Netflix’s Best New Movie Is A Huge Hit On Rotten Tomatoes
Yes, Paddington Bear has returned—or, rather, he’s gone home. That’s the case with the third entry in the Paddington series, Paddington in Peru, which made its SVOD debut on Netflix today. Everybody’s favorite polite little bear donning a blue coat and red hat was in U.K. theaters back in November 2024, and made his way over to U.S. theaters in February 2025. During that run, Paddington in Peru sported an incredible 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 185 reviews—an incredible feat for a modern film. And while Paddington in Peru has been available to rent on Amazon and Apple, the third film in this beloved franchise will now reach millions of new watchers on Netflix.
The latest Paddington movie comes from first-time director Dougal Wilson. Paddington in Peru picks up with the beloved bear (still voiced by Ben Whishaw), who is settling into his comfy London life when he receives some terrible news: the very bear who raised Paddington in Peru, Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton), suddenly disappeared from the “Home for Retired Bears.” With the ever-supportive Brown family at Paddinton’s side—a cast of characters that includes Mr. Brown (Hugh Bonneville), Mrs. Brown (Emily Mortimer, taking over from Sally Hawkins), their children Judy (Madeleine Harris) and Jonathan (Samuel Joslin), and the faithful Mrs. Bird (Julie Walters)—Paddington decides to travel across the Atlantic in search of her.
As expected of a Paddington movie, such a journey is anything but quick and simple—and anything free from adversity—as the bear’s jungle-spanning quest is rife with riverboats, lost cities, cryptic maps and ghostly conquistadors. During their trek, Paddington and his adopting family are joined by Hunter Cabot (Antonio Banderas), a swashbuckling explorer with ulterior motives, and the delightfully deranged Reverend Mother (Olivia Colman), who, as any movie critic will tell you, steals just about every scene as the nun in charge of Aunt Lucy’s retirement home.
Believe it or not, Paddington in Peru’s 93% rating is low for the franchise, considering Paddington (2014) scored 96% from 163 reviews and Paddington 2 (2017) earned an all-time great 99% score from a whopping 252 reviews. So, you better believe that critics were more than ready to pounce if the third film in this current-trilogy missed—but clearly it hasn’t.
Source: Forbes
