Hallmark Underdog Dethrones Sylvester Stallone’s $214 Million Hit on Free Streaming

Here’s something I didn’t have on my streaming chart bingo card: a Hallmark movie from 2018 is suddenly the most-watched film on Tubi. And it’s not just holding its own — 'The Beach House' is beating out heavyweights like 'Creed II,' which, remind you, stars Sylvester Stallone and actually made box office money (over $200 million, in case you forgot). Now, a made-for-TV, heartstring-y beach melodrama tops the list, and I can’t help but wonder if everyone’s secretly using Tubi for comfort TV.

What’s Climbing to the Top?

So, according to those over at FlixPatrol who track this stuff, on May 5, 2026, 'The Beach House' was sitting pretty at #1 on Tubi’s Top 10 Movies chart in the US. For context, here’s how the rest of the list shaped up:

• #1: The Beach House (Hallmark, 2018)
• #2: Creed II
• #3: Hellraiser (the original, not one of the endless sequels)
• #4: Creed (yup, Stallone again, just bumped by himself and then by Hallmark)
• #5: Armed and Dangerous (John Candy, for your 80s comedy fix)
• #6: The Guardian (Kevin Costner fights the ocean)
• #7: Arthur (the Dudley Moore version, not Russell Brand)

If that’s not some wild, genre-hopping company, I don’t know what is. But let’s get back to the unexpected champion.

What Actually Is 'The Beach House'?

In case you missed it (very possible, it was on Hallmark and the title is aggressively generic), 'The Beach House' is adapted from Mary Alice Monroe’s 2002 novel. It was directed by Roger Spottiswoode, who’s done everything from Bond movies to TV drama, with a script by Maria Nation.

The cast: Chad Michael Murray (remember him from teen dramas you secretly watched?), Minka Kelly, Andie MacDowell, Makenzie Vega, and Donna Biscoe — solid Hallmark squad.

Plot-wise, it leans hard into the classic Hallmark blueprint:

- Cara (Minka Kelly) loses her big city advertising job and, at her mom Lovie’s urging (Andie MacDowell, doing 'serious but approachable'), heads back to the family’s somewhat-shabby beach house in South Carolina. There are old family arguments, talk of selling the house, and (because it’s Hallmark and the source material is definitely a beach read) an endangered sea turtle subplot. Cara’s plan is to visit briefly, but naturally she ends up reconnecting with her roots and working through about six TV-movie’s worth of life problems before the credits roll.

Reception and Afterlife

'The Beach House' debuted on Hallmark Channel back in April 2018 as a straight-to-TV title — no theaters, just that cozy Hallmark vibe. Critics and viewers were split, leaving it with a 60% user score on Rotten Tomatoes. Nothing to brag about, but not the kind of outright panning that kills a movie’s afterlife either.

After the premiere, it hit streaming on August 7, 2018. Now, in 2026, it’s not just surviving but thriving on Tubi's free, ad-supported lineup (and yes, you can still find it on Hallmark+ too, for those few who subscribe).

'The Beach House is having this weird, after-the-fact second life where it’s somehow picking up more views than Stallone almost a decade (and several streaming shakeups) later.'

So if you’re looking for a beachy soap opera, some overdue Chad Michael Murray nostalgia, or just want to see what all the random buzz is about, maybe now’s the time. Also, Stallone’s probably fine — but his Tubi streak is officially over.