The past 24 hours have been awash in headlines about Netflix’s What We Watched report: an information dump that many analysts considered the most transparent accounting of user data that the streamer has ever released.
The report tracked user engagement using an “hours watched” metric – meaning how many hours a piece of content was viewed, as opposed to how many individual users watched it. The report is heavy with TV series because, as the company noted, the amount of hours in a TV program are much greater than that of a standalone feature. But some movies clawed to the top of the ranking, which helps indicate how films travel on the platform.
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Here are the top ten films – eight of which Netflix developed or financed — that appear in the report, which tracked hours watched from January to June of 2023:
“THE MOTHER”
Jennifer Lopez can ride into 2024 knowing she was the queen of Netflix film, at least for the first half of the year. “The Mother,” equal parts survival and revenge thriller, clocked a staggering 249,900,000 hours of viewing – and it’s the only movie to land in the top 20 of the engagement report. It’s worth noting that this project hit the service in mid-May. Netflix looks extra diligent for this investment, which came under a 2021 first-look film and TV deal with Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions. There are two more similar projects in the works as part of the agreement: “The Cipher,” a book adaptation about an FBI agent hunting a serial killer, and “Atlas,” about a woman who must face down an AI soldier.
“LUTHER: THE FALLEN SUN”
Idris Elba is one of the most versatile actors working, but this project is more of an extension of his popular crime series from which it sprang — which turned out to be just what some fans were looking for. Elba reprises his role as police detective John Luther, with an assist from Cynthia Erivo and Andy Serkis. This one’s badge numbers 209,700,000 hours watched.
“EXTRACTION 2”
This gritty, unpretentious action sequel proved that Chris Hemsworth can outrun his Marvel character Thor — and do so with life-threatening injuries and glistening biceps. 201,800,000 hours watched. Again, note this project was released on June 16 (less than two weeks before the end of the report’s accounting period).
“YOU PEOPLE”
Kenya Barris recruited comedy heavyweights Eddie Murphy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for this family comedy with big issues on its mind, thought it proved divisive with viewers. Lightning rod Jonah Hill and social media favorite Lauren London play a young couple crashing headfirst into racial tensions that arise when their Jewish and Black families clash. Perhaps most interesting about the 181,800,000 hours watched is how Hill might weaponize this level of popularity in his future endeavors. Though “You People” released in January, the “Superbad” actor was hit with a personal scandal this July when a former partner accused him of emotional abuse. There’s a world where reps for Hill, who has officially resigned from doing publicity for any of his projects, may use this to prove he’s still palatable.
“MURDER MYSTERY 2”
This is pretty much a no-brainer given Adam Sandler’s Netflix dominance and the added A-list appeal of his frequent work with Jennifer Aniston. 173,600,000 hours watched; that’s likely a good return on whatever this high-flying international production cost.
“YOUR PLACE OR MINE”
Aline Brosh McKenna, writer of “The Devil Wears Prada,” made her directorial debut with this splashy romantic comedy starring two prolific stars of the genre — Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher. Though rom-coms remain popular on streaming, each Netflix success seems to underline the genre’s retreat from theaters. Witherspoon, who produced the project through her banner Hello Sunshine, added some years to the rom-com’s life with 163,000,000 hours watched.
“GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY”
Several months after the Toronto premiere of Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion” sequel, the film racked up 142,900,000 hours watched in the time parameters. Many in the industry openly wonder about the library value of Netflix’s original films – and, make no mistake, two “Knives Out” sequels came at tremendous cost for the steamer – but this perhaps proves what repeat viewing is worth to the streamer.
“WE HAVE A GHOST”
While panned by critics, “We Have a Ghost” reminds me of something an editor of mine used to say about popcorn movies: “They can’t all be ‘Spotlight.’” This complex haunted house project (that somehow involves viral social media fame and the CIA) has decent names like Anthony Mackie and David Harbour and a confounding February 2023 release date — but it still scared up 124,400,000 hours viewed.
“THE PALE BLUE EYE”
When Netflix first entered the film acquisitions space, long before tentpole originals like “The Gray Man” or “Red Notice” would come to fruition, many billed the streamer as a potential savior of independent film. This was mostly due to Netflix’s ubiquitous presence at prestige film festivals and a willingness to overpay for finished indie product. Years later, it’s interesting that a film like “The Pale Blue Eye” — which, sure, stars A-lister Christian Bale — would rank so highly in the engagement report. With 120,500,000 hours watched, the conceit about Edgar Allen Poe as a (creepy) army cadet may have travelled well because of its interesting premise. Or, perhaps, a scrappy acquisition title can charm a segment of Netflix’s 247 million subscribers.
“AKA”
You cannot swing a stuffed JellyCat in this town without someone touting the global power of Netflix, and “AKA” would seem to back that. The French crime thriller about an undercover special ops agent rooting out a warlord totaled 120,000,000 hours watched.
