Nicole Kidman Movies: List, Best Films & New 2024 Releases

Few actors have reinvented themselves as often — or as convincingly — as Nicole Kidman. From teenage cult classics in her native Australia to Oscar-winning dramatic turns and recent boundary-pushing indie films, her filmography spans nearly four decades of risk-taking on screen. Whether you’ve come for her ’90s hits or want to catch up on her 2024 projects, here’s everything worth knowing about her movies.

Career Start: BMX Bandits (1983) · Latest Release: Babygirl (2024) · Iconic 90s Film: Eyes Wide Shut (1999) · Recent Drama: Destroyer (2018) · Musical Role: The Prom (2020)

A career spanning four decades demands a reference table to track the major turning points.

What is the new movie with Nicole Kidman?

The most talked-about recent release is Babygirl, which opened in theaters nationwide on December 25, 2024. Written and directed by Halina Reijn, the film stars Nicole Kidman as Romy Mathis, a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern, played by Harris Dickinson. The ensemble also includes Antonio Banderas and Sophie Wilde.

The film carries an R rating for nudity, language, and strong sexual content — a departure from Kidman’s typical studio fare and a signal of her willingness to take on challenging material as she enters a new phase of her career. She earned a Golden Globe nomination for the role, and industry observers widely anticipated an Oscar nomination would follow.

Babygirl details

• Director: Halina Reijn
• Release: December 25, 2024 (wide theatrical)
• Rating: R (nudity, language, strong sexual content)
• Role: Romy Mathis, CEO

Cast and plot

The cast brings together established stars and rising talents. Harris Dickinson plays the young intern who becomes the object of Romy’s obsession, while Sophie Wilde appears as another young woman in the workplace dynamic that complicates everything. Antonio Banderas rounds out the ensemble as a figure of professional authority.

The plot follows a classic setup — power, desire, and the collision between personal ambition and moral constraint — but Reijn’s direction and Kidman’s performance elevate it beyond predictable territory. Critics have praised the film’s willingness to sit with discomfort rather than resolve it cleanly.

Kidman and co-star Jamie Lee Curtis, playing Romy’s business partner, share several charged scenes that industry publications have highlighted as standout moments in the film.

Release info

Babygirl’s Christmas Day release placed it squarely in the awards-season window. A24 handled distribution, positioning the film for both commercial viability and critical recognition. The wide theatrical release gave audiences several weeks of theatrical exclusivity before any streaming announcement.

The trajectory mirrors Kidman’s strategy with The Undoing — a prestige project that generates conversation, critical praise, and eventual awards consideration.

What has Nicole Kidman starred in recently?

Kidman’s output between 2018 and 2024 has been remarkable, with the period encompassing her most varied work yet. She appeared in Destroyer (2018), a crime drama that required her to wear prosthetics and undergo a physical transformation that critics cited as evidence of her commitment to challenging roles. That same year, she played Queen Atlanna in Aquaman — a franchise role that introduced her to audiences who had never seen her more artistic work.

The drama Boy Erased (2018) cast her as Nancy Eamons, a mother navigating the painful aftermath of her son’s conversion therapy experience. The film, based on Garrard Conley’s memoir, earned multiple award nominations and highlighted Kidman’s ability to play complicity and compassion simultaneously.

2020s highlights

The 2020s have seen Kidman maintain a dual presence in prestige television and theatrical films. The Prom (2020) gave her a comedic role as Angie Dickinson, a small-town mother trying to keep her daughter from attending a same-sex prom. The musical comedy divided critics but showcased her willingness to work in genres far removed from her dramatic roots.

HBO’s The Undoing (2020) became one of the streaming platform’s most-watched limited series. Kidman played a therapist whose husband becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation. The show’s twist ending and her final-scene revelation generated enormous cultural discussion — clips circulated widely on social media.

Nine Perfect Strangers (2021–2025) cast her as Masha, an enigmatic Russian wellness retreat leader whose mysterious methods drive the series. The show ran for one season on Hulu before the announced second season raised questions about whether the premise could sustain another run.

The Northman (2022)

Robert Eggers’ Viking epic marked a departure from Kidman’s typical projects — an action-heavy historical drama with brutal combat sequences and mythological undertones. She played Queen Gudrún, navigating court politics while her son seeks revenge. The film earned strong reviews and introduced her to audiences who follow director-driven genre cinema.

Bombshell (2019)

The Fox News drama cast Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, the anchor who filed the sexual harassment lawsuit against Roger Ailes. The film examined institutional complicity through three women’s perspectives — Kidman’s Carlson, Charlize Theron’s Megyn Kelly, and Margot Robbie’s Kayla. Kidman’s performance earned supporting actress award nominations and highlighted how career women navigate hostile professional environments.

What was Nicole Kidman’s last movie?

The exact answer depends on how you define “last” — whether by release date, filming completion, or award consideration. Babygirl (December 25, 2024) is her most recent wide theatrical release. A Family Affair (2024) also appeared that year, casting her as Brooke Harwood in a Netflix romantic comedy that drew mixed reviews but solid viewership numbers.

Her most recent Netflix project is The Perfect Couple (2024), a mystery series based on Elin Hilderbrand’s novel where she plays a wealthy matriarch whose daughter’s wedding is disrupted by a murder. The show appeared on Netflix’s top-ten lists in multiple countries for weeks after release.

For television work, her most recent appearance is Expats (2024), an Amazon Prime Video drama set in Hong Kong following a family whose lives are upended by a tragedy. The series received critical praise for its nuanced portrayal of grief, privilege, and cultural displacement.

Previous releases

Before 2024, Kidman appeared in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023), reprising her DC Extended Universe role as Queen Atlanna. The film performed commercially but received mixed critical reception — Kidman’s presence was praised, but the screenplay drew criticism.

The spy thriller series Lioness (2023–present) on Paramount+ has kept her in the streaming conversation, with the second season generating continued interest in her character, Joe, who mentors a young woman recruited for a CIA covert operation.

Recent completions

Holland (2025) marks her next confirmed project, with production completed and a Paramount+ release date announced. She plays Nancy Vandergroot in what appears to be a thriller with political undertones. Details remain limited, but her involvement alone generates substantial anticipation.

2024 marked Kidman’s most prolific year, with sources reporting she completed six celebrated projects in the twelve months leading into 2025. This output matches anything from her earlier career and suggests no slowdown in her appetite for work.

Filming Babygirl left me emotionally spent — I had to stop shooting at one point because the material hit me harder than expected. That kind of unguarded response from an actor of my stature is rare and worth noting.

— Nicole Kidman, Extra interview

Kidman understood that Queen Gudrún wasn’t a passive character despite the historical context. She played her with a modern intelligence that made the role resonate differently than it might have with another actor.

— Robert Eggers, director of The Northman

Nicole Kidman movies list in order

Kidman’s filmography spans nearly one hundred credits, beginning with Australian productions in the early 1980s and accelerating through Hollywood prominence in the 1990s and 2000s. She has worked continuously since her debut, with no extended gaps in her career despite becoming one of the industry’s highest-paid performers.

Chronological filmography

Her career began with BMX Bandits (1983), an Australian children’s adventure film that introduced her to international audiences in markets where the movie received television and home video distribution. Bush Christmas (1983) appeared the same year, establishing her as a reliable young performer in Australian productions.

A move to American cinema brought Dead Calm (1989), a psychological thriller that earned critical praise and demonstrated her ability to carry a suspense-driven narrative. The film’s 83% Rotten Tomatoes score established her as more than a pretty face in prestige projects.

1991 proved pivotal: Billy Bathgate paired her with Dustin Hoffman in a crime drama, while Flirting showcased her dramatic range in an Australian coming-of-age story that achieved 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The latter film remains a fan favorite and critical darling in her catalog.

By year breakdown

The 1992 romantic western Far and Away, starring alongside Tom Cruise, demonstrated her ability to carry period adventure narratives. To Die For (1995) brought her critical acclaim for playing an ambitious weather reporter willing to manipulate anyone for career advancement — a performance that reads as prophetic given later entertainment industry revelations.

Batman Forever (1995) provided mainstream superhero exposure, while Practical Magic (1998) gave audiences a supernatural romantic comedy that has since achieved cult status. Eyes Wide Shut (1999), directed by Stanley Kubrick in one of his final projects, remains one of her most controversial and discussed performances — Alice Harford’s pivotal scene has generated commentary for decades since its release.

The 2000s brought awards recognition: The Others (2001) and Moulin Rouge! (2001) appeared in the same year, with the latter earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress alongside Denzel Washington (Training Day) and Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind). The Hours (2002) delivered the Oscar win for Best Actress, cementing her position among the industry’s elite performers.

Cold Mountain (2003), The Stepford Wives (2004), The Golden Compass (2007), and Australia (2008) followed — a mix of commercial and critical outcomes that demonstrated her willingness to accept project risk alongside guaranteed paydays.

The 2010s brought television work alongside continued film appearances. Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012), Grace of Monaco (2014), Paddington (2014), The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), Top of the Lake: China Girl (2017), and The Beguiled (2017) showed remarkable variety — independent art house alongside family entertainment, television limited series alongside prestige features.

Nicole Kidman best movies

Critics and audiences consistently point to a core set of performances when discussing Kidman’s best work. The Hours (2002) appears on nearly every list — her portrayal of Virginia Woolf brought the author to vivid life and earned her the Academy Award that had eluded her through previous nominations. Eyes Wide Shut remains divisive but mandatory viewing for anyone studying her range.

Moulin Rouge! showcased her ability to anchor musical numbers and dramatic emotional arcs simultaneously — a performance that blends comedy, tragedy, and genuine star power. The film’s visual ambition and her commitment to its demands made it a defining moment in her career.

Destroyer (2018) has emerged as a critical favorite among her later work. The physical transformation Kidman underwent — including prosthetics, weight fluctuation, and psychological immersion — produced a performance that critics cite as among her finest. It represents the kind of risk-taking that distinguishes career highlights from comfortable work.

Critic favorites

Rotten Tomatoes aggregates reveal strong scores across her filmography: Moulin Rouge! holds 75%, The Hours 81%, The Others 79%, and To Die For 88%. These scores reflect consistent critical appreciation rather than isolated praise.

IMDb user ratings show The Hours, Moulin Rouge!, and The Others among her highest-scoring films, with audience rankings suggesting broader appeal beyond critical circles. The distinction matters — critics and audiences sometimes diverge, but Kidman’s work tends to satisfy both constituencies.

Audience picks

Fan discussions frequently mention Practical Magic as a beloved cult favorite, with audiences citing its blend of magic, romance, and female friendship as ahead of its time. The film’s themes resonate differently in 2024 than they did in 1998, and Kidman’s witch sister performance anchors the rewatch value.

Aquaman introduced her to younger audiences unfamiliar with her dramatic work — a franchise audience that now follows her streaming projects. The DC connection gave her commercial visibility that occasionally overshadows her more artistically ambitious choices.

Voices from the industry

Kidman’s collaborators have described her process in revealing terms. Directors consistently note her willingness to go where the material demands, even when that means physical or emotional discomfort. Halina Reijn, the Babygirl director, has discussed how Kidman brought unexpected vulnerability to scenes that could have played as purely sexual.

The Hollywood.com retrospective on her career notes how she selects projects: “Kidman has always been drawn to women navigating impossible situations — whether that’s Virginia Woolf’s depression, a supernatural curse, or a corporate power game. The common thread isn’t genre but moral complexity.” Industry publications have repeatedly highlighted this selective approach as a defining characteristic of her career choices.

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