Viewers are on edge watching Missing movie on Netflix

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Missing released in early 2023 but is finding a new audience now that it’s streaming.

Storm Reid and Megan Suri in Missing
Storm Reid and Megan Suri in Missing (Image credit: Sony Pictures)

While there are plenty of summer blockbuster movies coming to movie theaters over the next couple of months, you don't have to necessarily leave your house to see some new 2023 movies, as early-year releases begin to roll out on streaming services. One example is Missing, which has gotten the attention of Netflix subscribers.

Released in movie theaters on January 20, Missing follows a teenage girl named June, played by Storm Reid, who desperately tries to find her mother (Nia Long) after she goes missing when traveling with her boyfriend abroad. Missing tells its story exclusively through web/phone cameras and computer screens, making it a spiritual sequel to the 2018 movie Searching which used the same concept (Searching's plot is also referenced in Missing).

Missing earned a "Certified Fresh" Rotten Tomatoes score of 87% when it premiered, but that didn't translate to massive box office success, as the movie earned around $48 million worldwide and was mostly overshadowed by Avatar: The Way of Water. But it is finding its audience now on Netflix, as subscribers are on the edge of their seats with all the movie's twists and turns.

We won't spoil any of the details here, but be sure to check out our Missing ending explained piece if you've seen the movie and have any questions.

Here's what many Netflix viewers are saying about Missing:

That excitement has translated into massive viewing numbers. Since Missing debuted on Netflix on May 20, it has been one of the most popular titles on the streaming service. From May 20-May 28, it amassed 21.15 million viewing hours and was the third most-watched English-language movie between May 22-28; the only movies ahead of it that week were the Netflix original movie The Mother starring Jennifer Lopez and the Jacob Elordi-led indie movie 2 Hearts, with most of its viewing numbers coming from South America. On the day of publication, May 30, Missing is the No. 1 trending movie in the US on Netflix.

If you want to watch Missing and do not have a Netflix subscription, the movie is available to rent via digital on-demand platforms including Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV, or it is available on Blu-ray/DVD.

Michael Balderston
Michael Balderston

Michael Balderston is a DC-based entertainment and assistant managing editor for What to Watch, who has previously written about the TV and movies with TV Technology, Awards Circuit and regional publications. Spending most of his time watching new movies at the theater or classics on TCM, some of Michael's favorite movies include Casablanca, Moulin Rouge!, Silence of the Lambs, Children of Men, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and Star Wars. On the TV side he enjoys Only Murders in the Building, Yellowstone, The Boys, Game of Thrones and is always up for a Seinfeld rerun. Follow on Letterboxd.