Ben Affleck's 'The Rip' Follow-Up 'Animals' Officially Takes Over Netflix

Despite the purge at Netflix this past week — hundreds of employees, including major executives, were let go — the streamer has a bona fide hit on its hands. The movie in question, Animals, culminates a year-long streak of success for the streamer's new strategy, although those responsible for implementing it are probably no longer around. Netflix pivoted from producing mega-budget tentpoles to focusing on mid-budget genre movies, rolling out more than half a dozen of them through 2026. Animals, directed by and starring Ben Affleck, could emerge as the biggest hit of the bunch, given its early performance.

Interestingly, Netflix's 2026 run began with another crime-thriller starring Affleck: The Rip. That movie was the first in a string of original films that crossed the coveted 100-million-views mark for Netflix this year. The Rip, also starring Matt Damon, was followed by Thrash, Apex, Swapped, and War Machine — the latter film, starring Alan Ritchson, has accumulated more than 150 million views so far. More recently, Netflix released two new hits — the Spielbergian sci-fi title The Last House, which has passed the 90-million-views mark, and the 90s-style psychological thriller The Whisper Man, which amassed more than 80 million views.

'Animals' Is Defying Poor Reviews

According to the streamer's latest viewership report, Animals saw a second-week increase, adding 30 million views and 55 million hours viewed. In its first week of release, Animals drew 24 million views and 42 million hours viewed, topping the charts on both occasions. Ironically, Animals has emerged as the worst-rated movie of Affleck's accomplished career as a director, which includes four "Certified Fresh" gems on Rotten Tomatoes. Also featuring Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, Adriana Paz, and Luis Gerardo Méndez. Animals is sitting at a 32% score on the aggregator website, where the consensus reads, "Despite all the makings of an enticing story, including a compelling Kerry Washington, Animals' weak writing prevents it from reaching its full potential."