Alan Ritchson just conquered Netflix with 2026’s biggest streaming movie

If you were starting to think Alan Ritchson couldn’t get any more typecast as a hard-as-nails action bloke, think again. After throwing punches and threatening bad guys as Jack Reacher on Prime Video, Ritchson has parked himself firmly at the top of Netflix’s movie mountain with his latest – a sci-fi action romp called War Machine. It’s not just doing well, either – we’re talking ‘biggest film on the service’ territory, with Netflix confirming it’s their most-watched movie of 2026 so far. Yes, that many clicks.

The New Sheriff of Netflix Action-Land

Netflix have just released their What We Watched report for the first half of 2026, and there’s no polite way to put this: everyone else got left in the dust. War Machine just cleaned up, racking up a frankly ridiculous 147 million views since it dropped back in March. Apparently, subscribers streamed a combined total of 97 billion hours in that period across all genres, but it’s Ritchson they’re flocking to.

Here’s how War Machine stacks up against the rest (and some of these numbers are eye-watering):

• War Machine: 147M views
• The Rip (crime thriller): 136M
• Swapped (animated): 131M
• K-Pop Demon Hunters (action fantasy): 130M
• Apex (survival thriller): 129M

So, no small accomplishment. All of those behind it have earned their weekend pints.

A Plot That’s More ‘Predator Meets Transformers’ Than Oscar Bait

If you’re into subtlety, War Machine might not be your thing. It’s directed, co-produced, and co-written by Patrick Hughes – yes, the bloke from The Expendables 3 and The Hitman’s Bodyguard. Ritchson plays Staff Sergeant 81, who barely utters a word and punches more things than he talks to. He’s doing the last stage of US Army Ranger training when something goes monumentally wrong, and suddenly it’s less basic training, more survival against a threat you just know wasn’t in the health and safety leaflet. Imagine someone blended Predator and Transformers and gave Ritchson a blank cheque for protein powder.

How’s It Been Reviewed?

Turns out, people wanted what War Machine was selling. Critics gave it 66% on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences 64% – so not record-shattering, but still what you’d call solid, especially if you just want to see action without a philosophy lecture wedged in.

War Machine 2: Because Of Course They Are

With eye-popping viewership and enough testosterone to fuel every gym in the country, a sequel was a foregone conclusion. There’s not much on plot or casting yet, but you can bet Ritchson will be back as his oddly mysterious, monosyllabic Staff Sergeant 81 – and presumably, whatever he’s fighting will be even more over the top than last time.

Ritchson is excited – he’s gone and invoked the genre’s gold standard, saying, 'War Machines is going to be sick.' Hard to argue with the man’s confidence.

Director Patrick Hughes is equally chuffed. He said:

'Keep the good times rolling. I’m pinching myself every day. If you’d gone back to me and told me that when I was at film school, I’d be sitting in this opportunity where it’s like this universe you’ve set up and it’s off to the races, and had a mass appeal, and people are begging for a sequel. This is very, very exciting. I can’t go into any details, but I know when I wrote it was just, they had it all mapped out – what I would do, touch wood, if they did give me the opportunity. It’s expanding that world but at the same time it’s not doing what’s expected.'

Interestingly, Hughes reckons the first film was only ever meant to be a standalone, but now he’s eager to 'pull the triggers' on what he calls an 'absolute banger' of a follow-up. They’ll be getting on with it as soon as the schedules allow.