Netflix’s War Machine is officially one of its biggest movies of all time
Netflix’s War Machine, an original sci-fi action film starring Alan Ritchson (Reacher) and directed by Patrick Hughes, has become one of the streaming platform’s biggest releases of 2026. Released in March following a theatrical premiere in Australia, the film’s journey to success was unconventional: developed by Lionsgate with a reported budget of $80 million, it underperformed theatrically in Australia before Netflix acquired its international rights. The acquisition proved transformative, with the film rapidly becoming a platform standout. The success is particularly notable given the current entertainment landscape dominated by sequels and established franchises—War Machine represents a rare win for original science fiction content on a major streaming service, demonstrating continued audience appetite for new properties beyond nostalgic reboots.