Matt Damon’s Near-Perfect Sci-Fi Thriller Is Officially a 100-Day Streaming Superhit

2026 has been a record-shattering year for Matt Damon, who has starred in huge movies on streaming and in theaters. At the beginning of the year, Damon took his talents to Netflix to team up with his long-time creative partner and friend, Ben Affleck, for The Rip. The Miami-set crime thriller pulled over 100 million views during its initial viewing period on Netflix, which was enough to make it one of the most-watched films of 2026 on the platform. Damon also reunited with director Christopher Nolan on his new blockbuster historical epic, The Odyssey, which recently sailed past $1.5 billion at the global box office. Damon is being eyed for yet another Oscar nomination for his performance as Odysseus in the film, and it could be the first time ever he takes home the award for his performance.

Damon has starred in dozens of iconic movies over the years, especially the Jason Bourne franchise, which recently landed on Netflix. The movies have been taking over streaming since being added to the platform at the start of this month. Still, if you were to ask random people on the street about their favorite Matt Damon movie, one film that would undoubtedly get plenty of votes is The Martian. Ridley Scott directs the 2015 sci-fi film, which is inspired by the novel of the same name by Andy Weir. If Weir’s name sounds familiar, it’s because he also wrote the sci-fi book that inspired the 2026 box office smash-hit, Project Hail Mary. Though The Martian is absent from streaming right now, the film has been in the top 10 on the VOD platform Apple TV for over 100 days.

What Is ‘The Martian’ About?

In addition to Matt Damon, The Martian also features a star-studded ensemble consisting of Jessica Chastain as Melissa Lewis, Kristen Wiig as Annie Montrose, Jeff Daniels as Teddy Sanders, Michael Peña as Rick Martinez, Sean Bean as Mitch Henderson, Sebastian Stan as Chris Beck, and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Vincent Kapoor. The film was nominated for seven Oscars, but despite not winning any, it still grossed over $630 million against a $100 million budget. The official synopsis for The Martian, which earned scores of 91% from both critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, reads as follows:

“When astronauts blast off from the planet Mars, they leave behind Mark Watney, presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meager amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must utilize his wits and spirit to find a way to survive on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission.”