Netflix Reveals Its 10 Most Popular Original Films

Netflix is notoriously stingy with viewership data, but now, the company is pulling back the curtain to reveal its 10 most popular original films. According to Bloomberg, Chris Hemsworth’s Extraction tops Netflix’s all-time blockbuster list with 99 million views in its first four weeks on the platform. The action thriller is followed by hits like Bird Box, Spenser Confidential, and 6 Underground, all of which nabbed more than 80 million views in the weeks following their respective debuts.

While the films in Netflix’s Top 10 original films list, as reported by Bloomberg’s Lucas Shaw, varied widely in popularity, all were viewed at least 48 million times in their first four weeks on the service. The top film, Extraction, was viewed 11 million more times than the second-place original, Bird Box, Sandra Bullock’s viral 2018 thriller. The gap decreased between Bird Box and third- and fourth-place films Spencer Confidential and 6 Underground, which were viewed a respective 85 million and 83 million times during that time period.

According to Bloomberg, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is the sixth-most watched Netflix film of all time with 64 million views in four weeks. This is a strong return for the mob drama, which reportedly cost Netflix more than $150 million to produce. The Irishman was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, but was ultimately snubbed in every category.

Much like pre-pandemic box offices, Netflix’s Top 10 list is heavy on action movies. The top four films all contain action-thriller elements, and three additional films — Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, Triple Frontier, and Spanish sci-fi/horror film The Platform — feature a certain degree of violence. This trend suggests that while Netflix may be attempting to distance itself from traditional theatrical releases, the two continue to compete for similar tentpole moviegoers.

However, comedy is still represented among Netflix’s Top 10 films. Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston’s Murder Mystery was watched an estimated 73 million times in its first four weeks, while recent release The Wrong Missy was viewed by 59 million users. “We want an impactful movie every two weeks,” Scott Stuber, head of Netflix’s film division, told Bloomberg. “For one person, that’s Extraction. For another, it’s The Wrong Missy.”

These numbers are undoubtedly impressive, but it’s important to take them with a grain of salt. Netflix counts a “view” whenever a user watches at least two minutes of a show or movie, so their data does not reflect how many viewers actually finished each film. For example, if you watched just 10 minutes of The Irishman, which runs at 209 minutes, and then shut it off, you will be counted among the film’s 64 million viewers. That said, more transparency on Netflix’s part is always a good thing.

Check out the full list of Netflix’s Top 10 most popular films below.

1. Extraction – 99 million
2. Bird Box – 89 million
3. Spenser Confidential – 85 million
4. 6 Underground – 83 million
5. Murder Mystery – 73 million
6. The Irishman – 64 million
7. Triple Frontier – 63 million
8. The Wrong Missy – 59 million
9. The Platform – 56 million
10. The Perfect Date – 48 million

Where to stream Extraction