Full Breakdown
Netflix's "The Rip" Achieves Record-Breaking Opening Weekend Viewership
1/21/2026, 12:35:09 AM
Major Opening Weekend Success for "The Rip"
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's action film "The Rip" premiered on Netflix on January 16, 2026, and garnered 41.6 million views in its first three days. This performance marks Netflix's largest film debut since "Happy Gilmore 2," which achieved 46.7 million views in July 2025. "The Rip" not only topped the viewership charts for the week of January 12-19, but it also significantly outperformed other recent releases, including "People We Meet on Vacation," which accumulated 23.3 million views in its second week.
Performance of Competing Titles
In addition to "The Rip," Netflix's "His & Hers," a crime thriller starring Tessa Thompson and Jon Bernthal, maintained its position as the most-watched TV show with 29.5 million views, up from 19.9 million in its debut week. Other notable titles included "Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials," which secured 9.9 million views, and "One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5," which achieved 8.7 million views.
Impact on "Stranger Things" Viewership
The release of "Stranger Things" Season 5 has also influenced viewership patterns across the platform. All previous seasons of the series saw increased engagement, with Season 4 and Season 3 ranking as the fifth and sixth most-watched shows of the week, respectively. Season 5 itself ranked fourth with 5.1 million views, contributing to its rise to fourth place on Netflix's all-time most popular list with a total of 120.1 million views.
Official Statements & Responses
Tessa Thompson, co-showrunner and star of "His & Hers," expressed gratitude for the audience's engagement with the series, stating, “The response has been beyond gratifying—not just in how quickly audiences embraced the series, but in how deeply they engaged with it.” This sentiment reflects the broader trend of viewers actively discussing themes presented in the series.
Criticism & Opposition
Despite the success of "The Rip," some industry analysts have raised concerns regarding the sustainability of such viewership figures. Critics argue that while initial numbers are impressive, they do not guarantee long-term engagement or success for the film or series.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
While "The Rip" has been reported as Netflix's biggest film opening since "Happy Gilmore 2," discrepancies exist regarding the methodology used to calculate viewership. Netflix's approach to measuring views for split seasons, such as "Stranger Things," has been criticized for its complexity, leading to questions about the accuracy of reported figures.
What's Next
As viewership data continues to evolve, Netflix will monitor the performance of "The Rip" and "His & Hers" in the coming weeks. The ongoing success of "Stranger Things" Season 5 will also be closely watched, as it may influence future programming decisions and marketing strategies on the platform.
