Excluded : Tops 2023 MABtv movies on Netflix, part 2, a lizard among the stars

Here is the second part of the MABtv tops on the best performances of films on Netflix, this time the films in English language. This ranking accumulates their number of views according to the number of weeks they remain in Netflix's weekly Global Top Ten, in order to take into account their longevity, and to be representative of a first operating cycle. It is compiled from figures communicated by Netflix each week. Ces films, all of originals, ranked in the top 93 Netflix countries.

Classification 2023 is dominated by a leading trio, the film with the most views, next to 129 millions, during its first weeks of operation being Leave the World Behind (The World After Us), released at the end of the year.

Netflix has gotten into the habit of releasing a blockbuster-type film during this period, auspicious, long winter evenings and Christmas holidays, causing consumption to take off. After Glass Onion last year, Red Notice et Don’t Look up the previous year, it was the turn of this anticipation disaster film, adapted from the novel by Rumaan Alam, with once again a leading cast, worn by Julia Roberts. It is produced by Barak and Michelle Obama's company, Higher Ground Productions, as well as that of director Sam Esmail (the creator of Mr. Robot) who had already worked with Julia Roberts notably on Homeland, herself a co-producer with her company Red Om Film.

Leave the World Behind exceeds the 100 million hours viewed (equivalent to 45m views) in the second week after a first week close to them, then benefits from a fourth week above average, the one between Christmas and New Year's Day, which also relaunched the film on Netflix Pretty Woman. Leave the World Behind remains in the weekly top of Netflix 5 weeks in a row, more than average, but less than, last year, Glass Onion, stay 7 weeks, the previous year, Don’t Look Up , 8 weeks, and record still unsurpassed, the action-comedy film, Red Notice, who had settled 12 weeks in a row.

Action!

Two other films performed very strongly last year, two action films, The Mother, strongest start in number of views, a women's film, directed by Niki Caro (Priest, Mulan) with Jennifer Lopez in the role of a sniper who seeks to protect her daughter whom she does not know, et Extraction 2 (Tyler Rake 2), continuation of the first, which of the three remained in the weekly top of Netflix the longest, 7 weeks in a row.

Netflix seeks to establish and develop its franchises, d’action, as Extraction but also, in a lighter tone, Murder Mystery, couple of bumbling investigators formed by Jennifer Alyster and Adam Sandler, which also exceeded 100m views last year.

Everytime, the new film revives the consumption of the previous one, Extraction 1 et Murder Mystery 1 following their sequel in the tops when they were released. The platform is also trying to launch new ones, especially with female heroines, such Heart of Stone (Agent Stone, the continuation of which is not confirmed), with Gal Gadot, who left aside his costume Wonder Woman. She had already played before in Red Notice, the biggest success of a film on Netflix .

Thrillers and romantic comedies

These last two films are also representative of castings which are becoming international. We find in Murder Mystery 2, which passes partly in Paris, French actress Melanie Laurent, already known internationally for having filmed for Hollywood (also in the top Netflix non-English language films with his film Thieves), but also Dany Boon as a guest star, while in Heart Of Stone, Bollywood actress, Alia Bhatt plays one of the leading roles.

Thrillers and rom-coms complete the top. The film follows the BBC series, Luther, The Fallen Sun, stands out from the crowd, having also been among the platform's best audiences in England according to other data (by Barb). To note, thriller side, what The Killer by David Fincher et al Reptile with Benicio del Toro only just missed the top 10, each accumulating a little more than 62 million views in respectively 4 et 5 weeks.

Romantic comedy side, the film You People, with a strong American cast including Eddie Murphy rare on screen, made a particularly strong start. First film directed by Kenya Barris (creator of the sitcom Black-ish) it tells the story of a couple seeking approval for their marriage from their families of different cultures, Jewish and Black American Muslim, but despite co-writing with Jonah Hill (who also co-stars with Lauren London), has been widely criticized for conveying stereotypes. Finally, in tenth position, the platform has ventured into the space opera genre with Rebel Moon Zack Snider (Wonder Woman, Justice League), including the first part, released at the very end of the year, arrive 10ème (but only stays in the weekly top for four weeks).

Adam Sandler, king of the audience on Netflix in live and animation

In the middle of this audience of stars, a lizard, first name Leo, was among the five best audiences for English-language films. A lizard 74 years with good endurance since, he who, in the movie, afraid of not having it for long, is still in the weekly top after eight weeks in a row, the record for a new film last year, accumulating over the period a very strong score of 105m views.

Certainly, animated films tend to stay or return to the Netflix tops, particularly due to school holidays, but these are generally mainly cinema films and/or franchises, benefiting from a certain notoriety. Leo is for its part an animated film, et musical, original de Netflix, the story of a lizard who secretly knows how to talk and makes friends with every child in the class, becoming their advisor. He still attached a well-known name, that of’ Adam Sandler who produced it and lends his voice to it.

Under contract with Netflix with its company Happy Madison Productions for four films, renewed in 2020, the actor is a sure value, present twice in the top 10 also with Murder Mystery 2, while two of his comedies as producer were also successful and would be part of a top 15, The Out-Laws, which notably includes Pierce Brosman in the cast 65m views in 4 weeks) and the teen movie in which his whole family stars You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (47m views in four weeks).

Animated films are making their mark

Animated films are making more of their mark on the platform. Netflix had already had previous success with an original animated film, The Sea Beast, in July 2022, who had even remained in the tops for seven weeks in a row, the first two in the lead, with scores perhaps less spectacular at the start but not far from reaching the 100 million cumulative views over the period. During the first semester 2023, according to figures recently disclosed by Netflix, The Sea Beast still generated 31 million views.

One year ago, Pinocchio by Guillermo del Torro had worked rather well without lasting as long, cumulating 65 million views in four weeks. It still generates 21m in the first six months of 2023, back in the news for winning the Oscar for best animated film (without reappearing in the weekly top). Last year, another original animated film, The Money King, also ranked first in the weekly top, even if he only stayed in the top three weeks. Netflix also launched at the end of the year Chicken Run Dawn of the Nugget, almost 40m views in four weeks.

Animated cinema films are being released despite a limited number of countries

The platform has also had great success, more measured on a global scale because they do not have all the territories, with acquisitions of animated cinema films, particularly within the framework of agreements in the USA. Among these, Minions: The Rise of Gru of which Netflix had the second American window, remained at the start of last year for six weeks in a row in the weekly global Netflix top, accumulating nearly 36m views.

More recently, under the same agreement with Universal, The Super Mario Bros Movie, made even stronger, still in the weekly top after seven weeks, with a cumulative 50 million views, arrived on Netflix four months after Peacock and eight months after the theater (the film had also previously benefited from digital and physical video exploitation one and two months after the release).

Also note the performance of Miraculous: Ladybug & Black Cat, The Movie, for which Netflix had the rights in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia, United Kingdom and part of Europe. The French animated film, considered in English language, ranked second the week of its launch despite a non-global footprint, and accumulated 30 million views in four weeks (these films are not available in France, and could not have been so soon after the room with the media chronology).