What Movies Did People Watch Most on Streaming This Summer?

In the summer of 2026, streaming platforms saw a diverse range of movies topping their viewing charts, with box office hits thriving at home. Disney/Pixar's "Hopper" led the pack, amassing 2.66 billion cumulative minutes viewed on Disney+ between July 1 and July 12. This film, which debuted in theaters in March and grossed nearly $400 million worldwide, was just one of several theatrical releases that found success on streaming.

Amazon MGM's "Project Hail Mary," Disney/20th Century Studios' "Avatar: Fire and Ash," and Amazon MGM's "The Sheep Detectives" rounded out the top five streaming movies, each tallying over a billion cumulative viewing minutes.

A common factor among these successful films was their lengthy theatrical release windows. The popularity of these movies indicates that longer theatrical windows are not detrimental to their performance on streaming platforms. "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment in James Cameron's "Avatar" franchise, had an especially long window, as it moved to Disney+ six months after its Dec.

19 box office debut. The film racked up 1.7 billion minutes viewed in just three weeks, ranking as the fourth most-watched streaming movie during June and part of July.

Similarly, "Hopper" and "Project Hail Mary" embraced a full three-month theatrical window but still managed to make an impact on streaming. "Project Hail Mary" even double-dipped, debuting on MGM+ and then on Prime Video a few weeks later. This trend reflects the film industry's shift toward a 45-day theatrical window, with Universal vowing to extend its minimum window for all films starting in 2027.

The evidence suggests that longer windows allow films to maintain relevance for those who missed the theater and provide a breather for fans who already saw the movie.

One notable outlier was "The Sheep Detectives," a critical darling with a shorter one-and-a-half month theatrical window following its May 8 release. Despite not performing as well at the box office ($131 million against a $75 million budget), Amazon MGM moved the film to streaming earlier to capitalize on positive word-of-mouth.

Earlier hits from franchises about to release new installments also contributed to streaming success, such as "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Toy Story" movies. These earlier hits benefited from viewers eager to revisit their favorite franchises before the new installments premiered.

Streaming success was not solely driven by box office performance. Several of the top streaming movies were established franchises about to release new installments. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" and "Toy Story" movies experienced spikes in viewership ahead of their respective theatrical debuts. Netflix, despite rarely releasing films in theaters, still found success with a variety of genres, including romcoms, comedies, action films, and true crime documentaries.

"Maternal Instinct," a buzzy true crime documentary starring Millie Bobby Brown, ranked second among the top streaming movies, with nearly 2 billion minutes viewed.