Cameron Diaz’s First Movie in Ten Years Is a Certified Hit on Netflix

Back in Action, Cameron Diaz’s first movie in over a decade, is now a massive hit on Netflix. Following its release on the streamer on January 17th, the film ranks No. 1 on Netflix’s Top 10 Movies chart for the past week. According to the data, Back in Action racked up 46.8 million views in its debut and was streamed for 88.9 million hours. Those figures lap the competition; the second-place film, animated sequel The Secret Life of Pets 2, scored 8.9 million views and 12.7 million hours. Back in Action was also the top film in 85 different countries.

Apparently, Netflix users were in the mood for Cameron Diaz action movies this week. Coming in fourth place was Knight and Day, director James Mangold’s 2010 offering that paired Diaz with Tom Cruise. Enjoying its second week in the Top 10, Knight and Day had 5.2 million views and 9.5 million hours viewed.

In Back in Action, Diaz reunites with her Annie co-star Jamie Foxx; the two play a pair of former CIA operatives who are forced to leave their quiet civilian lives behind and embark on a dangerous mission after their cover is blown. Foxx excitedly announced the project back in 2022, hyping up Diaz’s return to acting. The aforementioned Annie was actually her last role before she stepped away from the industry.

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Diaz’s Hollywood comeback isn’t temporary, as the actress has a few other projects on her plate. She is starring alongside Keanu Reeves in Jonah Hill’s Outcome, which is currently in post-production. Diaz is also set to reprise her famous role of Princess Fiona in the upcoming Shrek 5, scheduled for release in December 2026. She’s even expressed willingness to return for a Mask sequel as long as Jim Carrey agreed to it.

Despite receiving largely negative reviews (26% on Rotten Tomatoes), Back in Action proved to be a sizable draw for Netflix subscribers, who were probably thrilled by the prospect of Diaz headlining a star vehicle again. It will be interesting to see if the film’s success paves the way for an eventual sequel. Netflix is no stranger to developing follow-ups to movies that click with audiences (see: Extraction, Murder Mystery), so it wouldn’t be far-fetched for the streamer to pursue a Back in Action 2 — especially considering Back in Action netted more views in its debut than massive hit Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (41 million views, 80.7 million hours viewed).

Back in Action also marks another win for Foxx’s partnership with Netflix. The actor has starred in many Netflix movies that have performed well; the likes of Day Shift, They Cloned Tyrone, and Project Power all topped the streamer’s charts when they debuted. It stands reason to believe both parties will want to continue collaborating with each other, whether it’s Back in Action 2 or something else entirely.