Streaming King Mark Wahlberg Nears the $1 Billion Club With The Family Plan 2

If you have Apple TV+, you probably saw it the second it hit: Mark Wahlberg is back with The Family Plan 2, and the guy is basically running the streaming playbook at this point. The sequel dropped November 21 and, despite critics rolling their eyes, it bulldozed straight to number one. Classic Wahlberg move: ignore the tomatoes, win the clicks.

The quick download on The Family Plan 2

• Where to watch: Apple TV+
• Release: November 21
• Director: Simon Cellan Jones (same as the first one)
• Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, Zoe Colletti, Van Crosby, Kit Harington
• Runtime: 1h 47m
• Rotten Tomatoes: 15% (the first movie sits at 29%)

Plot-wise, Wahlberg is still playing the dad with a past: a covert assassin posing as a mild-mannered car salesman. Michelle Monaghan is back as the wife who has to navigate the mayhem, and this time the action hops to Europe. Kit Harington shows up as the villain, and yes, it sticks with the same family-first vibe that made the first film a comfort click for a lot of people.

Critics hate it. Viewers do not.

The sequel is sitting on a rough 15% with critics. Not great. But the audience reception told a different story in real time: per FlixPatrol, The Family Plan 2 debuted at number one on Apple TV+ across the U.S., and the original movie jumped back up to number five at the same time. Whatever Wahlberg and Apple are doing here, it works for a big chunk of viewers.

Wahlberg is quietly the face of streaming-era star power

Here is the part that might surprise people who thought his big-screen streak had cooled off: streaming companies bet hard on familiar names, and Wahlberg became the safest of safe bets. As Forbes has reported, he typically pulls $20–25 million per direct-to-streaming film. Since 2020, he has knocked out seven of those across Netflix, Prime Video, Paramount+, and Apple TV+. Do the math, and that run alone is a massive chunk of change pushing his career earnings toward the $1 billion mark.

And the platforms are not throwing that money away. Data shared by Parrot Analytics (via Forbes) pegs Wahlberg-led streaming movies at around $680 million in global streaming revenue. Titles like Play Dirty, The Union, and The Family Plan have all topped charts on Prime Video, Netflix, and Apple TV+. What once looked like a step down from theatrical is clearly a very intentional business strategy.

"Without a doubt the top movie star in the streaming world."

That is Wahlberg’s agent, Ari Emanuel, staking the claim. It sounds like hype, but the numbers back him up.

Why this sequel matters for Apple and for Wahlberg

Apple needed a crowd-pleasing action-comedy to pop before the holidays; Wahlberg delivered the exact thing his audience shows up for. The first film’s low score did not stop it from becoming a sticky library title, and the sequel repeating the trick proves the formula: family-friendly action, a recognizable star, a simple hook, and you are golden.

The Family Plan and The Family Plan 2 are streaming now on Apple TV+.