Thanks to Netflix, watching a movie from the comfort of our own home has never been easier. We’ve come a long way from waiting for that envelope of DVDs to arrive in the mail.
Not every movie is a streaming sensation, but these films absolutely are. They’re more than just popular; they’re, according to data provided by Netflix, the most-watched movies in the streaming service’s history, ranked by millions of hours watched.
Red Notice
Hours Watch: 364 million
Despite the big-name talent (Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds), Red Notice wasn’t a hit with critics.
Moviegoers didn’t care, however. It’s not the most entertaining movie of all time, but it’s excellent background noise, and that’s something Netflix viewers are perfectly happy with.
Don’t Look Up
Hours Watch: 360 million
Christmas Day is a big day in the movie industry, usually reserved for some of the most anticipated movies of the year.
That trend has moved to streaming services, highlighted by the release of the Adam McKay movie on Christmas Eve, 2021.
Bird Box
Hours Watch: 282 million
The world had Bird Box fever when it was released in 2018.
It’s proof that a movie doesn’t need a theatrical run to make it big on social media; the Sandra Bullock horror film was a straight-to-Netflix release with a limited theatrical run.
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Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Hours Watch: 280 million
Rian Johnson’s Knives Out was one of the biggest box office hits of 2019. Its success led to a bidding war, where Netflix acquired the rights to two sequels for $469 million.
The first sequel, 2022’s Glass Onion, made its anticipated release on Netflix and limited theaters in 2022.
The Gray Man
Hours Watch: 254 million
Remember what I said about how Netflix movies thrive when they make excellent background noise? That’s a perfect description for The Gray Man.
It has the star power on screen (Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas), and behind the cameras (Anthony and Joe Russo) that helped make it a streaming hit.
The Mother
Hours Watch: 234 million
It turns out that there are a lot of people who want to see Jennifer Lopez starring in an action movie.
What makes The Mother‘s 234 million hours watched more impressive is that the film was only released two years ago and is the most recent entry on our list.
The Adam Project
Hours Watch: 233 million
Director Shawn Levy is no stranger to success. He’s directed the Night at the Museum franchise, as well as most recently Deadpool & Wolverine.
In between his blockbuster hits, he made time for a streaming success: 2022’s The Adam Project, starring Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, and Jennifer Garner.
Extraction
Hours Watch: 231 million
The Russo brothers teamed up with some familiar faces on this one: Christopher Hemsworth stars in Extraction, with Sam Hargrave, known for his stunt work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, directing.
Think of it like an MCU-esque version of John Wick.
Purple Hearts
Hours Watch: 229 million
Not every movie on Netflix’s most-watched list is a mindless action flick you can put on in the background.
2022’s Purple Hearts capitalizes on the growing demand for romance films.
The Unforgivable
Hours Watch: 215 million
What does Netflix do when it finds out that a bankable movie star, such as Sandra Bullock, can also deliver streaming success? You try to run it back.
2021’s The Unforgivable throws her into the American adaptation of the 2009 British miniseries Unforgiven. The film itself was a disappointment, but Bullock’s performance sure wasn’t.
The Irishman
Hours Watch: 215 million
To be fair, this movie is three and a half hours long.
It was also a highly anticipated Scorsese mafia movie with an impressive ensemble cast. It was destined to break streaming records.
The Kissing Booth 2
Hours Watch: 209 million
You’d be forgiven if you have no recollection of the first Kissing Booth movie.
The Kissing Booth 2 takes advantage of its 2020 release date, at a time when people were itching to see movies but still under COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
6 Underground
Hours Watch: 205 million
I’m starting to sense a pattern here: if you want one of the most-watched movies on Netflix, have Ryan Reynolds star in it.
Michael Bay as your director doesn’t hurt, either.
Spenser Confidential
Hours Watch: 197 million
A Mark Wahlberg action comedy released during the height of COVID-19 lockdowns? I’m surprised this doesn’t have more hours watched.
I guess we were all too busy watching Tiger King.
Enola Holmes
Hours Watch: 190 million
It’s not her first movie, but Enola Holmes was Millie Bobby Brown’s first leading role. It was all set for a theatrical release…and then, you guessed it, COVID-19 hit.
Netflix swooped in to bring it to its streaming service. A sequel was released two years later, with a third movie in development.
Army of the Dead
Hours Watch: 186 million
Here’s a fun trivia fact: Army of the Dead is the first winner of the Oscar Fan Favorite Award, which is given out during the Academy Awards to a movie that’s popular, I guess?
I mean, to be fair, Army of the Dead is pretty popular. I just don’t get the point of the award.
The Old Guard
Hours Watch: 186 million
At first look, you might see The Old Guard and go, “wow, ya’ll were desperate for movies in 2020.”
In reality, the film received positive reviews as well, calling it a smart take on what was becoming a boring and contrived superhero genre.
Murder Mystery
Hours Watch: 170 million
It’s Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston. It would have made $170 million at the box office.
Instead, it’s been watched for 170 million hours.
Troll
Hours Watch: 155 million
The Norwegian monster movie found success on Netflix for two reasons.
First, the curiosity factor: it stands out as a unique film amongst a crowded library of generic movies. Second, it’s actually pretty good!
Blood Red Sky
Hours Watch: 111 million
Another foreign film, this time a, and I kid you not, British-German action-horror crime-thriller vampire movie.
Yeah, I’d watch that too.
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