‘Matchbox The Movie’ races onto streaming; here’s how to watch
‘Matchbox The Movie’ races onto streaming; here’s how to watch
John Cena, Jessica Biel, and friends bring a beloved childhood brand to life in this action comedy.
The iconic Matchbox toy cars are racing onto screens in an all-new action-adventure movie starring John Cena and Jessica Biel. Premiering on Apple TV on Friday, Oct. 9, “Matchbox The Movie” follows a group of childhood friends whose unexpected reunion with an undercover CIA agent sends them on a globe-trotting mission to save the world. This reimagining of Mattel’s beloved toy cars — which I spent many an hour playing with as a child — is filled with plenty of fast cars, big laughs, and thrilling chases. You can stream all of the high-octane hilarity with a subscription to Apple TV.
How to watch ‘Matchbox The Movie’
- When: Friday, Oct. 9, 2026, at 3:01 a.m. ET
- TV: Apple TV
- Stream: Watch with a subscription to Apple TV.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know about ‘Matchbox The Movie’
When does ‘Matchbox The Movie’ come out?
“Matchbox” is set to premiere on Friday, Oct. 9 at 3:01 a.m. ET. The movie will be exclusively available on Apple TV, so the only way to watch will be at home on the streamer.
Can you watch ‘Matchbox The Movie’ for free?
Yes, at least in part. Apple TV offers a seven-day free trial to all new users. So, if you want to watch the new episodes as they are released, you will only be able to stream one (or two, if you line up the timing properly), but you will have to pay to watch the rest of the season. Of course, if you wait until the season is over, you can use that free week to binge it all.
Additionally, Apple does offer longer free trials for purchasing Apple devices, so if you’ve recently purchased an Apple computer, iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, you might get the opportunity to stream Apple TV for a full month without paying.
However, outside of these free trials, to watch “Matchbox The Movie,” you will need to sign up for an Apple TV subscription. The streamer only has one plan; it runs $13 per month, but has no ads.
Apple TV
Apple TV (formerly known as Apple TV+) is a subscription video streaming service for $14.99 per month, offering a growing slate of original series, films, documentaries, and specials. Unlike other platforms that combine licensed titles with originals, Apple TV is built entirely around exclusive programming, making it the home of critically acclaimed hits such as “Ted Lasso,” “Severance,” “The Morning Show,” and “Silo.” Its lineup continues to expand with award-winning dramas, comedies, family-friendly shows, and blockbuster original films like “CODA,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Watch the trailer for ‘Matchbox The Movie’
What you need to know about ‘Matchbox The Movie’
As someone who grew up with a fairly sizable Matchbox collection, I have to admit that the idea of turning those little die-cast cars into a full-blown Hollywood action movie is both incredibly exciting and just a little bit ridiculous. But, then again, we’ve already seen what Hollywood can do with Barbie, so why shouldn’t the tiny cars that I spent countless hours running off makeshift ramps get their own big-screen adventure?
In “Matchbox The Movie,” John Cena stars as Sean, an undercover CIA agent who unexpectedly reunites with his childhood friends, only to drag them into an international conspiracy involving stolen nuclear weapons. Before they know it, this group of ordinary people is racing around the globe, dodging dangerous enemies, and trying to save the world. You know, just the sort of thing we all imagined our Matchbox cars were doing when we were kids.
Joining Cena are Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris, and Arturo Castro as his old friends, with Corey Stoll, Bill Camp, Danai Gurira, and Golshifteh Farahani rounding out the cast. The movie is directed by Sam Hargrave, who helmed Netflix’s similarly adrenaline-fueled “Extraction” films, so audiences should expect plenty of elaborate car chases, spectacular stunts, and explosions that would have been a lot more difficult to pull off with a couple of toy cars and a cardboard ramp.
Based on the trailers and the cast’s promotional tour, it doesn’t appear that the movie is particularly interested in taking itself too seriously, which, frankly, seems like exactly the right approach for a brand that had neither humans nor talking cars associated with its heyday.
Matchbox the Movie
When a group of former childhood friends reconnect, their reunion takes a wild turn as they stumble upon a dangerous international plot—and must save the world.