Bradley Cooper’s New Film Dethrones Ready or Not on the Streaming Charts
Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? has seized the No. 1 spot on Hulu’s U.S. movie chart, dethroning Ready or Not and cementing its place among the platform’s most-watched titles.
Alright, here’s a development I didn’t have on my Hulu bingo card this week: Bradley Cooper’s latest movie, 'Is This Thing On?', just leapfrogged 'Ready or Not' to snag the number one spot on the service’s US movie chart. (If you’re the one actual person who tracks FlixPatrol rankings for fun, yes, this probably made your day.)
This is a bit of a streaming plot twist—'Ready or Not' isn’t exactly obscure, and its bonkers premise has kept it popular for a while. But Cooper’s new movie is apparently hitting all the right buttons for Hulu viewers.
What’s the Story With 'Is This Thing On?' Anyway?
Quick refresher if you haven’t seen it—'Is This Thing On?' (which dropped December 19, 2025) is another Bradley Cooper project both behind and in front of the camera. The movie centers on a couple, Alex and Tess Novak, as their marriage quietly implodes. Alex (played by Will Arnett) suddenly gets pulled toward stand-up comedy in New York, of all things. Meanwhile, Tess (Laura Dern) starts realizing she may have sacrificed more than she ever intended over the years. The plot sticks close to their attempts to reimagine what family—and life—should look like once everything familiar falls apart.
If that sounds like prime ‘awards bait’ indie drama, well, you’re not wrong. But audiences are buying in: it’s currently rocking an 87% critic score and an 83% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Not bad for a movie about washed-up relationships and awkward open-mics.
Who’s Actually in This Thing?
- Will Arnett as Alex Novak (that’s the would-be comedian/husband)
- Laura Dern as Tess Novak (the long-suffering wife)
- Andra Day pops up as Christine
- Bradley Cooper himself shows up as 'Balls' (yes, really... I don’t know either)
- Amy Sedaris as Kemp
- Plus a handful of others doing the supporting role shuffle
The film isn’t just leading the movie chart—it’s also holding steady at number four on Hulu’s overall Top 10, so the momentum is real.
What About 'Ready or Not'?
Don’t cry for 'Ready or Not' though; it’s still pulling a massive audience. If you somehow missed it, that’s the one where Samara Weaving plays a bride who, immediately after her wedding, finds herself dodging bullets (literally) thanks to her new in-laws’ wildly twisted family “game.” It’s part horror, part comedy, and has a pretty rabid fanbase. The film also stars Adam Brody, Mark O'Brien, Henry Czerny, and Andie MacDowell, so there’s no shortage of genre talent.
On the numbers front: 'Ready or Not' has an 89% critics score and a 78% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. So yeah, everyone’s eating pretty good here. Also, the sequel (‘Ready or Not 2: Here I Come’) just hit streaming on March 20, so that might be giving the original a renewed push too.
In short, if you’re looking for something new to watch on Hulu, you’re basically choosing between marital angst-meets-standup or blood-soaked newlywed nightmares. That’s a healthy snapshot of American streaming taste if I’ve ever seen one.