The Rip is now the most-watched streaming film of 2026

So, The Rip – that Matt Damon and Ben Affleck Netflix thriller that dropped in January – ended up being a much bigger deal than people first gave it credit for. When it landed, it shot straight to the top spot on Netflix, but, to be honest, it didn’t feel like one of those titles that would hang around in the cultural bloodstream all year. Well, apparently we were all a bit off the mark. Nielsen, the lot who know exactly what you’re streaming behind closed doors, have just released some new numbers, and the film’s performance is a lot more impressive than anyone realised.

The Rip is now the most-watched streaming film of 2026 so far, clocking up a whopping 4.43 billion minutes viewed between late December and the end of June.

Big Names, Big Numbers

Damon and Affleck headline as narcotics cops, whose Big Successful Raid turns into a classic paranoia spiral when stacks of dodgy cash are uncovered and the trust starts haemorrhaging. If you’ve seen any cop thriller from the last two decades, you basically know the drill: lots of testosterone, shouting, and second-guessing your so-called mates. Joe Carnahan (the lad behind The A-Team movie and Bad Boys for Life) directs, bringing his usual sweaty, macho touch.

It’s all loosely based on some ‘inspired by true events’ business – enough so, apparently, that Damon and Affleck are now fending off a lawsuit from two Miami-Dade sheriff’s deputies, who claim the film defamed them. That legal scuffle is still ongoing, which is about par for the course when you put real police in your movie. Still, legal headaches haven’t slowed the audience turnout; The Rip stormed Netflix’s charts on release and managed to stick around in the Top 10 for a decent run before slipping back, but it’s the new traffic numbers that really tell the story.

Nielsen’s Streaming Shocker

The data from Nielsen, covering the six months from the end of December 2025 through to the end of June 2026, puts The Rip firmly at number one for general audience films – absolutely rinsing the competition when it comes to time spent glued to the telly. We’re talking 4.43 billion minutes. For perspective, that’s half a billion more minutes than War Machine, which finished second at 3.53 billion. Jurassic World: Rebirth came third with 3.4 billion.

Here’s the full Top 10 for those who like their streaming stats in a row:

• The Rip (Netflix): 4.43 billion minutes
• War Machine (Netflix): 3.53 billion
• Jurassic World: Rebirth (Peacock/Netflix): 3.40 billion
• The Wrecking Crew (Prime Video): 2.95 billion
• The Crash (Netflix): 2.69 billion
• Remarkably Bright Creatures (Netflix): 2.62 billion
• Apex (Netflix): 2.54 billion
• Sinners (HBO Max): 2.51 billion
• Anaconda (2025) (Netflix): 2.33 billion
• The Running Man (2025) (Paramount+): 2.31 billion

Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea

Of course, just because people watched it in droves doesn’t mean they all loved it. The Rip turned out to be pretty divisive – Rotten Tomatoes has the critics rating it 77% Fresh, which is fine, but the audience score lags behind at 65%. Over on IMDb, it’s sitting at a 6.8 out of 10, which is polite but not exactly gushing. If you have a poke through the reviews, the feedback is a right old mix: some reckon the direction is a bit clumsy, while others have a go at the script being more style than substance. Notably, one reviewer called it 'a slick looking film from the outside, but the script is just too absurd.' Still, doesn’t seem to have stopped half the country streaming it at least once.