10 Best Action Movies on Netflix That Broke Streaming Records

Action movies offer a thrilling escape from reality, stimulating the brain with adrenaline-pumping spectacle. And if blended with a good storyline, the audience loves their heroes coming out of insurmountable odds, resulting in emotional satisfaction and visual pleasure. 

Movie Insiderz has come up with a list of the 10 best action movies that ever broke records on Netflix. Take a closer look:

10 Best Action Movies on Netflix

K-Pop Demon Hunters (2025)

Netflix views: 325.1 M

IMDb rating: 7.4

Rotten Tomatoes: 91 percent critics’ and 99 percent audience rating 

Director: Chris Appelhans and Maggie Kang

Cast: Arden Cho, Ahn Hyo-Seop, May Hong, Ji-Young Yoo

K-Pop Demon Hunters is Netflix’s most-watched film of all time, a record that Red Notice previously held. Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, it became a global hit with its head-banging songs and a strong storyline, contributing to its record-breaking success and leading to a confirmed sequel. 

The story follows a band of three K-pop superstar girls, Huntrix, who secretly battle demons to save their fans and seal the Honmoon. While they are fighting to keep their show from dimming, they encounter another demon boy band that wants their mission to fail. 

Red Notice (2021)

Netflix views: 230.9 M

IMDb rating: 6.3

Rotten Tomatoes: 37 percent critics’ and 92 percent audience rating

Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, Ritu Arya, Chris Diamantopoulos

The story centers on a top FBI profiler, John Hartley (played by Dwayne Johnson), who partners with a world-class art thief, Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds), to catch another rival thief (Gal Gadot).

Though the film received mixed reviews for the story being too formulaic, the star cast and comedy timing saved the film, making it one of the greatest streaming hits on Netflix for a long time.  

Carry On (2024)

Netflix views: 172.1 M

IMDb rating: 6.5

Rotten Tomatoes: 87 percent critics’ and 52 percent audience rating 

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra

Cast: Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, Jason Bateman, Danielle Deadwyler, Theo Rossi

Carry On is a story of a young TSA agent, Ethan Kopek (Taron Egerton), who is forced by a mysterious traveler to slip a package through security; otherwise, he will kill his pregnant wife. The incident happens on a Christmas Eve when he receives a call from someone else’s earpiece and finds himself in a mess. 

After its release in December 2024, the film remained a huge success as it secured a spot in the top five Netflix films. It gained an impressive number of views within a short time, making it a highly anticipated holiday success. Even so, many people found the story weak and criticized it for plot holes. The film is a stylish thriller with crowd-pleasing action sequences.

Don’t Look Up (2021)

Netflix views: 171.4 M

IMDb rating: 7.1

Rotten Tomatoes: 56 percent critics’ and 78 percent audience ratings

Director: Adam McKay

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill

Don’t Look Up is a comedy thriller that focuses on two astronomers discovering a massive comet heading towards Earth. Something needs to be done about it; otherwise, it will wipe out humanity in six months.

They try to gain attention and have talks with the US president and appear on TV shows to make the audience aware of the consequences. However, nobody seems to care. 

The film gained criticism in terms of being too “preachy” rather than engaging the audience. The satirical tone wasn’t used effectively, and the comedy appeared irritating. However, the film gained popularity as the media and political response to the climatic crisis was accurately depicted in the film, thus ranking it as one of the most-watched films on Netflix. 

The Adam Project (2022)

Netflix views: 157.6 M

IMDb rating: 6.7

Rotten Tomatoes: 68 percent critics’ and 73 percent audience rating 

Director: Shawn Levy

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Walker Scobell, Zoe Saldana

At its core, this film is about time-travel action. When a fighter pilot, Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds), crashes in 2022 and teams up with his 12-year-old self to save the future, they both realize they have to go back in time to stop their father, Louis (Mark Ruffalo), from building a time-traveling machine. 

The time-traveling family-friendly movie was a Netflix hit since it became the most-watched film on the platform at that time. It ran successfully for one month and enjoyed running among the top ten films for several consecutive weeks. 

Bird Box (2018)

Netflix views: 157.4 M

IMDb rating: 6.6

Rotten Tomatoes: 64 percent critics’ and 58 percent audience rating

Director: Susanne Bier

Cast: Sandra Bullock, Trevante Rhodes, Jackie Weaver, Rosa Salazar, Danielle Macdonald

The storyline of this post-apocalyptic thriller is built around surviving blindfolded from the unseen entities that drive people to commit suicide upon seeing. Malorie (Sandra Bullock) takes two children on a dangerous river journey to survive the devilish creatures, as well as her past flashbacks about survival in a house with strangers. 

Based on Josh Malerman’s 2014 novel of the same name, it was compared to A Quiet Place (2018); the plot seemed too familiar to be relied on as a successful film. Still, it managed to stay on top of streaming charts with a strong cast, a gripping storyline, and fast pacing that didn’t bore the viewers. 

Back in Action (2025)

Netflix views: 147.2 M

IMDb rating: 5.9

Rotten Tomatoes: 31 percent critics’ and 60 percent audience rating

Director: Seth Gordon

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, McKenna Roberts, Kyle Chandler, Glenn Close

Back in Action unfolds the struggles of former CIA operatives Emily (Cameron Diaz) and Matt (Jamie Foxx), who left espionage for a peaceful life. They were dragged back into the same hazardous world when their identities were uncovered, and children were kidnapped. 

Back in Action could be considered a hit in terms of Netflix viewership, as it remained on top from January 13 to 19 with 46.8M views, as per Deadline. It had the biggest premier weekend for an English-language movie since The Adam Project. 

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Netflix views: 143.4 M

IMDb rating: 6.4

Rotten Tomatoes: 73 percent critics’ and 36 percent audience rating

Director: Sam Esmail

Cast: Julia Roberts, Mahaershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la Herrold, Kevin Bacon

As the name suggests, Leave the World Behind is explicitly based on modern world crises and the consequences of total internet/technology collapse, even for the rich. A family is enjoying a luxurious Long Island vacation when their leisure activities are interrupted by a city-wide blackout. The story also highlights another family attempting to escape a mysterious cyberattack.

The flick dominated the streaming platform instantly after its release. Though the critics and audience were divided, the viewership was still high. The suspenseful performances from Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke kept the audience hooked. 

The Gray Man (2022)

Netflix views: 139.3 M

IMDb rating: 6.5

Rotten Tomatoes: 45 percent critics’ and 90 percent audience rating

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Cast: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Rege-Jean Page 

The Gray Man captures the story of Courtland Gentry (Ryan Gosling), a skilled CIA black ops assassin who uncovers dark agency secrets. A high-ranking official hires a private contractor, Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), to kill Six and retrieve the data. Hansen utilizes clever ways to get to Six and kidnaps his niece, Claire. Meanwhile, Six is assisted by Agent Dani Miranda (Ana de Armas) and eventually saves Claire. Miranda exposes the data filled with corruption.​

The colossal difference between its critical and audience ratings explains that it was a tremendous success for the streaming platform, while the critics deemed it cliched or forgettable. Despite its flaws, the film delivers solid entertainment with action-packed moments that audiences enjoyed.

Damsel (2024)

Netflix views: 138 M

IMDb rating: 6.1

Rotten Tomatoes: 56 percent critics’ and 59 percent audience rating

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo

Cast: Millie Bobby Brown, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Brooke Carter 

Damsel traces the journey of Elodie (Millie Bobby Brown), who marries into a noble family. She soon realizes that she would be served as a sacrifice to the dragon by her new in-laws. She uses her wits to outdo them and survive with revenge. 

In the first half of its release year, Damsel had the highest viewership on Netflix, proving its success despite receiving mixed critical reviews. With a strong cast, Brown’s intense physical performance, and high-stakes survival scenes, it continued to draw viewers, which helped hold its spot as the top Netflix film in 2024.