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Alan Ritchson's sci-fi thriller is officially the biggest movie on Netflix this year. Since its debut in March, War Machinehas accrued 147 million views on Netflix, making it the biggest Netflix original of 2026.
This information comes from Netflix's semi-annual What We Watched report, covering the first half of 2026. The report reveals that War Machine has 146.9 million views, meaning the movie has been watched for 266.8 million hours.
In doing so, War Machine beats out several other high-profile Netflix original debuts. Those include Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's The Rip (136 million views), Apex (129 million views), and shark thriller Thrash (100 million views).
What Is War Machine About?
In War Machine, during the final stage of U.S. Army Ranger selection, an elite team’s training exercise turns into a fight for survival against an unimaginable threat. Directed by Patrick Hughes, War Machine stars Alan Ritchson, Dennis Quaid, Stephan James, Jai Courtney, Esai Morales, Keiynan Lonsdale, Jarryd Goundrey, and Daniel Webber.
Critics felt mostly positive toward War Machine. The military sci-fi story earned a 71% "Fresh" Rotten Tomatoes rating, and a user score of 68%. The critics' consensus gives War Machine credit for giving Ritchson "an ideal vehicle to flex his brawny charisma," but notes that "War Machine occasionally clanks when it comes to character depth, but otherwise soldiers on to deliver an awesome dose of action spectacle."
CBR's War Machine review found fault with how simple the movie is, accusing it of being more style than substance: "War Machine is perfectly serviceable as a straightforward action movie, but its reluctance to dig more than surface deep, and its underutilization of its supporting cast, hold it back. Ritchson still turns in a strong performance and carries the movie on his shoulders, but one actor can only do so much. War Machine, unfortunately, will not leave a lasting impression."
However, War Machine still found its fans, and there are many of them. Perhaps the highest profile among them is video game auteur Hideo Kojima, who gave War Machine high praise.
War Machine 2 Is In Development At Netflix
In June, three months after War Machine's debut, Netflix confirmed that a sequel is in development. Given how successful the first movie has been for the streaming behemoth, it's not a surprise. Netflix stopped short of confirming Richton’s return, but reports suggest that is the plan. Patrick Hughes, who wrote and directed the first movie, is expected to return for the sequel.
Netflix did not reveal any plot details about the second War Machine movie. In theory, Netflix could recycle the same premise with a different group of recruits. However, if Ritchson does return, the sequel could instead dive deeper into War Machine lore and provide more backstory for its lead, setting up the possibility of a bigger franchise expansion in the future.
War Machine is streaming now on Netflix. Ritchson will also soon be back on Prime Video for Racher Season 4.
