Alan Ritchson’s New Action Thriller War Machine Trailer Exposes Netflix Flaw

1 week ago 11

Published Feb 4, 2026, 3:29 PM EST

Greg is a Lead TV Writer & Critic at Screen Rant who also covers Movies and Music. He's published over 2500 articles at SR, including weekly binge guides and dozens of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. He previously worked in Development at ABC Television & Lawrence Bender Productions.

Greg majored in Film Production at Chapman University's Dodge College. Greg also has years of broadcast TV production experience at major networks such as NBC, TNT, and ESPN. He currently lives in Greater Boston.

Alan Ritchson's upcoming action thriller War Machine looks fantastic from its newly released trailer that just dropped on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, but it also exposes Netflix's biggest streaming problem.

Ritchson is on his way to becoming one of the biggest action movie stars of 2026 – and perhaps even throughout the 2020s – after surging to mainstream success as the titular protagonist in Prime Video's Reacher. That said, War Machine still faces one enormous obstacle as an exclusive and inherently limited Netflix release.

Netflix's War Machine Trailer Proves It's Meant For The Big Screen

The first official look at Netflix's new action thriller movie War Machine proves that it is meant to be seen on the big screen in movie theaters around the world. However, that won't be the case, as Netflix's distribution model almost entirely restricts its content to at-home televisions and mobile devices, including iPads and cell phones.

Because of this, it's hard to call War Machine a true blockbuster, as it will have no worldwide box office, meaning its success or failure will solely be determined by viewership, as all of Netflix's original movies are. This inevitably robs viewers of the chance to see War Machine on the biggest screen imaginable, which is a massive disappointment, given how promising the new trailer looks.

Not to be confused with Netflix's 2017 movie of the same name starring Brad Pitt, 2026's War Machine will follow the final recruits of a brutal special operations boot camp who are suddenly called upon to fight against an otherworldly machine of pure destruction. Filled with explosions, firefights, and epic action sequences, War Machine is a movie that many people would likely pay to see at their local multiplex.

War Machine Is Netflix's Latest Movie That Should Be In Theaters

War Machine is the latest Netflix action thriller with a 2026 release date that would be great to see in a theater. The Matt Damon and Ben Affleck movie The Rip likely would have drawn a sizable audience had it received at least a limited one-week theatrical release.

Netflix has proven that it is not interested in expanding the distribution methods of its original movie content, which is why there is an industry-wide concern about the streaming giant purchasing Warner Bros., one of the most beloved movie studios of all time.

Netflix's biggest advantage with a straight-to-streaming model is that more eyes will be on War Machine because there is such a low barrier to entry. Anyone who pays for Netflix each month will be able to watch it instantly on their phones or television on March 6, 2026. The payoff, however, is streaming a would-be blockbuster like War Machine on a much smaller screen, which feels like a letdown based on its new trailer.