Netflix hits of 2019: from Murder Mystery and Stranger Things 3 to The Witcher and The Irishman, the most popular shows and films

According to Netflix, its most popular* release was Adam Sandler/Jennifer Aniston comedy Murder Mystery. Popular measured by how many saw 2 minutes or more

Stranger Things 3 was the streaming giant’s most popular show, while 6 Underground and Disney’s Incredibles 2 also made the top 10

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Third place goes to another Netflix original, the Michael Bay action film 6 Underground, which was released on the service this month. Photo: Netflix/TNS

Published: 6:00pm, 31 Dec 2019Updated: 6:33pm, 31 Dec 2019

When many people think of Netflix in 2019, especially during awards season, they probably think of movies like The Irishman and Marriage Story – prestigious titles with inescapable “for your consideration” ads, ecstatic reviews and social media chatter. Or they might think of shows such as Stranger Things and Russian Doll.

But according to a new ranking from Netflix, the most popular title of the year for the streaming giant’s US viewers was something completely different: the not-so-well-reviewed Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston crime comedy film Murder Mystery.

Surprised?

Before going any further, it’s important to define what Netflix means by “popular”, because the company has long been known for coyness when it comes to releasing viewership data for the shows and movies on its service.

The most popular title of the year for Netflix’s US viewers was Murder Mystery starring Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. Photo: Netflix/TNS

The California-based firm has only recently begun releasing data for how many people are watching some of its original productions. And even those numbers are of limited use because they lack the context a third-party data firm could provide, such as comparisons to traditional TV viewership and shows on rival services. In the time it takes to parse what Netflix’s data actually means, one could watch a decent chunk of Martin Scorsese’s latest mob epic.

For its New Year’s top 10 lists, Netflix calculated popularity based on how many people watched at least two minutes of a piece of content in its first 28 days of release, according to a person familiar with the methodology.

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