Netflix’s top 10 feature was launched at the end of February 2020 in more than 100 countries after a few months of testing in the UK and Mexico. What looked like another list in the user interface to make your decision harder, it has evolved into one of the most discussed features so far. Here are 10 observations we’ve made since the new feature was launched.
Beyond hand-selected stats from Netflix themselves (that are contentious as they only measure the first 2 minutes of watching), we can see a glimpse of what is really popular on Netflix. And it’s the closest thing to Netflix’s official viewing numbers we have for now. After 6 months of watching the results, some really interesting facts came up. Let’s dig into the most important ones.
Disclaimer: All calculations are based on the analysis of Netflix TOP 10 features on daily basis. For every stats, we used the really simple metric: Title on #1 spot has 10 points, title on #2 spot has 9 points, etc. This allows us to see trends over time.
However, it does not show us exact viewership numbers in a specific country, nor is it endorsed or confirmed by Netflix. And of course, it’s based on the fact that the TOP 10 feature is another Netflix data that is not validated by any third-party company.
The most popular movie of this year (so far) is 365 Days
You probably have read about this movie a lot in 2020. Sadly, we’re here to talk about it once again.
When it comes to the outright number of points attained worldwide, 365 Days is the most popular title in Netflix TOP 100 and it has almost 3x more points than the second title, which is The Old Guard. Nobody could’ve predicted just how big 365 Days was going to be during the lockdown.
- 365 Days
- The Old Guard
- The Kissing Booth 2
- Project Power
- Extraction
The most popular TV show for this year (so far) is Lucifer
Tiger King was a spring phenomenon but widely only in the US (we’ll talk about that in a second). Over most of the summer, The Umbrella Academy season 2 carried the top global TV accolade until Lucifer came along.
Sneaking in at third place is one show that did well all around the world which is Dark Desire (aka 365 Days in TV show format) in the 3rd place.
- Lucifer
- The Umbrella Academy
- Dark Desire
- Money Heist
- Dark
The biggest 1st month opening of the year is…again.. 365 days
As we mentioned, when Netflix shares its 2-minute viewing data, it is often for the first month so let’s apply that to the top 10s for the first opening month of every new title.
Unsurprisingly, you will find there a lot of familiar faces there.
- 365 Days
- The Umbrella Academy
- Lucifer
- Extraction
- Money Heist
The biggest 1st day opening of the year is Enola Holmes
Let’s now wind down the time period and take a look at what title had the biggest single day opening. It’s the closest we can get to an “opening weekend”.
Enola Holmes takes the crown by a considerable mile.
- Enola Holmes
- Extraction
- The Old Guard
- Project Power
- The Kissing Booth
The title that achieved global domination this year is Enola Holmes
Newcomer Enola Holmes has rewritten another record in the past few weeks. To be able to capture the #1 spot in as many countries as possible.
The very next day after its release Enola claimed #1 spot “only” 76 out of 78 monitored countries, but on the second day, it performed the flawless victory and won in all 78 monitored countries around the world and for a number of days too.
- Enola Holmes
- The Old Guard
- Project Power
- The Old Guard
- The Kissing Booth 2
The longest streak at number 1 365 Days
Speed is not everything, so let’s look at how well are titles able to hold the #1 position in time even when new releases are coming every day. Based on the points around the world, 365 Days was able to hold 39 days on #1 global ranking. Yes, over a month.
- 365 Days
- The Umbrella Academy
- The Last Dance
- Extraction
- Lucifer
The title which has resided in the top 10 for the longest is Money Heist
Netflix’s top 10 tends to be dominated by relatively new releases whether it’s brand new shows and movies or relicensed titles. The titles in this list are mainly TV series with exceptional TV fanbases who tend to watch their favorite titles over and over again.
- Money Heist
- Lucifer
- Friends
- The End of Paradise
- Pablo Escobar, The Drug Lord
The most popular movie of the year in the US is Despicable Me
Let’s dive more into the national charts to explore different tastes around the world.
Yes, Netflix originals like Spenser Confidential or Extraction were huge hits, but titles that performed particularly well in the US are licensed titles.
These are the top movies this year around the world. The dominance of 365 Days is evident in most countries around the world but Despicable Me dominated the US.
- Australia: 365 Days
- Brazil: 365 Days
- Canada: 365 Days
- Germany: 365 Days
- France: 365 Days
- India: 365 Days
- Japan: Contagion
- Mexico: …Rosario Tijeras
- United Kingdom: 365 Days
- United States: Despicable Me
The most popular TV show of the year in the US is Tiger King
Tiger King took over the US unlike anything else but around the world, it differed massively.
The TV list below reflects not only different tastes around the world but often where TV titles are licensed differently around the world.
- Australia: The Last Dance
- Brazil: Dark Desire
- Canada: Sons of Anarchy
- France: Dynasty
- Germany: The Umbrella Academy
- India: Friends
- Japan: Crash Landing on You
- Mexico: Yo Soy Betty la Fea
- United Kingdom: The Fall
- United States: Tiger King
And there you have it, some insights from Netflix’s top 10 feature. You can find a daily look at what’s hot around the world via our most popular on Netflix hub.
