Netflix has a new blockbuster on its hands.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s latest action thriller “The Rip” stormed onto the streaming platform with an extraordinary opening, quickly becoming one of the most-watched film premieres in Netflix history.
Released on January 16, the movie attracted 41.6 million views in just three days, making it the platform’s strongest film launch since the record-breaking debut of Happy Gilmore 2 last summer. The impressive numbers instantly pushed “The Rip” to the top of Netflix’s weekly rankings, dominating the viewing charts across multiple regions.
A Rare Breakout for a Netflix Original Film
With audiences rushing to watch the high-octane thriller, “The Rip” not only claimed first place for the week of January 12–18, but also significantly outperformed its closest competitors.
Romantic comedy “People We Meet on Vacation”, which had previously led the chart, settled for second place with 23.3 million views in its second week — a strong showing, but far behind Affleck and Damon’s runaway success.
Industry analysts note that opening-weekend viewership of this scale is rare for Netflix films, placing “The Rip” among the platform’s most successful premieres of all time.
‘Stranger Things’ Effect Continues Across the Charts
The dominance of “The Rip” came as Netflix’s flagship series “Stranger Things” continued its remarkable chart presence.
The documentary special “One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5” debuted with 8.7 million views, while multiple seasons of the sci-fi hit once again filled the weekly Top 10.
The fifth and final season alone pulled in 5.1 million views, helping it climb to fourth place on Netflix’s all-time most popular TV seasons list, with more than 120 million total views so far. Earlier seasons also surged in renewed popularity, driven by the franchise’s final chapter.
TV Rankings Remain Unchanged at the Top
On the television side, crime drama “His & Hers” continued its reign at No. 1, expanding its audience to 29.5 million views, a sharp rise from its debut the previous week.
New entries also made a strong impression. “Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials” premiered with 9.9 million views, while limited series “Run Away” maintained solid momentum with 6.1 million views in its third week.
Netflix Starts 2026 With a Streaming Phenomenon
With “The Rip” setting a new benchmark for 2026 releases, Netflix appears to have found its first major film phenomenon of the year.
The explosive debut not only reinforces the star power of Affleck and Damon, but also signals a strong start for the platform’s original film strategy — one that could shape the streaming race in the months ahead.
As viewership continues to climb, all eyes are now on whether “The Rip” can challenge Netflix’s all-time opening records in the weeks to come.