Chris McPherson is a Senior Author in News for Collider who focuses on Taylor Sheridan, Harry Potter, Dad TV, box office, blockbuster movies and more.
Netflix has spent the last few years trying to turn original action movies into proper event releases, but not all of them stick in the way the service clearly hopes they will. Some debut big and vanish.
Others hang around for a week or two before the algorithm moves on. War Machine has had a very different run. The film arrived with a simple but very effective hook, dropped Alan Ritchson into the middle of it, and has been putting up the kind of numbers that are hard to ignore ever since. That momentum started immediately. Netflix’s Tudum confirmed that War Machine debuted at No. 1 on the English film chart in 93 countries with 39.3 million views in its first tracking week after premiering on March 6. A week later, the film held onto the top spot and actually climbed to 44.4 million views, which is a pretty serious jump for a second frame. Along with rising star Ritchson, the cast of the popular action film also includes Dennis Quaid as Sheridan, Stephan James as 7, Jai Courtney as Squad Leader, Esai Morales as Torres, Blake Richardson as 15, Keiynan Lonsdale as 60, and Daniel Webber as 57. Related Remembering the Icons of Film — Collider Movie Quiz We pay tribute to the talents who helped define Hollywood. Posts By Macklen Makhloghi Is 'War Machine' Worth Watching? Directed by Patrick Hughes, War Machine follows Ritchson as a combat veteran called 81. The synopsis is as follows: "During the final stage of U.S. Army Ranger selection, a group of elite recruits set out on what should be their last brutal training exercise. But when a mysterious and deadly machine crashes into their remote training area, the mission turns into a fight for survival. Forced to rely on their training and each other, the soldiers must confront a relentless technological threat unlike anything they’ve faced before." Collider’s review stated that War Machine was the action vehicle that Ritchson had been waiting for. Aidan Kelley said the Netflix sci-fi thriller mixes military thrills with the danger of an unexpected alien invasion, delivering a ton of exciting action even if the story rarely breaks new ground. What elevates the film most is Ritchson himself, whose perfect performance provides the movie with its biggest appeal. "War Machine does indeed struggle to stand out in a crowded subgenre of alien invasion movies, but it also does enough to likely satisfy action and sci-fi fans. There are glimmers of brilliance with Ritchson's surprisingly nuanced performance in the lead role and at least one truly great action sequence, but just about every other aspect falls into 'just fine' territory. Is it Ritchson's breakout actioner that will finally put him on the filmmaking map? Maybe not, but it's still a fun enough adventure that streaming fans should find a good amount of enjoyment in." 6 10 War Machine Like Follow Followed R Action Science Fiction Thriller Release Date March 6, 2026 Runtime 107 minutes Director Patrick Hughes Writers Patrick Hughes, James Beaufort Producers Todd Lieberman, Alexander Young, Patrick Hughes, Greg McLean, Rich Cook Cast See All
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