDB 8.1 (441k)

    #19

    After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four Oregon boys decide to go see the body. On the way, Gordie, Vern, Chris and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, as they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.

  20. Predator

    Predator

    1987

    IMDB 7.8 (454k)

    #20

    A team of elite commandos on a secret mission in a Central American jungle come to find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.