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Top 10 Best Movies to Watch With the Girls in 2026

The best movies to watch with the girls in 2026 are the films that work for any kind of group hangout — quiet rewatches, college reunions, or weekend movie marathons. This guide ranks the ten movies Surprise Castle customers are buying most right now in this category, mixing comedies (Real Genius, Mean Girls, Sixteen Candles, My Big Fat Greek Wedding) with grown-up dramas (The Color Purple, Dead Poets Society, Nomadland, Steel Magnolias) and the cult Criterion picks worth owning physically (The Before Trilogy).

Group movie nights in 2026 work better when the list mixes audiences. Pure rom-com gets exhausting after three picks. Pure drama tilts heavy. This list balances both — a girls' night opener that lands light, a middle that earns weight (The Color Purple, Nomadland), and a closer that returns to comfort (Steel Magnolias, Wallace & Gromit). Every pick is in stock on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, or DVD at Surprise Castle.

This Top 10 movies to watch with the girls list was built using verified customer sales and category fit. No paid placements. No streaming-only titles. No awkward genre crossings. If you're searching for the best movies to watch with the girls in 2026 — whether the group wants comfort viewing, a Criterion deep-dive, or a balanced four-film marathon — start here.

1.Real Genius (4K Ultra HD)

Real Genius (4K Ultra HD)
Val Kilmer at Caltech, 1985. The cult comedy that's aged into one of the most quietly-rewatchable films in the catalog. The highest-selling 4K disc on this list. Real Genius is the opener — light enough to pull anyone in, smart enough to keep the conversation going.
$24.99$30.99-19%
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2.The Color Purple (DVD)

The Color Purple (DVD)
Spielberg's 1985 adaptation of Alice Walker's novel. Whoopi Goldberg's debut. Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Danny Glover. The Color Purple is the middle-list anchor — the film the group remembers most clearly afterward, even when it wasn't the lightest pick. The DVD at $4.99 is the cheapest film on this list.
$6.99
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3.Dead Poets Society (Blu-ray)

Dead Poets Society (Blu-ray)
Robin Williams as the English teacher who changes a class of boys. 1989. Peter Weir directed it as a coming-of-age that takes itself seriously. Dead Poets Society is the film that earns the room — the one nobody talks through, and the one that delivers the harder ending.
$16.99
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4.The Before Trilogy (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray)

The Before Trilogy (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray)
Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, Before Midnight. Richard Linklater's three-film romance with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, shot eighteen years apart in three different European cities. The Criterion box at $72.99 is the most expensive pick on this list and the strongest gift on it. Watch the trilogy in order across three nights — it's the slowest, smartest romance the genre has produced.
$72.99$99.95-27%
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5.Nomadland (Blu-ray)

Nomadland (Blu-ray)
Chloé Zhao's 2020 Best Picture winner. Frances McDormand as a woman living out of her van after losing her job in a Nevada mining town. Nomadland is the contemporary-American pick on this list — the closest the modern Oscar circuit has come to giving a deeply quiet film the top prize.
$22.99
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6.Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection (Blu-ray)

Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection (Blu-ray)
Aardman Animation. Wallace, Gromit, and the four short films plus the Curse of the Were-Rabbit feature. Wallace & Gromit is the comfort-watch pick for groups that want something genuinely funny without being targeted at adults specifically. The complete collection is the only format worth owning.
$19.99$24.98-20%
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7.My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Blu-ray)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Blu-ray)
The romantic comedy that became the highest-grossing indie film of its era. Nia Vardalos. A big Greek family in Chicago. A non-Greek fiancé. The wedding planning gets away from everyone fast. At $8.99 it's the cheapest Blu-ray on this list — and the safest opening pick for a group new to each other.
$15.99$19.98-20%
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8.Mean Girls (DVD)

Mean Girls (DVD)
The canonical girls' night film of the past two decades. Mean Girls on DVD at $5.99 is the version most groups already own — and the one that gets quoted line-for-line during the first twenty minutes. Required viewing if anyone in the group hasn't seen it.
$11.99
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9.Sixteen Candles

Sixteen Candles
John Hughes, 1984. Molly Ringwald turning sixteen and being forgotten by her family. The teen-comedy that all the 1980s coming-of-age films cite. The Blu-ray is the format that finally delivers the suburban-Chicago lighting Hughes shot — DVD releases never quite handled it.
$29.99$39.95-25%
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10.Steel Magnolias (35th Anniversary) (4K Ultra HD)

Steel Magnolias (35th Anniversary) (4K Ultra HD)
Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, Julia Roberts. The canonical Southern friendship film. The 35th Anniversary 4K is the first version that handles Louisiana sunlight cleanly. Closes the list with the warm-finish slot the group will want by the end of the night.
$29.99$38.99-23%
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Plan Your Group Movie Night at Surprise Castle

The best movies for a group viewing are the ones that mix tones — a comfortable opener, a film that earns weight in the middle, and a closer that returns the room to warmth. The ten picks above are the films Surprise Castle customers are buying most right now in this category, scored against real sales and selected to span four decades and every major group-night register. Whether you're hosting a college reunion, planning a four-film marathon, or just choosing this Friday's pick, our full movie collection is the fastest way to see what's in stock.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best movie to watch with the girls in 2026?
My Big Fat Greek Wedding is the highest-selling pick on this list and the safest opener for a new group. For groups that want a more substantial film, The Color Purple or Dead Poets Society deliver. The Before Trilogy is the strongest pick for groups that want to commit to multiple nights.
Are these all comedies?
No. The list mixes light comedy (Mean Girls, Sixteen Candles, Real Genius, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Wallace & Gromit) with grown-up drama (The Color Purple, Dead Poets Society, Nomadland, Steel Magnolias) and a Criterion-collection romance trilogy (The Before Trilogy). The balance is intentional — group movie nights work better when the list mixes tones.
What's the cheapest movie on this list?
The Color Purple (DVD) at $4.99 is the lowest-priced pick. Mean Girls (DVD) at $5.99 is the next-cheapest. Dead Poets Society (Blu-ray) at $6.99 is the cheapest Blu-ray.
Which movie is the strongest gift?
The Before Trilogy in the Criterion Collection at $72.99 is the strongest film gift on this list — three films in one box, with Criterion's supplement materials included. Steel Magnolias on 35th Anniversary 4K is the second-strongest gift for a serious classic-film fan.
Are these movies appropriate for a girls' night with a wide age range?
Mostly yes. Mean Girls, Sixteen Candles, and Real Genius are PG-13 and work across age ranges. My Big Fat Greek Wedding and Wallace & Gromit are family-safe. The Color Purple, Dead Poets Society, Nomadland, and The Before Trilogy lean adult in theme rather than content. Steel Magnolias is PG.
How were these movies selected?
Each film was scored on actual customer sales, group-viewing fit, and search-intent match for "movies to watch with the girls" and related variants. The final 10 spans comedy, drama, romance, animation, and Criterion-collection prestige — the breadth of what works for group viewing rather than ten variations of the same chick-flick.
Where can I buy these movies?
Every film on this list is in stock at Surprise Castle in the format shown. Click any title above to view the product page directly, or browse the full movie collection at the link below.

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