Netflix’s Ben Affleck Thriller Officially Dethroned By New Survival Movie

Published Oct 26, 2026, 8:47 AM EDT

Maggie Dela Paz is a News and TV writer at ScreenRant. She has nearly a decade of professional experience in writing entertainment articles about a wide range of topics, including movies, television, music, anime, streaming, and more.

Ben Affleck’s newest Netflix movie ended its streaming dominance as the platform debuts a new No. 1. The acclaimed actor-director has worked with Netflix on multiple features, including 2019’s Triple Frontier with Oscar Isaac and 2026’s The Rip with Matt Damon. Earlier this month, Affleck's latest Netflix collaboration, Animals, was finally released, which served as the first movie that Affleck has directed for the platform. It is also part of Affleck and Damon's first-look deal with Netflix through their Artist Equity production banner.

Animals revolves around a mayoral candidate who gets dragged into a web of deception after his son gets kidnapped. As the deadline for the ransom nears, he and his wife are forced to get their hands dirty for the sake of saving their son. The movie also stars Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Adriana Paz, Ray Fisher, and Steven Yeun. Despite the Animals movie's negative reviews, it still became a streaming sensation after claiming the number one spot on Netflix's global top ten charts for nearly two weeks. However, Animals' reign was ultimately cut short with the release of Surviving Hurricane Otis.

Surviving Hurricane Otis Passes Ben Affleck's Animals To Become #1 On Netflix

Netflix

At the time of writing, Netflix’s Mexican survival drama Surviving Hurricane Otis has officially landed the number one spot on the streaming platform’s top ten movies chart worldwide. The movie holds the top spot in over 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Austria, and Turkey. Meanwhile, Animals has ranked down to second place. Apart from the Ben Affleck thriller movie, the survival thriller has also beaten several horror movies, like Weapons, The Addams Family, Primate, and One Missed Call.

Surviving Hurricane Otis was directed by Jorge Michel Garu, who co-wrote the screenplay with José Leonor Alejandro and Venancio Villalobos. The original movie stars Benny Emmanuel, Kristyan Ferrer, Andrew Leland Rogers, Mónica Del Carmen, Gonzalo Vega. Jr., Mónica Jiménez, and Octavio Michel Grau. It has a total running time of 96 minutes, or 1 hour and 36 minutes. Netflix produced the film in collaboration with Perro Azul, who shot it entirely in Acapulco, Mexico.

Surviving Hurricane Otis Is Based On A Harrowing True Story

Netflix

The movie follows two estranged brothers who become deckhands on a yacht in the coastal resort city of Acapulco. Their brotherhood is suddenly tested when they get unexpectedly hit by a Category 5 hurricane. They must set aside their differences and conflict if they want to get through the massive storm alive, while also risking their lives to protect the yacht for a wealthy owner. In addition to being a survival family drama, the film serves as a social commentary on classism, which involves the exploitation of low-income local workers at tourist destinations.

Surviving Hurricane Otis was inspired by the real-life story of Acapulco sailors Marlon Valdez and Jonathan Chino, who miraculously survived the 2023 natural disaster despite staying behind on their ships. Valdez and Chino served as advisers during production, where they worked directly with lead stars Benny Emmanuel and Kristyan Ferrer. While the film depicted the main characters as half-brothers, Valdez and Chino are actually just close friends.