Robert De Niro’s New Netflix Crime Thriller Tops Global Streaming Charts

Following a string of successes with mid-budget releases in recent months, Netflix is looking to extend its winning streak with this week’s latest addition. The streaming service has moved away from mega-budget productions like The Electric State, Red Notice, and 6 Underground, and has instead turned its attention to more modestly scaled projects. So far this year, Netflix has released several films — including Apex, Thrash, and The Rip — that have each surpassed 100 million views. The sci-fi action feature War Machine, led by Alan Ritchson, has become one of the platform’s biggest hits to date, accumulating over 150 million views.

This week, the service premiered a new psychological thriller headlined by actors with strong audience draw. The film, starring Robert De Niro, Adam Scott, and Michelle Monaghan, quickly rose to the top of Netflix’s viewership rankings, displacing the previous chart-toppers Don’t Say Good Luck and The Last House. The latter, a sci-fi thriller featuring Greta Lee and Wagner Moura, has already accumulated more than 70 million views in just three weeks — further evidence that Netflix’s revised approach is paying off. The Last House achieved this success despite lukewarm critical reception; it currently holds a 22% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s consensus describes the film as one that “drags a capable cast through an increasingly repetitive narrative without delivering the suspense or thematic depth its premise demands.”

Netflix’s New Movie Has Received Mixed Reviews

Netflix’s latest mid-budget release, The Whisper Man, has fared slightly better with critics. It currently holds a 42% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with Collider’s David Caballero drawing comparisons to 1990s serial killer thrillers such as Copycat and The Bone Collector. In his review, he noted that the film “doesn’t exactly reinvent the formula or offer anything particularly fresh, but it’s a solid and extremely eerie watch nonetheless.” Directed by James Ashcroft and adapted from the bestselling novel by Alex North, The Whisper Man has established itself as the number-one title on Netflix both domestically and internationally. According to FlixPatrol, the film also overtook the recent word-of-mouth success Facing El Chapo, a crime thriller from Mexico based on true events.

Release Date
August 28, 2026

Runtime
106 minutes

Director
James Ashcroft

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