Whatever impact Ohio Senator J.D. Vance has on the election as Donald Trump’s vice presidential candidate, Netflix is already seeing a return. “Hillbilly Elegy,” Ron Howard’s 2020 film adaptation of Vance’s best-selling memoir about growing up in Appalachia, was #6 on Netflix’s top 10 most-watched movie chart as of Tuesday, July 16. This comes the day after Trump announced Vance as his pick, and three days after the assassination attempt on the Republican presidential candidate.

It’s rare for an original Netflix feature film to return to its viewing charts after initial release. Higher-profile, awards-oriented titles like “Hillbilly Elegy” often have brief initial runs, then disappear. (An exception is when the original returns after a sequel.)

“Hillbilly” debuted in November 2020 and spent a day at #1. It remained on the chart for 13 days. Although nearly all theaters were closed during this period because of Covid, the film had a token qualifying...