Julie Kavner in 'Ella McCay'Image via 20th Century Studios
By
Safwan Azeem
Published Feb 18, 2026, 8:50 PM EST
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Sign in to your Collider account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recapA theatrical run still accounts for the bulk of a film’s earnings, especially for spectacle made to be seen on a big screen, but it isn’t the end of the road anymore. An indie drama, a horror title, or a mid-budget adult comedy built on character rather than scale, for instance, can stumble in cinemas and still find a real audience once it hits streaming. A recent Jamie Lee Curtis co-starrer just did the same. At the same time, it’s now starting to show signs of struggle on streaming as well.
What matters now is whether streaming momentum can reframe the title: broaden the audience beyond the opening curiosity (it came to streaming on February 5), and keep it in rotation long enough for the right viewers to actually discover it. The movie has been getting genuine international traction, but without a solid U.S. spike for the last week. In the past week, for instance, on Disney+, it hit #1 in 23 countries on February 12 and #1 in 22 countries on February 13 (U.S. not included). And even as the daily ranking naturally tapers after that initial wave, that pattern still shows durability because it is now expanding to more streamers.
According to FlixPatrol, Ella McCay ranked #9 on Disney+ worldwide as of February 18 and is now competing more prominently on the platform. In the U.S., the movie’s hold looks stronger on the more adult-skewing side, because it’s #5 on Hulu’s movie chart. Not to mention, on Rakuten TV, Ella McCay has just begun to show up in the Top 10 rankings, starting at #10. However, since the drop in rankings on both Disney+ and Hulu is consistent (it was at #1 on Hulu on February 12), odds are that its ride on streaming might be over (for now).
Why ‘Ella McCay’s Streaming Run in the U.S. Looks Stronger on Hulu Than on Disney+
Ella McCay’s split performance is actually logical once you consider what the movie is. A talkier, character-led political dramedy that’s more likely to sustain on a service where viewers go looking for adult movies. While on Disney+, it’s competing in countries other than the U.S., likely because of the names associated with the movie (Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Ayo Edebiri, Kumail Nanjiani). The data reflects that, too. Disney+ shows a broader international burst and then normalization across the week, while Hulu shows a steadier U.S. hold in the Top 5.
The theatrical numbers for Ella McCay were not too good for a film with a reported $35M production budget, though. There was a $2.02M opening weekend and a worldwide total of around $4.0–$4.6M. Reception hasn’t been too good either and reflects that same theatrical rake — 23% critics score and 57% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and 5.1/10 on IMDb — which usually translates into a faster post-launch drop-off unless the platform placement keeps feeding it to the right audience.
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Curious how Ella McCay fared across platforms? Subscribe to our newsletter for clear, data-driven coverage of streaming charts and platform performance—analysis that helps you follow why some films find audiences on one service and not another. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Ella McCay is available to stream on Disney+. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
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Ella McCay
Like Follow Followed PG-13 Comedy Drama Release Date December 11, 2025 Runtime 115 minutes Director James L. Brooks Writers James L. Brooks Producers Julie Ansell, Richard Sakai, James L. Brooks, Jennifer Brooks, Francine MaislerCast
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Jamie Lee Curtis
Helen McCay
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Emma Mackey
Ella McCay
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Ella McCay
Subscribe to the newsletter for streaming film insights
Curious how Ella McCay fared across platforms? Subscribe to our newsletter for clear, data-driven coverage of streaming charts and platform performance—analysis that helps you follow why some films find audiences on one service and not another. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.What To Watch
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