Netflix Made One Big Mistake With Affleck & Damon's The Rip
Netflix has had a good start to 2026. A couple of its hits from last year just scooped major Oscar nominations, and the streamer has also seen the new movie The Rip get plenty of attention on the platform since its release.
The crime-thriller from Joe Carnahan, who also directed the likes of The Grey and The A-Team reboot, has two of the biggest A-list stars in the world among its cast: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
With that kind of star power, it’s no wonder that, according to our charts, viewers have been flocking to watch it. And those who have clicked play have largely reacted very positively. So, what’s the problem? Well, I’ll tell you.
The Rip Would Have Been Great On a Big Screen
The rise of streaming services is not a bad thing, in my opinion. The more the merrier, I say. If platforms like Netflix mean that a greater volume of movies gets made, then so be it. And there’s certainly a place for straight-to-streaming releases, too.
What I am baffled by, though, is the fact that Netflix thought that the first on-screen collaboration between two of the most popular and successful actors in the industry since 2023 was best suited to drop exclusively on the small screen.
A film like The Rip – big, bold, loud, enthralling – deserves as big a screen as possible. It should be blowing people away with its explosions, gunfire, and tantalising twists and turns while they sit in a movie theatre eating popcorn and nudging their friends every time Damon and Affleck do cool things (spoiler, that’s very, very often).
The Rip pulled in 41.6 million viewers in its opening three days on Netflix. That’s a successful release by any measure. But is it really the only measure we should be using for a Matt Damon and Ben Affleck movie?
Just imagine the buzz of that many people coming out of the cinema after having seen what is undeniably a really fun film. And just imagine the money from ticket sales, too. I can’t help but feel Netflix really missed a trick with this one.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Struck a Unique Deal with Netflix
What is really interesting about The Rip and its release strategy, though, is that Damon and Affleck pushed Netflix to strike a deal we’ve never seen before from the streamer.
The pair sold exclusive streaming rights to Netflix, and obviously, they didn’t necessarily mind the fact that their film wouldn’t be shown in cinemas. In an ideal world, I’m sure they’d rather it did, but that’s beside the point.
However, Damon and Affleck’s film production company, Artists Equity, has always done what it says on the tin: they strive to do right by every member of their crew and fight to improve workers’ rights in the industry.
This time, they really went one step further. Their deal with Netflix resulted in a lower upfront fee for the film in exchange for lucrative bonuses for the entire team – from top to bottom – if The Rip hit certain viewership targets.
In essence, Damon and Affleck passed up on what would have been a substantial fee for themselves and other high-line workers, to make sure that every single person got a cut in the long-run. As per The Hollywood Reporter, there are five tiers of compensation available to the cast and crew, but they’ll need to hit the viewership figures of KPop Demon Hunters to hit the maximum payout.
On the unique deal, Carnahan said, “Everyone should want this. If not, you just create this gulf. [The stars] are all going to get paid, but what about [the crew]?
“These people break their backs to make movies, and they should be compensated [in success] for their time and energy. When you do that, it gives a movie a true communal sense. We’re all rowing in the same direction, hopefully, and if something does well, we all win.”
Why Does Netflix Release Some Films in Cinemas and Not Others?
It sounds like everyone’s going to be a winner, to some extent, when it comes to The Rip. But why did it get pushed straight to the streaming service when Netflix has released some of its work in theatres before?
Just last year, Netflix gave Frankenstein, Train Dreams, and Wake Up Dead Man theatrical releases, albeit very limited ones. It’s highly likely the intention there was to make those films eligible for Oscar nominations, and it worked for the most part – Frankenstein and Train Dreams are both up for Best Picture.
I’m not suggesting that The Rip was ever going to be an awards darling, but if that is the only motivation for Netflix to put films in cinemas – a company that has just bought Warner Bros., let’s not forget – it’s depriving audiences of the most fundamental reason films exist: to entertain.
