Netflix Action Movie Star Switches Streamers Next Month After 32.7 Billion Minutes Viewed
After plenty of success on Netflix, Gal Gadot is bringing her action movie skills to a rival streaming service next month. Following memorable roles in Fast & Furious movies, Gadot solidified herself as a modern action star by playing Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe. The popularity of her portrayal opened up plenty of other opportunities for her, aided by the rise of streaming.
Netflix secured Gadot's talents for multiple action movies during the 2020s. She originally partnered with the streamer for 2021's Red Notice, playing the female lead opposite Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds. The movie was a smash hit for Netflix. In its first 91 days of release, Gadot's movie drew 454 million hours (or 27.2 billion minutes) watched, becoming the streamer's most-watched movie until KPop Demon Hunters came around.
It was hardly surprising then when Gadot and Netflix got back to work together to make the 2023 action thriller, Heart of Stone. It earned 193.1 million hours (or 5.5 million minutes) watched during five weeks in Netflix's top 10 charts. That total rose to 228.4 million hours throughout the second half of 2023, which extends beyond the 91-day window, but reinforces Heart of Stone's popularity. But even after these impressive viewership figures, Gadot's services are going to a different streamer next.
Instead of making another Netflix action movie, Gadot is set to headline Prime Video's upcoming original, The Runner. The movie is set to debut on Prime Video on September 2 and sees Gadot play an attorney in London who has to save her son after he's abducted. It marks the first collaboration between the streamer and the actress, who will look to replicate her Netflix success on a new platform.
Prime Video Is Counting On Gal Gadot's Streaming Popularity To Make The Runner A Hit
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The viewership statistics for Gadot's Netflix movies are likely a big reason why Amazon MGM Studios wanted to get in business with her with The Runner. In the age of streaming, subscribers are often more likely to press play on a title when a major, recognizable star is at the forefront. Prime Video is no stranger to this strategy, as they've partnered with Reacher's Alan Ritchson, The Boys' Karl Urban, Mark Wahlberg, John Cena, Idris Elba, Viola Davis, and more over the last year or so.
The Runner doesn't boast several other notable stars, as Damian Lewis is the biggest other actor confirmed to appear. The movie also isn't relying on a super unique premise to bolster interest, instead taking a familiar story of a mom trying to save her child and trying to put a fresh spin on it. The Runner is clearly a Gal Gadot-led vehicle first and foremost, one where her involvement is meant to be the number one reason subscribers are convinced to watch it.
While Gadot's stardom has gone down a bit in recent years, she is still somebody that most Prime Video subscribers will be familiar with. And based on her Netflix history, the rival streamer hopes this will lead to the PG-13 rated The Runner becoming a notable hit for them. Partnering with Gadot for the movie will look like an even smarter move if she delivers even a fraction of the viewership her Netflix movies commanded.
Gal Gadot's The Runner Can Be Another 2026 Action Movie Hit For Prime Video
The Runner is positioned to continue a solid hit from the action genre for Prime Video this year. The streaming service has released a handful of action-packed movies already, including Jack Ryan: Ghost War, The Wrecking Crew, The Bluff, and Pretty Lethal. While the critical reception of them has varied, this group is responsible for Prime Video's two biggest movies of the year.
According to data from Nielsen covering the first half of 2026, The Wrecking Crew was the fourth biggest movie on streaming overall and Prime Video's top film, earning 2.946 billion minutes viewed. Jack Ryan: Ghost War came in second for Prime Video and 16th across all streamers with 1.939 billion minutes.
Those movies used major stars and the action genre to become titles subscribers felt like watching. The Runner doesn't get an IP boost like Jack Ryan did or have two major stars like The Wrecking Crew did, but that probably won't stop it from becoming another major streaming hit for Gal Gadot. It could even start a whole new era for her as the star of Prime Video originals.