Netflix has released its latest What We Watched engagement report, revealing what members streamed between January and June 2026. The report shows that subscribers watched more than 97 billion hours of content during the six-month period—the highest total Netflix has ever recorded for a half-year. Among films, War Machine emerged as the platform’s biggest hit with 146.9 million views, leading an action-heavy Top 10 that also underscored the growing popularity of animated features and book adaptations.
Netflix also announced that What We Watched will transition from a twice-yearly report to an annual snapshot beginning in 2027, making this one of the company’s final six-month engagement reports.
Action proved to be Netflix’s strongest-performing film genre during the first half of the year. War Machine led the rankings with 146.9 million views, followed by The Rip with 136.1 million. They were joined by fellow action titles Apex, which accumulated 129 million views, and Thrash, which reached 100 million, giving the genre four of the six most-watched films on the platform.
The dominance of action continued with Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, which finished ninth overall with 63.9 million views, demonstrating that established franchises can continue attracting audiences even after making the transition from television to feature films.
While action topped the charts, animation delivered one of the report’s biggest surprises. Swapped finished third overall with 130.8 million views, narrowly ahead of KPop Demon Hunters, which ranked fourth with 130.4 million. The performance of both titles highlights Netflix’s growing success with original animated films, an area the company identified as one of its strongest growth segments.
Netflix noted that Swapped is on track to become its second most-watched original animated film ever, trailing only KPop Demon Hunters. The latter’s continued success is particularly remarkable given that it premiered more than a year ago. Released on June 20, 2025, the film ranked only 31st in the previous engagement report because it debuted near the end of that reporting window, generating 36.7 million views in its first 10 days. Strong reviews, enthusiastic word of mouth, and sustained audience discovery have since transformed it into one of Netflix’s biggest animated successes, adding another 130.4 million views during the January–June 2026 period alone.
Beyond action and animation, several other genres also attracted substantial audiences. The romantic drama People We Meet on Vacation, adapted from Emily Henry’s bestselling novel, finished seventh with 77.7 million views, continuing Netflix’s strong track record with book-to-screen adaptations. Romantic comedy also remained a reliable performer, with Office Romance securing the tenth spot on the chart with 58.1 million views.
Documentaries also maintained a significant presence on the platform. The Crash, a true-crime documentary, ranked eighth overall with 65.2 million views, making it one of the highest-performing nonfiction titles during the reporting period.
Netflix’s Top 10 Most-Watched Films (January–June 2026 Report)
- War Machine — 146.9 million views
- The Rip — 136.1 million views
- Swapped — 130.8 million views
- KPop Demon Hunters — 130.4 million views
- Apex — 129.0 million views
- Thrash — 100.0 million views
- People We Meet on Vacation — 77.7 million views
- The Crash — 65.2 million views
- Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man — 63.9 million views
- Office Romance — 58.1 million views
The report also highlighted broader viewing trends across the service. Netflix said non-English titles accounted for more than one-third of all viewing during the first half of 2026, with South Korea, Japan, Spain, India, and South Africa among the strongest-performing international markets. Indian content, in particular, recorded its highest-ever engagement for a six-month period, led by titles such as Dhurandhar.
The latest engagement data reinforces several trends shaping Netflix’s film strategy. Big-budget action remains the platform’s most dependable genre, while animation has become a major global audience driver rather than a niche offering. At the same time, the enduring popularity of KPop Demon Hunters demonstrates that success on streaming is increasingly defined by long-term engagement rather than opening-week performance, with recommendation algorithms and word of mouth capable of turning a strong debut into a sustained global phenomenon months after release.
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