These 2026 Netflix movies are actually worth the hype

Published Oct 15, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT T.M. Amrita is a writer and tech enthusiast with experience as a news reporter covering technology, artificial intelligence, and gadgets. A journalist at heart, she found a soft spot for technology reporting during her tenure as a reporter at The Hindu Businessline, where she covered topics like the economy, data, and personal finance. She has published more than 250 news stories, tech guides, and opinion articles. Outside of technology, she is a passionate poet and brings her interest in learning new things to her work as a writer. Amrita is also a student of design and interface development, and likes to take on passion projects in her free time. Sign in to your How-To Geek account Scrolling through Netflix might take a long time when searching for a movie for the weekend. Seeing what everyone else has been watching can be a good place to start. And I love the underrated gems, but some of the platform’s most-watched movies this year are actually worth the hype. While the viewing numbers caught my attention, the stories (and a few familiar faces) gave me more reason to add these to my list. If you missed them when they first arrived, here are four of Netflix’s biggest movies of 2026 so far to catch up on that I recommend. Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man Back to Birmingham and to business Tommy Shelby might have walked away from Birmingham, but staying away from the chaos is a different story. Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man brings Cillian Murphy back as the gangster in a feature-length continuation of the series. Set in 1940, the film finds Britain in the middle of World War II and Tommy living in self-imposed exile. His attempt to leave his old life behind is interrupted when his estranged son becomes involved in a Nazi plot, forcing him to return to the city he left. The stakes now, however, extend beyond the Shelby business. With his family and country threatened, Tommy must confront the consequences of his past and decide what should become of his legacy. Written by series creator Steven Knight and directed by Tom Harper, the Peaky Blinders movie brings familiar faces together with newcomers, including Barry Keoghan, Rebecca Ferguson, and Tim Roth. For viewers who have followed Tommy through six seasons of family disputes and criminal dealings, this chapter takes his story into wartime Birmingham. The sequel has amassed 63.9 million views, grabbing spot number nine on Netflix's top 10 most-watched of 2026 so far. People We Meet on Vacation Catch the love bug People We Meet on Vacation is a Netflix rom-com that captured hearts (and eyes) this summer, fitting snugly into my vacation watch list. Based on the 2021 novel of the same name by Emily Henry, this love story follows free-spirited Poppy (My Lady Jane's Emily Bader) and the man with a plan, Alex (The Ballad of Snakes and Songbirds' Tom Blythe), two complete opposites who become best friends in college and make a pact to take one vacation together every summer for a week, no matter where they may be in the world at that time of year. Over time, their friendship evolves into something more when they find themselves developing feelings, leading to tension and angst that bleeds into their summer trips. If a super sweet and fun movie is something you are looking for (skipping the generic rom-com cringe), then it's nice addition to your list this year. People We Meet on Vacation garnered 77.7 million views, placing it as one of the most-watched romcoms on the platform so far at spot number seven. People We Meet on Vacation Release Date January 9, 2026 Cast Tom Blyth, Emily Bader, Sarah Catherine Hook, Jameela Jamil, Lucien Laviscount, Lukas Gage, Miles Heizer, Alan Ruck, Molly Shannon, Alice Lee, Spencer Neville, Ian Porter, John Jabaley, Bethany Anne Lind, Michael A. Newcomer, Laura Flannery, Layton Williams, Amy Le, Amia Edwards, Theodus Crane, Scheherazade Braithwaite, Chloe Berman, Harry Attwell, Andrew Gruen, Joseph Karre Runtime 116 minutes Director Brett Haley Writers Yulin Kuang, Nunzio Randazzo, Amos Vernon Producers Wyck Godfrey, Marty Bowen, Isaac Klausner Main Genre Romance Executive Producer(s) Emily Henry, Laura Quicksilver, Ted Gidlow Apex Survival at the height of danger Heading into the wilderness alone comes with its own risks, but Sasha has something far worse than a tricky climb. In Apex, Charlize Theron plays a grieving mountain climber who travels into the Australian wilderness hoping to find some peace. On this journey of solitude, she comes across Ben (Kingsman's Taron Egerton), a daunting serial killer, who turns her trip into a hunt. Sasha’s experience outdoors becomes crucial as she tries to survive both the harsh surroundings and a pursuer who knows how to hunt. Add to this the fact that the man following her treats her as literal prey, which forces her to depend on her physical endurance and ability to think under pressure. The thriller places its central confrontation among Australia’s cliffs, forests, and rivers. Apex has collected 129 million views so far, grabbing the fifth spot on Netflix's list. Apex Release Date April 24, 2026 Cast Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, Eric Bana, Caitlin Stasey, Bessie Holland, Zachary Garred, Matt Whelan, Rob Carlton, Aaron Pedersen, Duncan Fellows, Julia Ohannessian, Niam Hogan, Willow Seager Runtime 96 minutes Director Baltasar Kormákur Writers Jeremy Robbins Producers A.J. Dix, Charlize Theron, Dawn Olmstead, Ian Bryce, Jenno Topping, Ray Angelic, Beth Kono, Peter Chernin, David Ready Main Genre Thriller Executive Producer(s) Ray Angelic, Will McCance, Dawn Olmstead The Rip This mission might cost an arm and a leg If you're up for a fast-paced film that keeps you hooked throughout, don't miss The Rip, an action thriller led by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, which happens to be one of my favorite thrillers that Netflix has put out this year. The story follows two Miami cops and partners who find themselves in a tense situation after their team finds more than $20 million in cash stashed away in a stash house. The atmosphere becomes more dangerous as people outside the team learn just how much money is involved. With pressure building around them, the officers have to manage threats while dealing with growing suspicion within their ranks. The premise leaves plenty of room for shifting loyalties: finding the cash is only the beginning, and keeping control of the situation becomes harder. The Rip also features performances from Steven Yeun (Beef) and Teyana Taylor (One Battle After Another), adding a stacked cast to an already thrilling premise. The movie chased down 136.1 million views, missing out on the top spot (grabbed by War Machine) by a rough 10 million views. The Rip Release Date January 13, 2026 Cast Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sasha Calle, Kyle Chandler, Scott Adkins, Daisuke Tsuji, Nestor Carbonell, lina esco, Alex Hernandez, Cliff Chamberlain, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Marco Morales, Sal Lopez, Angel Rosario Jr., Jayson Merrill, David Anthony Buglione, Lourdes Hernández, Joel Perez, Joe Carnahan, Kathleen Deming, Scot Teller, Iván Amaro Bullón Runtime 113 minutes Director Joe Carnahan Writers Joe Carnahan, Michael McGrale Producers Ben Affleck, Kevin Halloran, Matt Damon, Michael Joe Main Genre Crime Release Window 2025 Executive Producer(s) Kevin Halloran, Michael Joe Other titles that got all eyes on them Apart from these movies, other titles that made the cut include the hyper-viral K-pop Demon Hunters (number four), JLo's romcom Office Romance (number ten), and the adventurous animated film Swapped (number three). Subscription with ads Yes, $8/month Simultaneous streams Two or four Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly Netflix subscription. Live TV No Price Starting at $8/month