Netflix Subscribers Are in for a Devastating Loss in 2026

It’s common practice for streaming services to lose a batch of titles every month as rights expire and new films and television series are ushered in. Netflix, however, is particularly playing the Grim Reaper to kick off 2026. Starting on January 1, more than 40 prominent movies will leave the platform, with contracts set to lapse at the start of the new year, along with some television streaming favorites. That’s in addition to the over 100 Netflix original titles like Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power that are currently slated to vanish throughout the year.

Among the many losses to come is a mix of both cinematic darlings and massive franchises alike. Leading the list is George Miller‘s magnum opus, Mad Max: Fury Road. Often considered one of the best action films ever made, particularly in the 21st century, the Tom Hardy-led feature is a yellow-tinted, painstakingly crafted cinematic spectacle following Max Rockatansky as he forges an unlikely alliance with the Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) in her daring escape through the wasteland from the ruthless Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). Another legendary action sequel, James Cameron‘s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, will join it in leaving Netflix on New Year’s Day, alongside other genre flicks like Baby Driver, The Book of Eli, Collateral, 47 Ronin, and more. Beyond action, other notable departures range from biographical dramas like the Oscar-winning Judas and the Black Messiah starring Daniel Kaluuya as Fred Hampton to the comedy classics Bridesmaids and Crazy Rich Asians, Denzel Washginton‘s Training Day, Matt Damon‘s The Martian, and animated hits for the whole family like Chicken Run and Rango, among many others.

For Star Trek fans, this batch will bring a major loss, as the entirety of the Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto-led reboot trilogy will leave on the same day. While Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are currently attached to a new installment in the franchise, the Kelvin Universe capper, Star Trek Beyond, remains the most recent feature from the sci-fi series to hit the big screen, and was showered with praise upon its release, too. Despite Netflix’s recent purchase of Warner Bros. and its treasure trove of content, DC titles Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom are also due to depart, alongside the Karate Kid film franchise, the Fifty Shades series, DreamWorks’ Kung Fu Panda movies, the Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider video game adaptations, and The Hangover trilogy.

Netflix Is Losing Several Television Streaming Keystones

On the television side of things, Netflix isn’t shedding as much, but the few titles leaving are especially painful. After already bidding farewell to Supernatural and Arrow earlier in December, the streamer next has all six seasons of Lost on the chopping block. The legendary sci-fi mystery series from the team of Jeffrey Lieber, J.J. Abrams, and Damon Lindelof was a blockbuster acquisition for Netflix when it arrived back in July 2024, with an Emmy-winning legacy as one of television’s greatest and twistiest shows of all time. That’s not all, though, as all four seasons of Rami Malek‘s star-making series Mr. Robot will similarly depart two days later on January 3, followed by House of Lies on January 23, and, last but not least, Prison Break on January 29.

It’s not all negative for the streaming giant and its customers. The beginning of 2026 will also see several notable additions to its catalog, starting with 12 Years a Slave, the Zack Snyder remake of Dawn of the Dead, the first two Despicable Me movies, Erin Brockovich, Ford v. Ferrari, and the first two Pitch Perfect films. Fittingly, following the upcoming loss of Baz Luhrmann‘s Elvis, Sofia Coppola‘s Priscilla, starring Caely Spaeny as Priscilla Presley and Jacob Elordi as The King himself, is also arriving to fill the void.

Stay tuned here at Collider for more on the hottest titles coming to and leaving streaming heading into the new year.