Now on Netflix: A Rom‑com Event Premiering Jan 9, 2026 — And It’s Already Hotter Than Your Summer Blockbuster
Two best friends. One last vacation. And a spark no one saw coming—until Netflix dropped the teaser.
Based on Emily Henry’s bestselling novel (2 million copies sold!), starring Tom Blyth and Emily Bader, this rom‑com scored a major buzz with its July teaser—without even showing their faces.
💔 Will friends stay just friends?
👇 The chemistry is real—click to feel the vibe.

First announced in August 2024, we’ve finally got the release date for the romantic comedy feature film People We Meet On Vacation, which is scheduled to be one of the major movies that kick off Netflix’s 2026 slate. 

Now scheduled for release on January 9th, 2026, the movie brings to life the famous book by Emily Henry based on a screenplay by Yulin Kuang, Amos Vernon, and Nunzio Randazzo. Emily Bader and Tom Blyth are bringing the two main characters to life with an ensemble cast that features Sarah Catherine Hook, Lucien Laviscount, Miles Heizer, Jameela Jamil, Tommy Do, Lukas Gage, Alice Lee, with Molly Shannon and Alan Ruck.

The release date was announced by Netflix socials this morning with a short clip of the sea and our two leads speaking, although it’s missing any actual footage from the film. The audio is as follows:

“Where does Alex Nielsen stand on travel? Love or hate? I mean, I’ve never really traveled before, but this morning I saw this beautiful sunrise or this place that I’ve never been before, and I wouldn’t have if everything had gone according to plan. So, love. I’m thinking love.”

The news of the release date comes as a surprise to some, given that in recent weeks, IMDb was updated to include the fact that the movie was releasing in August. Of course, IMDb isn’t always the most accurate source of information, but given that the movie has been absent from all Netflix schedules for 2025, a 2026 release shouldn’t be overly surprising.

In her newsletter, which went out alongside the Netflix social posts this morning, Henry wrote:

“On January 9, 2026, all across the globe, you’ll be able to watch Poppy and Alex go on vacation, fight, make up, and fall in love on Netflix. I am utterly thrilled to be able to share all of this with you, and while I know in this moment January 9th feels a long ways off, It’s going to come so fast, with lots of fun updates along the way.

Happy travels,

Emily”

If you’re disheartened by the fact the movie is being released in January and what that means for the film’s quality – don’t fear too much, Netflix has been using the first month of the year for the last couple of years to launch movies it believes can get big viewership numbers when theatrical and other competitors release lineups are lighter.

In recent weeks, Henry was interviewed by ETalk and discussed the fact that several of her books are being adapted for the screen, with People We Meet on Vacation already completed. She describes the Netflix film as “beautiful” and says she loves it. She also discusses her excitement for Great Big Beautiful Life, a novel about two pop culture writers, Alice and Hayden, who approach their dream job in very different ways. Alice, an optimistic biographer, tracks down a reclusive heiress on a remote Georgia island, and Emily shares that Alice reflects her best qualities. Another upcoming adaptation, Happy Place, is in development with Jennifer Lopez’s production company, and Emily recalls an emotional surprise meeting with J.Lo during a Zoom call. She closes by expressing admiration for actors Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor, saying she’d love to cast them in a future project.

We’ll be awaiting more first looks in the weeks to come, with the only looks of Emily Bader and Tom Blyth thus far being set photos as posted on Reddit:

They’re Filming! People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
byu/pumpkin_paperback inRomanceBooks

Are you looking forward to People We Meet on Vacation on Netflix? You can see more of Netflix’s 2026 slate here, with January already being a big month for movies, with The Rip starring Ben Affleck also confirmed for release.