Tyler Perry's New Netflix Movie Is An Instant #1 Streaming Sensation In America

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Tyler Perry smiling the premiere of The Six Triple Eight

Published Feb 14, 2026, 1:00 PM EST

Ryan Northrup is a Senior Staff Writer on ScreenRant's Movie & TV News team, where he has authored nearly 5,000 articles, including features and reviews. A graduate of McMaster University, Ryan began his career in public relations before attending Vancouver Film School. There, he built lasting industry connections and optioned a feature film screenplay.

Tyler Perry continues his streaming dominance as his latest film becomes an instant streaming sensation.

Perry continues to write, direct, and produce a variety of TV shows and movies for Netflix, including recently Tyler Perry's Finding Joy (2025), Beauty in Black (2024-2025), Divorced Sistas (2025), Madea's Destination Wedding (2025), and Straw (2025), among many others. Viewership continues to be strong for most of these, and his newest release, Joe's College Road Trip is no exception.

Following its release on February 13, Joe's College Road Trip currently stands as the number one movie on Netflix in the U.S. The R-rated comedy beats titles like the live-action How to Train Your Dragon (2025), A Father's Miracle (2026), The Black Phone (2021), Homefront (2013), and Flipped (2010).

Written, directed, produced, and starring Perry, the film follows Madea's brother Joe as he goes with his grandson B.J. on a college road trip. This is the first movie in the larger Madea franchise to put Joe front and center, and the decision seems to resonate with Netflix subscribers.

Perry plays both Madea and Joe in Joe's College Road Trip, with Jermaine Harris playing B.J. Amber Reign, Bethany Anne Lind, and Jeremy Gimenez also star in the film, which marks the fourteenth installment in the Madea universe.

Perry's latest is evidently proving popular with general viewers, but there's no clear critical consensus just yet. For the most part, Perry's movies, including those in the Madea franchise, don't fare well with critics. Straw reviews, for example, resulted in that film earning only a 53% Rotten Tomatoes score.

Joe College Road Trip only has four reviews listed on Rotten Tomatoes as of writing, which isn't enough to generate a score. It's possible this one could fare better than Perry's other recent projects, however, as three out of the four reviews are "fresh," with one designated "rotten."

It's not unusual for new Perry releases to shoot to the top of the Netflix charts, but the true test of the film's power with viewers will come in the days and weeks ahead. If Tyler Perry's Joe's College Road Trip manages to remain a powerhouse in the Netflix top 10 moving forward, it will certainly guarantee future collaborations between the creator and the streamer.