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‘The Family Plan 2,’ starring Mark Wahlberg, premieres on Apple TV+ on November 21st

MacDailyNews

Oct 9

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In “The Family Plan 2,” it’s the holiday season and Dan (Mark Wahlberg) has planned the perfect vacation for his wife Jessica (Michelle Monaghan) and their kids to celebrate overseas — until a mysterious figure from his past (Kit Harington) shows up with unfinished business.

An international game of cat-and-mouse ensues as Dan and his family battle, bicker and bond their way through a series of bank heists, holiday hijinks and car chases amid scenic European terrain.

“The Family Plan 2” premieres on Apple TV+ on November 21st.

Mark Wahlberg’s high-octane action-comedy “The Family Plan” arrived on Apple TV+ on December 15, 2023, and quickly redefined success on the streaming front, even as it stumbled with critics.

Directed by Simon Cellan Jones, the film stars Wahlberg as Dan Morgan, a suburban dad and car salesman hiding a past as a elite assassin. When old enemies resurface, Dan embarks on a chaotic cross-country road trip with his unsuspecting wife (Michelle Monaghan) and kids (Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Zoe Colletti, and Iain Armitage) to outrun danger—while bonding over greasy burgers and bad karaoke. Blending The Equalizer-style shootouts with Vacation-esque family hijinks, it’s a glossy, PG-13 romp that’s equal parts explosive and eye-rollingly predictable.

Critics weren’t kind, slamming the script’s formulaic tropes and tonal whiplash. On Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a dismal 27% from reviewers, who called it “rote” and “numbingly routine.” Audiences, however, were far more forgiving, delivering a solid 61% score and praising Wahlberg’s charisma and the cast’s chemistry. IMDb users echoed the sentiment, dubbing it a “fun, forgettable family flick” perfect for holiday viewing.

Where “The Family Plan” truly excelled was in the metrics that matter to streamers: eyeballs. It debuted as Apple TV+’s most-watched original movie ever, propelling the platform to a 42% year-over-year viewership surge in 2023 across 100+ countries.

By mid-2024, it was still cracking the Top 10 charts globally, topping lists in over 75 nations.

Nearly two years on — in 2025 — it’s holding steady, recently hitting No. 5 on Apple TV+’s most-viewed movies.

The proof of its staying power: Apple greenlit “The Family Plan 2” in October 2024.

In a world where critics’ darlings often flop commercially, “The Family Plan” proves audiences vote with their play buttons—making it an unqualified win for Apple TV+.

MacDailyNews Note: Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $9.99 per month with a seven-day free trial for new subscribers. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.

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[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]

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