
When Netflix discloses viewing figures for its original shows, it always includes a disclaimer about its (very relaxed) approach. A view on Netflix is defined as watching two minutes of a TV programme or movie. But who among us hasn't given up after the first few minutes on something? Have you truly "viewed" an eight-episode hourlong series if you leave halfway through? Netflix appears to agree. It's always made Netflix statistics less useful, which is perhaps why the company has now revealed total viewership hours for its top 10 original films and shows, including Extraction, Money Heist, The Witcher, Stranger Things, Army of the Dead, and more. To demonstrate that the majority of Netflix subscribers are are watching till the end.
Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock, won the box office with 282 million hours watched in the first 28 days. Within the first four weeks, 89 million Netflix users saw Bird Box, with an average viewing time of 3 hours and 10 minutes. That's a lot longer than the movie's 2 hours and 4 minutes, implying that people will see it again. With 231 million hours, Extraction, Chris Hemsworth's most-watched film, finished in second with 99 million homes. That's 2 hours and 20 minutes on average, somewhat longer than the 1 hour and 57 minute duration.
Here's the complete list of Netflix's top 10 most-watched series and movies, ranked by viewing hours, in the first four weeks following release:
Netflix top 10 most-watched series
Netflix top 10 most-watched movies