This Psychological Thriller Just Became Netflix's Biggest Movie in 2025

It scored 50 million viewers in just 2 weeks.

Published on Jun 21, 2025

Straw, Tyler Perry’s psychological crime drama, is officially Netflix’s biggest film so far this year, fetching around 50 million views in just two weeks. According to The Wrap, it doubled its viewership during the second week of its run, marking a staggering 93.3% increase compared to its first seven days on the platform. Since its release on June 6, 2025, it continues to sit in the Top 10 Movies list of Netflix Philippines. As of writing, Straw is taking up the number five spot, just behind the likes of newer releases such as Green Bones and K-Pop Demon Hunters.

Below, we run down everything you need to know about the standout Netflix offering that everyone’s suddenly watching.

Everything you need to know about the Netflix hit “Straw”

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PHOTO: Netflix.

The Plot

Straw follows the plight of a well-meaning mother named Janiyah who lives in a run-down apartment with her daughter, Aria. She finds herself in a series of unfortunate events that starts when her daughter complains about their abject living situation. She’s eventually driven to the edge and ends up holding a bank hostage. While law enforcement attempts to hold her down, the situation is live streamed online, drawing her sympathy from viewers. By the end of the film, we find out that not everything is as it seems.

The Cast

Janiyah is played by Golden Globe winner and multi-Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson. Straw is her fourth movie with Tyler Perry, the others being The Family That Preys, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, and Acrimony. As constant collaborators, Taraji said in an interview, “I feel like every script that he sends me, he ups it. He challenges me, and I really respect that.” In Straw, Taraji’s Janiyah is in constant emotional distress, often seen in desperate tears as she goes from one misfortune to another.

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PHOTO: Netflix.

When asked about what it was like to play a more timid character different from her usual feisty roles, she explained, “She’s a woman who doesn’t feel seen. People who don’t feel seen—I try to equate them to like an animal. She’s very mousy…As humans, we all have a breaking point. You will break if you don’t have a support system. It’s unfortunate that she had to go through all of this, in one day, to finally be seen.”

Although the movie was panned for its poor writing and excessive melodrama, all props to Straw has mostly gone to Taraji. In a review by The New York Times, they write, “The ending is perhaps too twisting for its own good. But Henson — so deeply committed to her character’s emotional cratering — still makes us care.”

Straw also stars Sherri Shepherd, Teyana Taylor, Sinbad, and Rockmond Dunbar.

The Director

The movie is the latest in a string of projects Tyler Perry has created for Netflix, including A Fall from Grace, A Madea Homecoming, A Jazzman's Blues, Mea Culpa, and The Six Triple Eight. While most of them have received less than favorable reviews from critics, including Straw itself, his repertoire for the streamer remains widely watched by users on the platform, earning him the nickname “streaming king.” Apart from his works for the streamer, he's also the creative mind behind a myriad of blockbuster films that have earned him a net worth of over $1 billion.

You can now watch Straw, exclusively on Netflix. Watch the full trailer below.