A Mark Wahlberg Family Movie Becomes A Netflix Hit 7 Years After Its Release
The streaming trend known as "newstalgia" continues, with forgotten TV shows and movies being presented to different audiences as if they were new. Netflix has been partaking in this trend for quite some time now. In fact, it might just be the king of newstalgia, as the streamer continues to churn up forgotten projects and give them a streaming-age renaissance.
In October 2024, for example, a forgotten Jason Statham actioner dominated the Netflix charts, only for yet another bygone Statham heist flick to top the Tubi rankings in April 2025. It's not just gruff British action stars that benefit from this phenomenon, either. The forgotten Dwayne Johnson action thriller "Faster" was reintroduced to audiences via Netflix in December 2024, while a forgotten Chris Hemsworth flop became an instant Netflix success in January 2025. Now, it's Mark Wahlberg's turn.
To be fair, Wahlberg has benefitted from the newstalgia trend as much as anyone, with several of his overlooked movies having previously found their way onto Netflix's most-watched charts in 2024 alone. Now, though, we're being treated to one of the actor's more lighthearted efforts in the form of "Instant Family," a 2018 family comedy that has managed to charm Netflix subscribers enough to make it to the top of the streamer's rankings.
Instant Family has found a home on the Netflix charts
"Instant Family" stars Mark Wahlberg as Pete Wagner and Rose Byrne as his wife, Ellie. The couple decide to become foster parents and adopt three siblings, ranging from ages 6 to 15. But while the pair manage to do well enough with the two youngest children, 10-year-old Juan (Gustavo Escobar) and 6-year-old Lita Isabella (Julianna Gamiz), rebellious teen Elizabeth (Isabela Merced) proves much more difficult, putting Pete and Ellie through a parenting baptism of fire.
This kind of wholesome fare seems to have been a hit with Netflixers, as the film is dominating the streamer's charts. "Instant Family" reached the platform on May 16, 2025, and, according to FlixPatrol, a site that tracks streaming viewership numbers across the assorted platforms, it has become a, well, instant success in the United States. The movie debuted in the number two spot on May 17, staying there until it hit number one on May 19. "Instant Family" then remained in the top spot for another day before falling to number two again at the time of writing.
That all adds up to a nice little newstalgia win for Netflix, which has yet again proven that movies don't even necessarily need to be that old to have a successful reintroduction to streaming audiences. Whether "Instant Family" can maintain its position near the top of the charts remains to be seen, as it has been usurped from the number one position by the documentary "Untold: The Fall of Favre" and is only just ahead of the 2025 Vince Vaughn comedy "Nonnas," which has been ruling the Netflix charts for some time.
Is Instant Family worth watching?
"Instant Family" might not have become the modern family comedy classic the filmmakers had hoped, but it fared pretty well upon its 2018 debut. Not only did it make $119.7 million on a $48 million budget, but critics were also won over by Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne, whose screen chemistry evidently impressed several reviewers. Over on Rotten Tomatoes, the film bears a respectable 82% critic score, with even the "top critics" giving Wahlberg's family outing decent marks.
Robbie Collin of the Daily Telegraph thought "Instant Family" was "boosted immeasurably by Byrne and Wahlberg, who make a snappily appealing comic pair and bounce off each other well in the film's many fraught parenting moments." Bilge Ebiri of New York Magazine/Vulture was a tad less complimentary, though still mostly positive, writing, "When it works, it's genuinely funny and moving. But when it doesn't, hoo boy, it's atrocious. But it mostly works. I think. Maybe." Not everybody was positive, though. Nigel Andrews of the Financial Times concluded that while the film "begins bearably" it "becomes Hollywoodish" before ending up "as diabetes-grade comedy schmaltz."
Still, if you're considering joining the Netflix crowds in this rewatch, the film did make number 12 on /Film's list of the best Mark Wahlberg movies.