Netflix’s Rom-Com People We Meet on Vacation Becomes an Instant Streaming Hit

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This movie is a classic romantic comedy and really set the standard for stories where friends eventually fall in love. Many films have tried to capture the same magic since then, like What If? starring Daniel Radcliffe, One Day with Anne Hathaway, and more recently, a film on Netflix.

Inspired by the beloved 1980s film of the same name, People We Meet on Vacation quickly became popular on Netflix. According to Tudum, it garnered 17.2 million views and a total of 33.8 million hours of watch time.

The romantic comedy quickly became a hit, reaching number one in 33 countries, including the United States, and the top ten in 86 countries worldwide. These impressive numbers are based on data from just the first two days after its release on Netflix – it premiered on January 9th, and Netflix stopped tracking its performance on January 11th.

As a movie lover, it’s no surprise to me that studios are constantly looking for great books to adapt! This new film, based on Julia Whelan’s 2018 novel, is a perfect example. And it’s clearly connecting with audiences – with Sofia Carson in the lead, it racked up an impressive 24.6 million views and 46.3 million hours watched in just a short time!

This new film really reminds me of that classic from 1989 – it has a similar vibe. The two main characters, Alex and Poppy, actually meet while they’re both at university, and then end up taking a long road trip together because they have a mutual friend. What’s interesting is that, over the years, they become travel buddies, going on adventures all over the globe, but they always maintain a purely platonic relationship. It’s a really sweet and unusual dynamic!

Brett Haley directed the romantic movie, which was written by Yulin Kuang and Amos Vernon & Nunzio Randazzo. The film stars Alex and Emily Bader (known from My Lady Jane), along with supporting actors Sarah Catherine Hook, Miles Heizer, Lukas Gage, Lucien Laviscount, Alan Ruck, Molly Shannon, and Jameela Jamil.

Okay, so I’ve seen People We Met on Vacation, and honestly, it seems to have struck a chord with pretty much everyone. There was some initial hesitation from those who adore the book – you always worry about adaptations, right? – but even they seemed to come around. The critics and general audiences are remarkably aligned on this one, with Rotten Tomatoes showing a really strong approval rating – 75% from critics and 78% from viewers. It’s rare to see that kind of consensus, and it suggests this movie really delivers on the charm of the source material.

The recent popularity of People We Meet on Vacation follows closely after a resurgence of interest in When Harry Met Sally…, the classic romantic comedy starring Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan. That film saw a boost in streaming views earlier this year, potentially due to its iconic New Year’s Eve scene, or perhaps in response to the sad news of director Rob Reiner’s passing.

Netflix Has More Emily Henry Adaptations on the Way

Emily Henry’s novels have become incredibly popular, and now Hollywood is finally bringing her stories to the screen. After the success of People We Meet on Vacation, Netflix has announced adaptations of two more of her books: Funny Story and Happy Place. This news came just before the release of the People We Meet on Vacation movie on Netflix.

Henry, an executive producer for People We Meet on Vacation, is writing the Netflix adaptations of both Happy Place and Funny Story. He told Tudum he’s thrilled to be working on these projects with Netflix.

The whole team has been incredibly enthusiastic and helpful with People We Meet on Vacation from the very beginning, and it’s been amazing to work on it again – especially writing the scripts myself! I’m so grateful to have found a team who truly believes in this story and understands how important it is.

People We Meet on Vacation is streaming on Netflix.

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2026-01-13 23:08