Netflix's New Ben Affleck Thriller Misfires With All-Time Rotten Tomatoes Audience Record

Published Oct 10, 2026, 10:49 PM EDT

Fariba Rezwan is a Lead Editor for the Movie News team. She has been with ScreenRant for nearly five years, with roles ranging from list editor to junior news editor. 

During that time, Fariba has led coverage for breaking movies and TV news, including Hunger Games, Marvel, and streaming. Additionally, she has actively provided commentary and reactions to the biggest movies and shows on her YouTube channel, The Movieception Show. 

Netflix's new thriller starring Ben Affleck has officially received an audience verdict.

Netflix and Affleck reunited for the second time just this year with a new movie, Animals, which follows a Los Angeles mayoral candidate who must pay a ransom to save his kidnapped son. Affleck not only plays the lead role, but he also returns as a director three years after his last effort, the critically acclaimed biopic Air. Unfortunately, the Netflix thriller failed to win over critics and earned his second-lowest Rotten Tomatoes score as a director, with 37%. However, the most important voice is ultimately the viewers.

Unfortunately, Animals didn't fare any better with viewers, earning a 44% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It's also Affleck's second-lowest audience score as a director, just ahead of Live by Night (42%).

Critics and audiences agree that the actor-director's latest effort is a shadow of his past work. Despite the star-studded cast of Gillian Anderson, Kerry Washington, and Steven Yeun, reviews of Animals criticize the thriller for a contrived abduction plot and a confusing tone as it shifts from a political thriller to an action movie.

Every Movie Directed By Ben Affleck	Rotten Tomatoes Critics' Score	Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
Gone Baby Gone (2007)	94%	86%
The Town (2010)	92%	85%
Argo (2012)	96%	90%
Live by Night (2016)	34%	42%
Air (2023)	93%	97%
Animals (2026)	37%	43%

More importantly, Affleck's confirmation that the movie uses AI has sparked controversy, and some critics have noted the unappealing visuals. In fact, viewers have re-shared and heavily criticized one scene in Animals' climax, calling out its absurdity and lack of realism.

Although Affleck has his fair share of panned movies, the same doesn't apply to his reputation as a director. Since working behind the camera, he has one of the best track records as an actor-turned-director, with back-to-back critical darlings like Gone Baby Gone and The Town. However, his crown jewel is the 2012 political thriller, Argo, which earned seven nominations and won three, including Best Picture.

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Unfortunately, Affleck's incredible streak ended with 2016's Live by Night. Despite polarizing reviews from critics and audiences, the action drama became a box-office bomb, earning just $22 million against a $65 million budget. However, he redeemed himself with 2023's sports biopic Air, starring Matt Damon and Viola Davis.

Although Animals didn't extend that streak, the thriller has jumped into Netflix's top 10 movie charts. It's already the No. 1 movie in the United States, surpassing Tyler Perry's Doing Life, The Widower, and multiple Ice Age movies. However, it's unclear what the viewership numbers will look like, especially compared with the better-reviewed thriller The Rip, starring Damon and Affleck.

The plot for Animals had to be reworked because of competition from another similar movie. Speaking with ScreenRant's Ash Crossan, Affleck revealed that he "was not interested in competing with" Spike Lee and Denzel Washington when he learned their movie, Highest 2 Lowest, had a similar abduction plot. "They're two guys who I really admire," the director said, so that resulted in reworking the screenplay.

Meanwhile, Affleck hasn't announced his next directorial project, though he likely won't return behind the camera for some time, as he routinely takes a break between projects. Additionally, it's unclear whether he is attached to any other projects in a starring role.

Animals is now streaming on Netflix.