Movies like The Once (2023)
The best movies like The Once (2023) are Never Let Go (2024), You'll Never Find Me (2024) and The Jungle Book (2016). If The Once hooked you, these 20 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedSwapped (2026)8.8/10 from 2,296 votes
- NewestWildwood (2026)Released 2026
Never Let Go (2024)
As an evil takes over the world beyond their front doorstep, the only protection for a mother and her twin sons is their house and their family’s protective bond.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisYou'll Never Find Me (2024)
Patrick, a strange and lonely resident, lives in a mobile home at the back of an isolated caravan park. After a violent thunderstorm erupts, a mysterious young woman appears at his door, seeking shelter from the weather. The longer the night wears on and the more the young woman discovers about Patrick, the more difficult she finds it to leave. Soon she begins to question Patrick’s intentions, while Patrick begins to question his own grip on reality...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Jungle Book (2016)
After a threat from the tiger Shere Khan, Mowgli, a man-cub fostered by wolves, is forced to flee the jungle, and he embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the help of the panther, Bagheera, and the free-spirited bear, Baloo.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSwapped (2026)
A small woodland creature and a majestic bird, two natural sworn enemies of the Valley, magically trade places and set off on an adventure of a lifetime to switch back. Their journey soon uncovers a greater threat—one that could endanger not only their species, but the entire valley they call home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Caller (1987)
One night, an unusual stranger in need asks a woman living alone in a house in the woods if he can use her phone. It soon becomes clear that they're playing a strange mind game and that there's something very wrong about the woods.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisEvery Day (2018)
16-year old Rhiannon falls in love with a mysterious spirit named “A” that inhabits a different body every day. Feeling an unmatched connection, Rhiannon and “A” work each day to find each other, not knowing what the next day will bring.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMiss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
A teenager finds himself transported to an island where he must help protect a group of orphans with special powers from creatures intent on destroying them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Golden Compass (2007)
In a parallel universe, after overhearing a shocking secret, precocious orphan Lyra Belacqua trades her carefree existence roaming the halls of Jordan College for an otherworldly adventure in the far North, unaware that it's part of her destiny.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDoctor Dolittle (1967)
A veterinarian who can communicate with animals travels abroad to search for a giant sea snail.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Silence (2019)
With the world under attack by deadly creatures who hunt by sound, a teen and her family seek refuge outside the city and encounter a mysterious cult.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDon't Let Go (2019)
A detective suffering from a personal loss receives a call from his recently deceased niece. Being able to communicate across time, the two work together to try and stop the crime before it occurs.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTurning Red (2022)
Thirteen-year-old Mei is experiencing the awkwardness of being a teenager with a twist – when she gets too excited, she transforms into a giant red panda.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Legend of Ochi (2025)
In a remote village on the island of Carpathia, a shy farm girl named Yuri is raised to fear an elusive animal species known as ochi. But when Yuri discovers a wounded baby ochi has been left behind, she escapes on a quest to bring him home.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVicious (2025)
When Polly receives a mysterious box, it comes with one rule: place inside something she needs, something she hates, and something she loves. If she doesn’t obey, it will consume everything—and everyone—she’s ever known.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSightless (2020)
After an attack renders her blind, Ellen withdraws from the world to recover. But soon she plunges into paranoia, unable to convince anyone that her assailant has returned to terrorize her by hiding in plain sight.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisShrek Forever After (2010)
A midlife-crisis burdened Shrek, longing for the days of when he felt like a real ogre, makes a pact with magic deal-maker Rumpelstiltskin. But when he's duped and sent to a twisted version of Far Far Away—where Rumpelstiltskin is king, ogres are hunted, and he and Fiona have never met—he sets out to restore his world and reclaim his true love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWildwood (2026)
Prue and her classmate Curtis are drawn into a magical forest filled with enchanted creatures, loyal allies, and formidable adversaries as they embark on a desperate quest to rescue Prue's abducted baby brother from a murder of crows led by a mysterious woman named Alexandra.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBagman (2024)
For centuries and across cultures, parents have warned their children of the legendary Bagman, who snatches innocent children and stuffs them into his vile, rotting bag—never to be seen again. Patrick McKee narrowly escaped such an encounter as a boy, which left him with lasting scars throughout his adulthood. Now, Patrick’s childhood tormentor has returned, threatening the safety of his wife Karina and son Jake.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisColor Out of Space (2020)
The Gardner family moves to a remote farmstead in rural New England to escape the hustle of the 21st century. They are busy adapting to their new life when a meteorite crashes into their front yard, melts into the earth, and infects both the land and the properties of space-time with a strange, otherworldly colour. To their horror, the family discovers this alien force is gradually mutating every life form that it touches—including them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Son of Bigfoot (2017)
Teenage outsider Adam sets out on an epic and daring quest to uncover the mystery behind his long-lost dad, only to find out that he is none other than the legendary Bigfoot! He has been hiding deep in the forest for years to protect himself and his family from HairCo., a giant corporation eager to run scientific experiments with his special DNA. As father and son start making up for lost time after the boy's initial disbelief, Adam soon discovers that he too is gifted with superpowers beyond his imagination. But little do they know, HairCo. is on their tail as Adam's traces have led them to Bigfoot!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Once?
The closest matches to The Once are Never Let Go (2024), You'll Never Find Me (2024) and The Jungle Book (2016). Below are 17 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Once?
Start with Never Let Go (2024), the closest match to The Once.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Once?
Swapped (2026), rated 8.8/10 by 2,296 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Once?
Wildwood (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like The Once?
Yes: Never Let Go (2024), You'll Never Find Me (2024) and The Jungle Book (2016).
How are movies similar to The Once chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Once, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.