Alan Ritchson’s War Machine continues to excel impressively.
Alan Ritchson has risen to prominence as one of the leading action stars globally, particularly through his role in Prime Video’s Reacher, adapted from Lee Child’s popular book series. In this series, Ritchson portrays a formidable investigator whose prowess is a blend of Sherlock Holmes’ intellect and a superhero’s physical strength. Recently on Netflix, Ritchson has taken on a distinctive role in what is one of the most significant science fiction films of 2026. The genre has seen great success this year with titles like Project Hail Mary, Iron Lung, and Mercy. Following a record-setting performance for Netflix, War Machine continues to improve its impressive track record.
Netflix announced that War Machine has ascended to the ninth most-watched movie in the streaming service’s history, amassing 139.9 million views. This update comes as a pleasant surprise but is undoubtedly a celebrated achievement for the sci-fi thriller. Just a week prior, it was disclosed that War Machine had made it into Netflix’s list of Top 10 Most Popular Movies ever, with an initial viewership of 139 million. Since then, the viewership has slightly increased, allowing War Machine to surpass The Gray Man, starring Ryan Gosling, which sits at 139.3 million views.
War Machine debuted on Netflix on March 6. The movie features Ritchson as Staff Sergeant 81, who battles for survival against an unprecedented mechanical foe. Shortly after its release, War Machine dominated Netflix’s global charts and eventually clinched the No.1 spot worldwide, catapulting it to #9 on Netflix’s all-time charts several months later. As it stands, this is the highest position War Machine can achieve.
The reason for this is Netflix’s method for ranking its all-time global charts, which considers the views a movie garners in its first 91 days on the platform. Given War Machine‘s release date of March 6, the cutoff for accumulating views was June 5. Therefore, this recent update marking the sci-fi film’s performance will also be the final one for Ritchson’s latest global sensation. War Machine narrowly missed surpassing 2023’s Leave the World Behind, a high-profile psychological thriller that reached 143.4 million views and is Netflix’s 8th most-watched movie ever.
War Machine‘s robust viewership can be attributed to the positive reception of Ritchson’s latest sci-fi endeavor. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has earned a respectable 66% from critics and a similar 64% from audiences. Given its record-breaking performance on the platform, it’s no shock that a sequel to War Machine has been officially confirmed by Netflix. Patrick Hughes, known for directing other action-packed films like The Expendables 3 and The Hitman’s Bodyguard, is set to return for the sequel. While the release date for the War Machine sequel has not yet been announced, the success of Ritchson’s Netflix film suggests that fans won’t have to wait too long.
Ava Thornton is an entertainment journalist with a keen eye for the latest in Hollywood, indie films, and streaming trends.
Her work blends insider knowledge with a deep appreciation for storytelling.
