Who could have guessed that a cliché-riddled rom-com which most viewers probably forgot about would end up being Netflix’s most popular offering of 2019? That’s right, Netflix has now revealed in a Twitter thread that of all the new films, series, and specials it added to its streaming library throughout the year, it was Murder Mystery which drew the most subscriber interest.
We already knew that the film was a success for Netflix. The company previously boasted that at least 73 million views had been tallied for the pic, which featured Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston as a modest couple whose European vacation became wrapped up in billionaire hijinks and — gasp! — murder. However, it’s still a bit of a head-scratcher that the film beat out absolutely everything else that debuted on Netflix this year. 2019 just keeps on getting wilder, folks!
Netflix’s Most Popular Original Series and Films, By the Numbers
Coming in second for the year was Stranger Things 3, which is much less of a surprise since the series is the streaming service’s closest thing to a tentpole franchise right now. Interestingly, though, third place went to 6 Underground, the new Michael Bay movie with Ryan Reynolds which just debuted two weeks ago.
Now, as with Netflix’s viewership reports, there are some important caveats to note here about this most popular properties list. According to The Hollywood Reporter, which first published this information, Netflix measured popularity based on the number of subscribers who watched at least two minutes of the given property within the first 28 days of release. So, with 6 Underground and newly-released titles like YOU Season 2 and The Witcher Season 1, the streaming service relied on projected viewing numbers to determine their relative popularity. Also, the list includes those non-Netflix Originals which were added to the streaming service during 2019 (so no matter how many times you re-watched Friends in its final year on Netflix, it doesn’t qualify for this list).
With that in mind, check out the full list of the most popular releases of the year, along with separate breakdowns of the most popular films and series on Netflix in 2019.
Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler, Murder Mystery
Top 10 Most Popular Releases Of 2019
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 Movie Releases Of 2019
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. Wreck-It Ralph 2
10. Secret Obsession
Top 10 Most Popular Series Releases Of 2019
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
10. Raising Dion
(Disclosure: TV Guide is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.)