Netflix opened its big black box of data for the first time in 2023, lifting the lid on viewing figures for its entire catalog of movies and TV shows in spreadsheets that span tens of thousands of entries.
The so-called “data dump” What We Watched reports, released every six months, started breaking down the number of views for a title from July 2023, meaning we now have two years of comparable ratings to reflect on. (It’s worth noting that Netflix’s inaugural engagement report covered the first half of 2023, but did not count views, just hours viewed.)
Deadline combined the data from the four reports to provide a rundown on what Netflix’s 300M-plus subscribers have been watching over the past two years. For transparency, Deadline used ChatGPT to consolidate and comb through the data, but our rankings have been fact-checked and provided to Netflix for comment.
Adam Sandler in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’
We have produced two lists, charting the Top 10 films and TV shows. We have also dived a bit deeper to consider the performance of fan favorites, not least the stunning success of Squid Game. We have also unearthed some facts for the fun of it. Did you know, for example, that Adam Sandler films have delivered more than a billion views to Netflix since July 2023?
In total, Netflix has generated a staggering 96.1B views over the past two years, breaking down to 39.3B streams for 9,909 television series and 56.8B views for 13,547 movies. The figures are likely a mere snapshot of the data Netflix has at its disposal, but it’s worth saying that none of its rivals are as transparent as the streaming giant. Scroll on for more on the rankings.
Top 10 TV Series
Let’s start with the top 10 TV series on Netflix over the past two years:
Perhaps it is no surprise that the ranking was topped by Season 2 of Squid Game after the soaraway South Korean success story returned to screens last December. Season 2 has generated 203.8M views, nearly 60M ahead of its closest competitor, the British series Adolescence (144.8M views).
Perhaps more remarkably, Squid Game’s first and third seasons also feature in the Top 20, proving the franchise’s viewing tail far outstretches the line of blood-spattered contestants who enter the ojingeo arena. Season 1 launched in September 2021, meaning its 84.1M streams do not include its first two years of viewing data. Season 3 snuck in at Number 19, despite only being on the platform for four days. The season’s 71.5M views will rise significantly.
The three seasons have managed a combined 359.4M views, which grows to 420.2M when you add in other extensions of the franchise, including the 42M streams for reality series Squid Game: The Challenge, which was recently renewed for a third season. In short, Squid Game is on course to blast past half a billion views over the coming months.
The halo effect a new season drop can have on previous seasons bodes well for other returning franchises over the coming months, not least Wednesday on August 6. Season 1 of the Jenna Ortega drama spooked up 69.9M views since July 2023, putting it just outside the Top 20.
If Squid Game was flying the flag for South Korea, then Brits can also claim bragging rights in the top TV shows of the past two years. Half of the Top 10 shows were made in the UK, underlining the remarkable hit rate of Anne Mensah, the streamer’s boss in London. The were four American originals in the Top 10, spearheaded by Season 3 of Bridgerton (123.3M views), which has more than a smidge of British influence.
‘The Gentlemen’
Jellyfish Pictures
If there is one concern about the British dominance, it is that, unlike Squid Game and Bridgerton, there are fewer opportunities for Netflix to franchise the limited series. Adolescence, Fool Me Once (129M views), and Baby Reindeer (100.4M) are all one-off gems. Only The Gentlemen (97.9M views) is returning for a second season.
As Deadline first reported, early conversations are underway about telling another story in the Adolescence universe, but it is unlikely to follow murder suspect Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) and his family. Fool Me Once, meanwhile, may not be returnable, but it is out of the Harlan Coben collection, which recently produced Missing You, which had 58M views since January.
If nothing else, the two years of Netflix figures reveal the power of its franchises. Bridgerton has had a ball with more than 300M views over the past two years (including Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), putting it second only to Squid Game. Honorable mentions go to other hit series, including Cobra Kai (193.8M views), Virgin River (164.2M), and Stranger Things, which has not released a new episode since 2022, but still amassed 150.5M views for its first four seasons.
‘Love is Blind’
It’s not just scripted either: The Love Is Blind brand has spawned eight seasons and several international versions (UK, Sweden, and Brazil, to name just three), all of which have sent hearts fluttering at Los Gatos with 144.8M views since mid-2023.
Young Sheldon was the only series acquisition in the Top 20 TV shows. Season 1 has 76.5M views, but add in the other six seasons, and the CBS comedy totals 333M. The other two acquisitions in the Top 20 — Season 6 of Peppa Pig (92M views) and Season 1 of CoComelon (79.3M) — are both huge kids’ brands on Netflix.
CoComelon has generated a whopping 637M streams, nearly 2% of all TV series viewing on Netflix since 2023, comfortably making it the streamer’s biggest kids show. Although this includes Netflix original, CoComelon Lane, and the ratings for licensed episodes have declined over the two years, the streamer will be losing a heck of a lot of views when CoComelon switches to Disney+ in 2027. By way of comparison, Peppa Pig accumulated 405M views, while other notable kids’ brands like Gabby’s Dollhouse and Bebefinn were a long way back in CoComelon‘s rearview mirror.
Top 10 Films
Next up, the top 10 TV films on Netflix over the past two years:
The ranking provides perhaps the biggest surprise of the data analysis: The Boss Baby is on top with 221.3M views. That’s right, DreamWorks’ 2017 animation starring Alec Baldwin as a spy child, is the most-watched movie on Netflix over the past two years.
The film grossed a respectable $530M at the box office, but has crawled its way into the affections of Netflix members, comfortably amassing many millions more views than splashy originals. Add in Boss Baby’s sequel, Family Business, and other brand extensions listed in Netflix’s film ranking, and you’re up to 327M views — and that’s not even including the Back in Business TV series.
To put The Boss Baby in some context, Netflix’s all-time Top 10 movie list on the Tudum website has 2021’s Red Notice on top with 230M views after 91 days. Incidentally, based on the engagement reports analysed by Deadline, Dwayne Johnson’s action comedy continues to perform, totalling 106M streams since mid-2023.
‘The Boss Baby’
Dreamworks Animation
Animation acquisitions are big business on Netflix, accounting for half of the Top 10 features, as the likes of The Super Mario Bros. Movie (209.9M views) and Minions (190.9M) made the cut. Perhaps not a surprise then that the streamer renewed its licensing deal with Universal Filmed Entertainment Group last October.
Leo, another animated title, was Netflix’s highest-ranked original movie since mid-2023 with 207.2M views. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said last year that the streaming service is “kicking around” a sequel to the Adam Sandler feature, telling the story of a lizard stuck in a Florida school. Sarandos also name-checked Leo during an earnings call last week.
Another thing about Leo: the movie underlines the enduring popularity of Sandler on Netflix, which helped make him the highest-paid star in Hollywood in 2023. The actor’s movies, including animations like Hotel Transylvania, have delivered more than a billion views over the period examined. Happy Gilmore 2 will surely be another hole-in-one for Netflix when it premieres on Friday.
Leave the World Behind, Sam Esmail’s apocalyptic thriller, managed 205.1M views, making it Netflix’s best-performing live-action original picture. Taron Egerton’s Carry-On (185M) and Kevin Hart’s Lift (175.8M) also cracked the Top 10, proving that mid-budget action movies are a genuine sweet spot for Netflix. Back in Action (164.7M), Rebel Ridge (160.1M), The Union (159.5M), and Heart of Stone (149.9M) all made the Top 20.
Millie Bobby Brown in ‘Damsel’
Millie Bobby Brown continued to show that she is a Netflix star for the ages. Damsel was ranked fifth with 194.5M streams. Add in her other efforts, including The Electric State (74.2M) and two Enola Holmes movies (47.7M), and that view count rises to more than 316M. Next up for Bobby Brown is the Stranger Things finale and Enola Holmes 3.
Finally, Netflix’s highest-ranked movie from outside of the U.S. was Under Paris with 134.1M streams, putting it in 18th place. The action horror, telling the story of a giant shark rampaging through the Seine, will likely topple 2022’s Troll as Netflix’s most-watched non-English language film ever. Per Netflix’s Top 10 all-time lists, which monitor viewing over a title’s first 91 days, Troll had 103M views.
