Netflix's New Most-Watched Thriller Confirms The Key To Matt Damon's Hit Movie With Over 136 Million Views
Cooper Hood is the Associate Editor for all new movie releases, in theaters and on streaming. In addition to writing articles about these titles and upcoming releases, he also oversees content planning for each, ensuring that ScreenRant continues to cover major releases for months after their release.
He has written various reviews for ScreenRant that appear on Rotten Tomatoes, coordinated Oscars and San Diego Comic-Con coverage, appeared on CNN to talk about Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning, and done select interviews with talent over the years.
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Netflix has a new thriller that has taken over its streaming charts in Ben Affleck's Animals, and it proves why his and Matt Damon's 2026 action crime movie The Rip was so popular. Animals arrived on Netflix on October 9 with every expectation to be a major hit for the world's biggest streaming service.
Animals is directed by and stars Affleck, along with recognizable co-stars Kerry Washington, Steven Yeun, and Gillian Anderson. That level of starpower plus the thriller genre is often a recipe for success for Netflix. The early results are encouraging, as Animals immediately became the most-watched movie for the streamer. It debuted to 23.8 million views, which is the seventh-biggest launch for a 2026 Netflix original movie.
A major reason why Animals was expected to do well is that Affleck is just months removed from turning The Rip into Netflix's biggest launch of the year. That film launched to an incredible 41.6 million views back in January, holding onto the #1 spot worldwide for three consecutive weeks and earning 136.1 million views in the first half of 2026. The performance was a promising sign that Animals would do well.
Animals' initial streaming viewership is solid, but it looks worse when compared to The Rip. Affleck's new film opened to nearly half as many views. This result proves how valuable Damon was for The Rip and just how costly it was for Animals to alter its original plans.
Matt Damon Was Largely Responsible For The Rip's Success
Affleck has much more experience as a streaming star, with Animals marking his fourth collaboration with Netflix. It would be easy to think that he is more so responsible for getting people to watch his various streaming movies, including The Rip. His involvement certainly did help the latter find success, but Animals goes to show it would not have been the same without Damon.
The truth is that Damon is the bigger movie star at this point in their careers. He's a reliable box office star, has led major franchises like Bourne and Ocean's, and has brought standalone blockbusters, like The Martian, to find success. Affleck has his fair share of hits and major roles (he was Batman after all), but Damon is more widely appreciated and a steady star presence.
The impact of Damon's involvement in The Rip leading to its record-setting viewership can't be understated then. But that's not to say the film would've been just as big without Affleck. The reunion aspect of Damon and Affleck on-screen together was a huge draw for The Rip. Animals' viewership is a reminder of how much people want to see them working together rather than separated.
Animals' Lower Viewership Makes Matt Damon's Recasting Worse
It's that realization that makes Animals a bit of a missed opportunity for Affleck and Netflix. When Affleck started developing the movie originally, he was only going to direct it, with Damon attached to play the lead role of Los Angeles mayoral candidate Mark Kimball. This version still had Yeun and Anderson in their parts, but Jennifer Garner, not Washington, was going to play Mark's wife.
Following a significant one-year production delay, Damon had to step away from the project so he could star in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey. Affleck chose to play the lead role himself rather than push back the film again in the hopes of retaining Damon.
It was an understandable decision to make at the time, but in light of The Rip and Animals' performances, it may have been a mistake. Damon starring in Animals could have made it a bigger hit, especially with it coming on the heels of The Odyssey's success.
This would have meant waiting longer to see Animals, but the extended development could have worked in its favor. The movie only has a 32% on Rotten Tomatoes, so some of its issues could have been fixed ahead of time upon further evaluation. Even if not, Damon's presence and pairing with Affleck in a different capacity likely would have given it a chance to challenge The Rip's performance.
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