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Matchbox The Movie

Play trailer 2:47 Poster for Matchbox The Movie PG-13 2026 2h 6m Action Adventure Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
22% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 56% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
Inspired by the iconic Mattel toys, "Matchbox The Movie" is an action-packed, globetrotting adventure about a group of friends since childhood who have their lives upended when undercover CIA agent Sean (John Cena), their long-absent former leader, returns to their small town and unwittingly gets them embroiled in a frantic international pursuit to save the world.
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Matchbox The Movie

Critics Reviews

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Benjamin Lee Guardian 1 day ago
1/5
A plasticky, unenthused Cena is stuck in autopilot once again while a similarly flat Biel, bizarrely choosing this as her first film in almost a decade, makes zero effort to convincingly play anyone but herself. Go to Full Review
William Bibbiani TheWrap 2 days ago
'Matchbox: The Movie' is one of the most entertaining generic streaming action comedies, which says very little. Go to Full Review
Brandon Yu New York Times 2 days ago
This adaptation of a brand lacking a distinct conceptual identity was perhaps always doomed. Go to Full Review
Dana Han-Klein We're Watching What?! 4 hrs ago
1.8/5
A humdrum plot, uninspired action, and lacking a single actual laugh - this 2 hour long slog doesn't even successfully serve as a commercial for Matchbox cars (though it does somehow manage to shoehorn in other random product placement). Go to Full Review
Jonathon Wilson Ready Steady Cut 5 hrs ago
1/5
But with a whole bunch of these currently in production, the quality of this one is a major red flag, suggestive of many years of equally dead-eyed, empty-headed, and creatively bankrupt fare to come. Go to Full Review
Rachel Wagner Rachel's Reviews (YouTube) 1 day ago
As generic as it gets. Nothing memorable in this film. I couldn't believe how little car chases there were for a matchbox movie Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Henry L @RT44251681 1 hr ago Paper thin plot with characters to match. Unbelievable villain with preposterous motivation. The double cross could be seen from a mile and gets disclosed way too early. Rag tag set of misfits that squeeze matchbox favorites into an action film with no point. See more Michael G @crunchyfrog 2 hrs ago The writer of this terrible movie wrote 7 other movies, only 1 of which received even a mildly fresh rating. The others were 28% rotten, 33%, 27%, 13%, 40%, and 18%, thus proving there's absolutely no meritocracy in Hollywood. See more Steven S @G0dJester 3 hrs ago If you’re going to make a generic action movie maybe limit yourself to 90 minutes. It isn’t even that this is that bad it’s that it’s utterly forgettable. The characters are bland with little personality, the plot is one you’ve most likely seen several times before, and the cast performances while not bad come across as joyless. The action is fine and the scene where they allow humor to slip in are actually pretty good but most of the time the movie takes itself too seriously. Perhaps the most disappointing thing about this though is after John Cena has proven many times over that he is more than just simply an action guy this relegates him to just that. Would Not Recommend See more Lex V @RT58859286 4 hrs ago This may not be a blockbuster, and it certainly doesn’t have the strongest storyline or most captivating plot. The acting can feel a little light and two-dimensional at times, but I thoroughly appreciated the beautiful sentiment behind this film, along with its wonderfully silly moments. This is definitely a family film for a cosy weekend. It doesn’t demand too much of your attention, but it still manages to spark a little emotion, bring a few laughs and deliver that feel-good, happily-ever-after ending we sometimes need. Not every film has to be a masterpiece; sometimes, a little heart and happiness are more than enough. 🥰 See more LM K @LMKuchta 5 hrs ago This movie is a fun, throwback 90s comedy with great action. It's not deeper than it needs to be, and sometimes that's totally fine! Not every movie needs to be some grand commentary; some just need to be fun. It reminded me of Fast & The Furious meets The Goonies meets James Bond. The cast has great chemistry, and there are some really funny and heartfelt moments, especially from Arturo Castro as Ted. I really enjoyed it, and I don't think it deserves the criticism it's receiving, just because people are comparing it to Barbie. See more MC R @RT91491190 6 hrs ago So this was a fun movie. Stupidly funny, nice action and a great cast. It's sometimes the movie you just need. Nothing serious just an easy and funny movie. The movie don't take itself really that serious what's makes it fun to watch. It's predictable to be honest. I almost didn't recognized Danai Gurira, because her perfomance as Okoye in the MCU. She's a great actress. In this movie she was generic villain, like I said predictable. Still had a great time watching the movie. I saw Aurelia Agel before in movies, she's such an bad ass stunt performer. I head a great time watching this, before I forget this film and that's all what counts. See more Read all reviews
Matchbox The Movie

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Matchbox The Movie

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Movie Info

Synopsis Inspired by the iconic Mattel toys, "Matchbox The Movie" is an action-packed, globetrotting adventure about a group of friends since childhood who have their lives upended when undercover CIA agent Sean (John Cena), their long-absent former leader, returns to their small town and unwittingly gets them embroiled in a frantic international pursuit to save the world.
Director
Sam Hargrave
Producer
David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Robbie Brenner, Ynon Kreiz, Jules Daly
Screenwriter
David Coggeshall
Distributor
Apple TV
Production Co
Apple Original Films, Skydance Media, Mattel Films
Rating
PG-13 (Language|Sequences of Violence/Action)
Genre
Action, Adventure, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 9, 2026
Runtime
2h 6m
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