‘Hamilton’ and ‘Borat 2’ Top List of Most-Watched Films Released on Streaming This Year

Alexander Hamilton has a new compatriot in the room where it happens: Borat. According to new data provided to Variety VIP from ScreenEngine/ASI, Hamilton and Borat 2 were the two most-watched films released on a streaming video on demand (SVOD) platform this year. Specific viewership data was not revealed, but the list makes it clear that premium film content is incredibly successful on streaming, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic keeps theaters closed and viewers at home.

As part of the survey, ScreenEngine asked 1,200 U.S. viewers from various demographics — those polled were between the ages of 13 and 64 — every week what films they’ve watched in the seven days following a title’s release. The data shows that Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton on Disney+ was the most-watched SVOD release of 2020, followed by Borat Subsequent Subsequent Moviefilm on Amazon Prime Video, My Spy (Prime Video), Extraction (Netflix), and Phineas & Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe.

Almost every title in ScreenEngine’s top 30 most-watched films debuted in March or later, when viewers were isolated at home due to the pandemic. However, the Top 10 is dominated by relatively recent releases like Netflix’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 (October 16 premiere) and HBO Max’s Roald Dahl’s The Witches (October 22), suggesting that viewers have come to accept big-budget streaming releases as the new norm.

That said, the novel coronavirus pandemic doesn’t seem to have weakened Netflix’s stronghold in the streaming landscape. 11 of the top 30 most-watched movies are Netflix originals, a figure that dwarfs that of other platforms represented in ScreenEngine’s data. In second place is Disney+ with eight titles, including premium release Mulan, followed by Prime Video with four and HBO Max and Hulu with two each. Bringing up the rear is Apple TV+, which landed in 24th place with Tom Hanks epic Greyhound but failed to make an impact elsewhere.

ScreenEngine’s top 20 most-watched SVOD movies of 2020 is as follows, per Variety VIP:

1. Hamilton The Movie (July 3; Disney+)
2. Borat 2: Subsequent Moviefilm (October 23, Prime Video)
3. My Spy (June 26; Prime Video)
4. Extraction (April 24; Netflix)
5. Phineas & Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe (August 28; Disney+)
6. Mulan (September 4; Disney+ Premium VOD)
7. The Old Guard (July 10; Netflix)
8. The Trial of the Chicago 7 (October 16; Netflix)
9. Roald Dahl’s The Witches (October 22; HBO Max)
10. The Lovebirds (May 22; Netflix)
11. Rebecca (October 21; Netflix)
12. Project Power (August 14; Netflix)
13. Enola Holmes (September 23; Netflix)
14. Black is King (July 31; Disney+)
15. Madea’s Farewell Play (August 27; Prime Video)
16. Da 5 Bloods (June 12; Netflix)
17. Bad Hair (October 23; Hulu)
18. Artemis Fowl (June 12; Disney+)
19. Lost Girls (March 13; Netflix)
20. An American Pickle (August 6; HBO Max)

The success of Borat 2 is a boon to Amazon Prime Video’s renewed push into the world of original films. In mid-October, Deadline reported that Amazon is currently negotiating with Paramount to bring Eddie Murphy’s Coming to America sequel to Prime Video. Sources close to the situation say that the deal is in the $125 million range, and if both parties agree, the aptly-titled Coming 2 America could premiere as early as December 18.

In addition, Amazon has picked up a host of films affected by COVID-19, including Michael B. Jordan’s Without Remorse and Regina King’s One Night in Miami, both of which are slated to debut in early 2021.

This article has been updated to include ScreenEngine’s Top 20 streaming films of 2020, per Variety VIP.

Where to stream Hamilton

Where to stream Borat 2