Netflix has had several original movies over the years, but a new sci-fi movie has dominated the streaming service and set up a franchise. Netflix has upped its game with original films, with some incredible recent releases ranging from the Oscar-nominated animated hit KPop Demon Hunters and the comedy sequel Happy Gilmore 2 to the Guillermo del Toro horror movie Frankenstein and Oscar-nominated drama Train Dreams. While not a movie that will ever challenge for an Oscar, a new sci-fi action movie has surpassed 80 million views and is teasing a big sequel that could be a major franchise for Netflix.
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War Machine ranked number one on the Netflix global movie charts during its first week of release with 44.4 million views, and it is already over 80 million views after two weeks as one of the biggest movies on the streaming service in 2026.
War Machine Also Sets Up a Sequel for Netflix
There is a lot to love about War Machine, and it all starts with its star, who happens to be one of the best up-and-coming actors in the business, Alan Ritchson. Directed by Patrick Hughes (The Hitman’s Bodyguard), Ritchson stars as Staff Sergeant 81, a man who is sent on a training exercise with other recruits (all with numbers instead of names). However, while on the mission, they end up facing what turns out to be an alien robot dropped to the Earth with the intention of starting a mission to conquer the planet.
Ritchson proved in Jack Reacher that he is one of the most charismatic and likable actors working in Hollywood right now, and he brings that talent to War Machine. Critics praised the film, with a 71% Rotten Tomatoes score, which is rare for a sci-fi streaming movie, and that speaks volumes for its success. On top of that, the movie ended with a scene where Ritchson learns that there are more robots all over the planet attacking, and he is the only person who knows their weakness after beating the first one.
This final scene proves that a War Machine sequel is likely. Alan Ritchson said that he wants to be in a sequel, or more than one if possible, as he wants to show how his character has learned and what life experience has taught him about these incidents. “I’d love to see some action. I’d love to be [in] or oversee some action,” Ritchson told CBR. “The reality is that this movie ends with a big window for that.” With Ritchson already a star on Reacher with no end in sight, this could add a movie franchise to his career, and the sky looks like the limit.
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