‘Murder Mystery,’ ‘Stranger Things 3’ Top Netflix’s Most Popular 2019 Releases in U.S.

Rankings are based on number of accounts that chose to watch at least two minutes of a title during its first 28 days on Netflix

netflix most popular movies tv shows 2019 list
Netflix

Netflix got in the end-of-year spirit Monday by sharing its own set of Top 10 lists for 2019, including its most popular titles that launched in the U.S. over the last 365 days, which is lead by the Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler comedy “Murder Mystery” and the third season of “Stranger Things.”

According to Netflix, its “most popular” domestic releases for the year are, in order, “Murder Mystery,” “Stranger Things 3,” “6 Underground,” “The Incredibles 2” (which had its theatrical release in 2018, but launched on Netflix this year), “The Irishman,” “The Witcher,” “Triple Frontier,” “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” “The Umbrella Academy” and “The Highwaymen.”

No viewership data was included with the list — which shouldn’t come as a complete shock, seeing as Netflix is famously selective about releasing numbers — but an individual with knowledge of the streaming service’s methodology tells TheWrap that the titles were ranked by the number of U.S. accounts that chose to watch at least two minutes of a series, movie or special during its first 28 days on Netflix in 2019.

Along with its main Top 10 ranker, Netflix also revealed its most popular releases among U.S. viewers for the year in these categories: TV series, movies, “nonfiction” programs, documentaries, comedy specials, international titles and kids & family shows.

For television series, “Stranger Things 3” led the way, followed by “The Witcher,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Dead to Me,” “You” Season 2, “When They See Us,” “Unbelievable,” “Sex Education,” the third season of “13 Reasons Why” and “Raising Dion.”

On the film side, these were the Top 10 titles, in order: “Murder Mystery,” “6 Underground,” “The Incredibles 2,” “The Irishman,” “Triple Frontier,” “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” “The Highwaymen,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2” and “Secret Obsession.”

“6 Underground” (released Dec. 13), “The Witcher” (released Dec. 20) and the second season of “You” (released Dec. 26) were able to make the lists because Netflix is projecting 28-day viewership tallies for those titles based on their launch-to-date data, according to the insider familiar with Netflix’s calculations.

The streaming service limited its end-of-year lists to only the TV series or films that premiered on the platform in 2019, which applies to both licensed movies and shows, as well as Netflix originals, the individual told us. For TV shows specifically, Netflix counted only the “most popular” season of that series in these rankings.

See below for all eight of Netflix’s Top 10 lists for the U.S. in 2019.

Top 10 Most Popular Releases of 2019 (US)

  1. Murder Mystery
  2. Stranger Things 3
  3. 6 Underground
  4. The Incredibles 2
  5. The Irishman
  6. The Witcher
  7. Triple Frontier
  8. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
  9. The Umbrella Academy
  10. The Highwaymen

Top 10 Most Popular Series Releases of 2019 (US)

  1. Stranger Things 3
  2. The Witcher
  3. The Umbrella Academy
  4. Dead to Me
  5. You, Season 2
  6. When They See Us
  7. Unbelievable
  8. Sex Education
  9. 13 Reasons Why, Season 3
  10. Raising Dion

Top 10 Most Popular Movie Releases of 2019 (US)

  1. Murder Mystery
  2. 6 Underground
  3. The Incredibles 2
  4. The Irishman
  5. Triple Frontier
  6. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
  7. The Highwaymen
  8. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
  9. Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2
  10. Secret Obsession

Top 10 Most Popular Nonfiction Releases of 2019 (US)

  1. Tidying Up With Marie Kondo
  2. Jailbirds
  3. Rhythm + Flow
  4. You vs. Wild
  5. Nailed It!, Season 3
  6. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee: New 2019: Freshly Brewed
  7. Awake: The Million Dollar Game
  8. Sugar Rush Christmas
  9. Prank Encounters
  10. Sugar Rush, Season 2

Top 10 Most Popular Documentary Releases of 2019 (US)

  1. Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
  2. Our Planet
  3. FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened
  4. Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce
  5. Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
  6. Abducted in Plain Sight
  7. The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
  8. The Family
  9. Street Food: Volume 1: Asia
  10. Kevin Hart: Don’t F**k This Up

Top 10 Most Popular Comedy Releases of 2019 (US)

  1. Dave Chappelle: Sticks & Stones
  2. Kevin Hart: Irresponsible
  3. Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias: One Show Fits All
  4. Ken Jeong: You Complete Me, Ho
  5. Amy Schumer Growing
  6. Bill Burr: Paper Tiger
  7. Aziz Ansari: RIGHT NOW
  8. Jeff Dunham: Beside Himself
  9. Wanda Sykes: Not Normal
  10. Mike Epps: Only One Mike

Top 10 Most Popular International Releases of 2019 (US)

  1. Mighty Little Bheem
  2. Kidnapping Stella
  3. Always a Witch
  4. Mirage
  5. Burn Out
  6. High Seas
  7. Como caído del cielo
  8. Money Heist, Part 3
  9. Quicksand
  10. The Rain, Season 2

Top 10 Most Popular Kids & Family Series Releases of 2019 (US)

  1. Raising Dion
  2. Green Eggs and Ham
  3. Lost in Space, Season 2
  4. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
  5. Victorious
  6. You vs. Wild
  7. Nailed It!, Season 3
  8. Fuller House, Season 5
  9. Family Reunion
  10. Mighty Little Bheem

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