Rebecca Ferguson is having a phenomenal year. From starring alongside Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man to earning a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score with The Magic Faraway Tree, the Swedish actress is everywhere. Now, one of her most underrated films is finding a new audience on Netflix.
Released in 2016, The Girl on the Train is an adaptation of Paula Hawkins' bestselling novel. The crime thriller, which also stars Emily Blunt and Justin Theroux, follows a troubled woman who becomes entangled in a missing person investigation. Despite earning $174 million worldwide on a $45 million budget, the film received mixed reviews from critics, scoring just 44% on Rotten Tomatoes.
But on June 1, 2026, the movie arrived on Netflix and quickly climbed the streaming charts. As of this writing, it's one of the ten most-streamed movies on the platform in the U.S., proving that audiences are hungry for gripping crime stories. This isn't the first time a book adaptation has found new life on streaming—Netflix has a knack for turning literary thrillers into binge-worthy hits, as seen with Harlan Coben's novels.
Ferguson's performance in The Girl on the Train is a standout, even if the film didn't win over critics. She plays Anna, the new wife of Tom (Theroux), who becomes a key figure in the mystery. Blunt, meanwhile, earned praise for her portrayal of the unreliable narrator Rachel. Collider's Perri Nemiroff called Blunt's performance "capable of embodying a character who can keep you invested but is also extremely unbalanced and borderline despicable."
The film's resurgence on Netflix comes at a time when Ferguson's star power is at an all-time high. Later this year, she'll appear in the final installment of Denis Villeneuve's Dune trilogy alongside Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, and Florence Pugh. She also recently starred in the sci-fi thriller Mercy with Chris Pratt, which sparked debate among fans.
For Emily Blunt, the success of The Girl on the Train on Netflix is just the latest win. Her long-awaited sequel The Devil Wears Prada 2 has been a box office juggernaut, earning nearly $650 million since its April release. Blunt is also set to star in Steven Spielberg's sci-fi return, Disclosure Day, one of the most anticipated films of the summer.
If you're looking for a tense, twisty crime thriller to stream this weekend, The Girl on the Train is a solid pick. It's a reminder that sometimes the best streaming hits are the ones you almost forgot about. And for fans of the genre, Netflix's library is packed with similar gems—like Wesley Snipes' overlooked action thriller The Contractor, which is also making waves this month.
