Netflix Is Blocking Dakota Johnson's Gritty 101-Minute Drama Everyone Ignored

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Penelope wearing sunglasses by the pool in A Bigger Splash

Published Feb 14, 2026, 9:00 AM EST

Rohan Naahar is a Weekend News Writer for Collider. From Francois Ozon to David Fincher, he'll watch anything once.

He has covered everything from Marvel to the Oscars, and Marvel at the Oscars. He also writes obsessively about the box office, charting the many hits and misses that are released weekly, and how their commercial performance shapes public perception. In his time at Collider, he has also helped drive diversity by writing stories about the multiple Indian film industries, with a goal of introducing audiences to a whole new world of cinema.

Before Sydney Sweeney dominated the headlines for her perceived career slump and subsequent comeback, Dakota Johnson was the subject of similar scrutiny. Johnson broke out as the star of the three Fifty Shades of Grey movies, which grossed a combined total of more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office despite poor reviews. The popularity of those films gave her the freedom to experiment. Unfortunately for Johnson, not too many of those experiments worked. Sweeney had a similar slump after the success of her 2023 romantic comedy Anyone But You. In fact, Johnson and Sweeney's careers overlapped with Madame Web, which remains one of the worst-reviewed superhero films of the decade. Both stars rebounded last year with box office hits that were also well-received by critics; Johnson starred in Materialists, which made more than $100 million worldwide, and Sweeney starred in The Housemaid, which recently hit the $350 million mark worldwide. Now is perhaps the time to discover the movies that may have been lost in the ether while they were having a difficult run. Among the best-received movies that Johnson starred in during this time is a chamber piece that Netflix has blocked for some users.

This is done mainly because of rights-related issues, as Netflix doesn't have the authority to show ads on certain titles. The streamer launched its ad-supported tier in 2022, when around 5% of its total library was inaccessible to ad-tier subscribers. The number has since dropped to around 1.7%, with 137 titles being put behind a higher paywall in February. Among the most prominent titles still blocked for ad-tier subscribers is the first Netflix original ever, the political drama series House of Cards. However, over time, more and more movies and shows are becoming available across the platform. For instance, Peaky Blinders is no longer blocked for ad-tier subscribers.

Here's the Dakota Johnson Movie That Netflix Has Blocked for Some of Its Users

But the movie we're talking about is Daddio, which was released in 2023. Directed by Christy Hall, the film was set entirely during a cab ride from the airport to the protagonist's home in New York. Johnson played the passenger, while Sean Penn starred as the world-weary cab driver. Daddio made under $2 million in its box office run, despite earning mostly positive reviews. It now holds a 75% critics score and an 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, "A ruminative chamber piece on wheels, Daddio feels expansive thanks to Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn's compelling rapport." You can watch Daddio on Netflix, but only if you aren't subscribed to the ad-supported tier.

Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.