5 new Netflix releases everyone will be watching this weekend

One of the biggest Netflix releases of all time is back — sort of.

The Spanish-language thriller Money Heist, released back in 2017, was a twisty, action-packed drama about a stylishly-clad band of thieves — working under the auspices of a brilliant character known as The Professor — who (initially) break into the Royal Mint of Spain. There was a Robin Hood, us-against-the-system vibe to the show, a populist streak that helped turn it into a staggeringly huge Netflix original series.

In fact, three of the series’ five seasons occupy individual slots on the streamer’s Top 10 ranking of the biggest non-English TV shows of all time, having garnered hundreds of millions of hours viewed worldwide between them. So, having said that, can you blame the streaming giant for wanting to resurrect the now-ended series and give it a try in Korean, reworking the show into an all-new Netflix release for another massive global audience?

Money Heist: Korea

It’s probably less correct, by the way, to regard the result — the just-released Money Heist Korea — Joint Economic Area — as a remake of the original than it is a “reimagining,” however. A remake, for example, would imply that the main difference here is simply the language, with pretty much everything else largely the same.

Instead, the crux of the story here is completely different. This time, the series imagines a unified Korean peninsula in an imaginary future. Naturally, there would have to be a unified currency for such a new and expanded Korea, right? Voila: The need to print new money, which becomes a juicy target for our thieves.

Speaking of the thieves, they do once again don bright red jumpsuits and white face masks. There’s also still a brilliant “Professor” behind it all. And the thieves take the names of cities as aliases, just like they did in the original Money Heist.

A still from the Netflix series “Money Heist: Korea — Joint Economic Area.” Image source: Jung Jaegu/Netflix

“As a border looks set to vanish,” Netflix explains about this new series release, “the people of a long-divided peninsula seem about to reunite — but there are unsettling consequences.”

Under the new economic union, the streamer continues, only the rich have gotten richer. “Into this ruthless new world of inequality steps a crew of thieves from North and South Korea, led by the Professor, who set out to pull off a history-making heist.”

In this new retelling, Netflix continues, a “Joint Security Area” is situated between the two halves of the peninsula. And it contains a mint that becomes the focus of the story. “Amid reunification, the mint is printing a new unified currency as the groundwork to build a stable joint economy.”

Other new Netflix releases

In terms of other new Netflix releases now available to stream, meanwhile, besides the new Money Heist? There’s a new slapstick action-comedy starring Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson to check out. Plus the long-awaited Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy, and a new reality series about super-spoiled, overly sensitive young people. Additionally, you can read more about each release, with details from Netflix, below.

There's no choice but to complete the mission. pic.twitter.com/ILAE0ANl0Y

— The Man From Toronto (@ManFromToronto) June 17, 2022

The Man From Toronto: “A case of mistaken identity forces a bumbling entrepreneur to team up with a notorious assassin known as The Man from Toronto in hopes of staying alive.”

Umbrella Academy — Season 3: “Reunited by their father’s death, estranged siblings with extraordinary powers uncover shocking family secrets — and a looming threat to humanity.”

Snowflake Mountain: “Hopelessly entitled or simply in need of tough love? Ten spoiled young adults experience nature without a parental safety net in this reality series.”

A New Netflix movie to check out

(L to R) Susanna Skaggs as Lina, Anjelika Washington as Addie, and Valentina Lodovini as Francesca in the Netflix movie “Love & Gelato.” Image source: Maila Iacovelli/Netflix

We’ve also got one more title to mention, in our look at the latest and buzziest Netflix releases.

The #5 movie on Netflix in the US at the time of this writing, which hit the streamer just this week, is the sweet Love & Gelato — a Netflix release from writer-director Brandon Camp. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Jenna Evans Welch. And it’s easy to see why this one is so popular among many Netflix subscribers at the moment. It’s got young love, the picturesque setting of Italy — what more could you want?

As for the story, Lina is a young American girl who’s traveled to Rome to honor her mother’s memory. “Catapulted into an unknown country,” Netflix explains, “too messy and full of chaos for her serious, methodical, and even a little nerdy nature, she will find herself forced to have to deal with all her obsessions, anxieties, and fears but also to have to deal with the past of her mother who hides some surprises and some secrets.

“Immersed in magical landscapes and in unfamiliar and exciting foods, fascinated by the unique style of Italian fashion, overwhelmed by romantic unexpected events, and overwhelmed by a new and anomalous family, Lina will learn to look to the world and to herself with a finally different eye.”

More Netflix coverage: For more Netflix news, check out the latest new Netflix movies and series to watch.