Certain Netflix releases have the ability to blow up the internet, from Bird Box to Stranger Things to all those true crime docs. Right at this particular moment, You season 2 is sending Twitter into a frenzy over their problematic thirst for Penn Badgley’s serial stalker Joe. Given how much chatter Netflix programs typically stoke, it may shock you to learn that the most watched title on Netflix amongst television and film was one that didn’t quite cause the internet to explode with memes and viral watercooler moments.
Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler comedy Murder Mystery is Netflix’s most watched title of 2019, according to information shared by the streamer. The film, which debuted on June 14, is a Netflix original movie and tells the story of a married couple who inadvertently ends up at the center of a twisted crime. Refinery29’s Anne Cohen describes it as “basically Clue, but not really because Clue would never.” That, and the fact that the film holds a 45% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, suggests many people did not adore this Aniston-Sandler pairing...despite many, many people watching it.
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Second to Murder Mystery is season 3 of Stranger Things, a series endlessly discussed and theorized about — it makes perfect sense that this would be one of the most-watched titles on the streaming service. It also topped the list of most-watched 2019 series on Netflix, with The Witcher, The Umbrella Academy, Dead To Me, and You's second season just behind it.
In third place for most watched releases on Netflix is 6 Underground, a Michael Bay film starring Ryan Reynolds which just debuted December 13. (Never underestimate the power of being bored during Christmas vacation.) Fourth is The Incredibles 2, which is the only non-Netflix original to make the top five, followed by the just-released (and very, very long) Martin Scorsese mafia movie The Irishman.
Given Netflix’s seemingly endless scroll of content, it definitely means something that these titles were able to stand out. However, it should be noted that watching the first two minutes of the program during its first 28 days on the streaming service counts as one “view.”
So...are there people who gave Murder Mystery only a few minutes of their time, but inflated its place on this list? Uh, it’s certainly possible, though Netflix has not released details of the data.
Check out the list below:
Happy almost 2020! Here’s a look at the most popular series, films, and documentaries released on Netflix in the US this year. (thread) pic.twitter.com/fSHb39DbIT
— Netflix US (@netflix) December 30, 2019