Ever since Netflix began to dip its toe into the world of original films, several have gone on to become some of the most-watched projects of their given year. While tracking the numbers for Netflix views is quite different from looking at box office intake, the platform has a way to see what their top movies are at the end of every year. As the world’s biggest streaming service, these films end up with millions of minutes watched, often in just the first few days of their release.
Netflix typically uses the numbers from the first 91 days of a movie’s arrival on the platform. It used to be limited to 28 days but they expanded that timeframe in 2023, allowing it to look more like a theatrical window. They also look at both overall views and the total number of hours that the film was streamed. Most of the biggest hits on Netflix have come within the past few years, yet it’s interesting tos see which movies won their given year.
Some of the top hits are obvious, while others are likely to surprise you. A few are the most popular and iconic Netflix original projects, while others came and went without making much impact, yet clearly still racked up major viewership numbers.
2017 – Bright
It’s hard to fully gauge just how well Bright did when compared to the other biggest hits in Netflix history. 2017 was just a bit before their streaming numbers truly took off, so it doesn’t even among the platform’s 30 most-viewed original movies. That said, it was reported that it picked up 11 million streaming viewers in just its first three days.
Bright is set in a world where humans and mythical creatures co-exist and centers on a human (Will Smith) and an orc (Joel Edgerton) who are police officer partners and they must protect an elf and the magic wand she wields. Alas, critics weren’t too pleased with the film, though audiences liked it enough for there to be sequel talk, though nothing has come of it.
2018 – Bird Box
Bird Box feels like the first true streaming hit of major note for Netflix. The horror film had an intriguing premise, set in a post-apocalyptic world where entities exist that, if you look at them, you take your own life. The story centers on a woman who must navigate herself and two children to safety while wearing blindfolds.
Add in a star like Sandra Bullock and it makes sense why Bird Box was such a hit. The film has garnered over 325 million hours watched and still ranks in the top 10 for the streaming service’s history. Surprisingly, only one forgettable sequel was spawned.
2019 – The Irishman
The Irishman was a special movie for Netflix. It was a big deal as it brought the likes of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino together for a Martin Scorsese gangster flick in the modern age. It even had a limited theatrical release, which was rare for a Netflix project at the time.
The movie told a fictionalized version of the life of Frank Sheeran, a World War II veteran who became a hitman for the mob. The Irishman was a hit with critics and landed several Academy Award nominations. It has also racked up over 214 million viewing hours on Netflix, just edging out 6 Underground to take the top spot in 2019.
2020 – Spenser Confidential
It’s a bit surprising that the most-watched Netflix movie of 2020 didn’t do bigger numbers. To be fair, the 238.9 million viewing hours that Spenser Confidential is impressive but at a time when everyone was stuck at home during the pandemic, it’s a bit lower than expected.
Spenser Confidential is a poorly received yet still relatively enjoyable action comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Winston Duke. It’s the kind of thing that is easy to rewatch, though it never really garnered the buzz that other top Netflix projects have.
2021 – Red Notice
Two of the most-watched movies in Netflix history are from 2021. One of them is Don’t Look Up, which received mixed reviews but did garner four Academy Award nominations. The other was Red Notice, which held the record for Netflix viewership for several years.
Red Notice benefited from star power, as the film is led by Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds. The action comedy sees an FBI agent team with a criminal to catch an even bigger thief. Reviews were lackluster, yet audiences had a good time with this, leading to over 230 million views and more than 450 million hours watched.
2022 – The Adam Project
There was a lot of competition for the top spot in 2022. The Gray Man was a huge deal for the platform given the budget and who was involved and the same goes for Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. However, both films were beaten by The Adam Project.
Ryan Reynolds had his second straight massive hit on Netflix with The Adam Project, which secured over 157 million views in its first month. The sci-fi comedy sees Reynolds travel back in time to meet his younger self as they team up on a mission to save the future.
2023 – Leave The World Behind
Based on the book of the same name, Leave the World Behind had an intriguing premise. It focuses on a group of people who try to make sense of the breakdown of technology over the course of a few days, which seems to be leading to a cataclysmic event.
With Mahershala Ali, Julia Roberts, and a loaded cast from top to bottom, seemingly everyone was intrigued by this film. Leave the World Behind ended up with more than 339 million hours viewed and was a success with critics, though a lot of people weren’t too pleased with the movie’s ending.
2024 – Carry-On
Carry-On kind of came from out of nowhere to become one of Netflix’s biggest hits. It actually sits in third place in terms of Netflix’s most-viewed movie in history. A big reason why was its catchy setup and a release right around Christmas when most people were going to be home.
Carry-On follows a TSA agent (Taron Egerton) who is blackmailed by a terrorist (Jason Bateman) into allowing a lethal nerve agent onto a plane where it would kill hundreds. The cat-and-mouse game is engaging, helping to lead the film to an outstanding 344.1 million hours watched.
2025 – KPop: Demon Hunters
Red Notice had a hold on Netflix’s all-time charts until KPop: Demon Hunters came along. The animated musical fantasy movie centers on a trio of pop stars who also moonlight as demon hunters. The visuals are gorgeous, the action is great, people love the characters, and the music makes it special.
With several hits on the Billboard charts, KPop: Demon Hunters was inescapable. The film remains as popular as ever in 2026 and shattered Netflix’s record, racking up over 325 million views and more than 540 million hours watched. On top of that, KPop: Demon Hunters won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song at the Oscars.