Technologies

Netflix’s Biggest Hit Shows and Movies, Ranked (According to Netflix)

Netflix publishes weekly stats for its most watched series and films. We track the most popular of all time.

Netflix, for years, was notoriously tight-lipped about its viewership. But after a few years of dropping stats for some of its programming, Netflix launched a website in mid-November posting charts of its most popular shows and movies from the past week, as well as a global ranking of its all-time most watched titles.

The charts, which are updated every week and ranked by the total number of hours that subscribers spent watching them, represent an unprecedented trove of data about what’s popular on Netflix. The site details the most popular titles in the last week not only globally but also for more than 90 countries. And it’s meant to help subscribers like you get a better sense of the biggest hits on the world’s largest subscription streaming service, in the hopes you’ll discover something new to watch.

The company updates its weekly «Top 10 on Netflix» every Tuesday, based on hours viewed from Monday through Sunday the previous week for original and licensed titles. The rankings are broken down into top 10 charts for films in English, TV in English, films in non-English languages and TV in non-English languages.

A ranking of all-time most watched titles also lives on the site, detailing shows that have the most viewing hours in their first 28 days of release. If a new season releases its episodes in two parts on different dates, Netflix counts the watch time of the first volume’s episodes for their first 28 days, then it counts the watch time of the second volume’s episodes for their first 28 days. These all-time rankings are also updated every Tuesday, whenever any programs make it into the charts during the week prior.

Why you won’t see From Scratch or Inside Man in the rankings

Shows and movies need sustained popularity in many countries to crack into the all-time most watched charts. That means you can see titles ranked in Netflix’s app for days as being among the service’s most popular in your country, but they still may not be generating enough hours of viewing to make the all-time rankings.

From Scratch, a romantic limited series starring Zoe Saldaña, has pulled in nearly 155 million hours of watch-time since it came out Oct. 21, through Sunday. Inside Man, a British thriller limited series that’s already aired on regular TV in the UK, racked up 52.9 million hours in just seven days. And both have more time in their 28-day windows to generate watch-time that could get them into the rankings. But TV series need nearly half a billion hours watched to make it onto the all-time list, and even the most popular shows and movies need multiple weeks to accumulate enough.

Netflix’s most watched TV series, ranked

The following are Netflix’s most watched series, based on Netflix’s own reporting of total hours viewed in the first 28 days of each titles’ release. Again, if a new season releases its episodes in two volumes on different dates, Netflix counts the watch time of the first volume’s episodes for their first 28 days, then it counts the watch time of the second volume’s episodes for their first 28 days.

Any changes in the rankings from the previous week are in bold text.

Squid Game (season 1), a Korean survival thriller — 1.65 billion hours.
Stranger Things (season 4), a retro sci-fi series — 1.35 billion hours.
Dahmer, a true-crime serial killer series — 856.2 million hours.
Money Heist (part 5), a Spanish-language thriller — 792.2 million hours.
Bridgerton (season 2), a period romance — 656.3 million hours.
Bridgerton (season 1) — 625.5 million hours.
Money Heist (part 4) — 619 million hours.
Stranger Things (season 3), a retro sci-fi series — 582.1 million hours.
Lucifer (season 5), a fantasy police procedural — 569.5 million hours.
All of Us Are Dead, a Korean zombie thriller taking place in a high school — 560.8 million hours.
The Witcher (season 1), a fantasy show — 541 million hours.
Inventing Anna, a true-crime limited series about a fake socialite — 511.9 million hours
13 Reasons Why (season 2), a controversial teen drama — 496.1 million hours.
Ozark (season 4), a crime drama series — 491.1 million hours.

Former top-ranking shows that have been bumped out of Netflix’s official all-time charts:

The Witcher (season 2) — 484.3 million hours.
13 Reasons Why (season 1) — 475.6 million hours
Maid, a limited series about a young mother fleeing abuse — 469.1 million hours.
You (season 3), a psychological thriller — 467.8 million hours.
You (season 2) — 457.4 million hours.
Stranger Things (season 2) — 427.4 million hours.
Money Heist (part 3) — 426.4 million hours.
Sex Education (season 3), a British teen dramedy — 419 million hours.
Ginny & Georgia (season 1), a dramedy about a young mom and kids — 381 million hours.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (season 1), a South Korean legal drama — 402.5 million hours.
Café con Aroma de Mujer (season 1), a Colombian telenovela — 326.9 million hours.
Lupin (part 1), a French heist show — 316.8 million hours.
Elite (season 3), a Spanish teen drama — 275.3 million hours.
Who Killed Sara? (season 1), a Mexican mystery thriller — 266.4 million hours.
Elite (season 4) — 257.1 million hours.
The Queen of Flow (season 2), a musical Colombian telenovela — 230.3 million hours.
Lupin (part 2) — 214.1 million hours.
Dark Desire (season 1), a Mexican dramatic thriller — 213 million hours.

Netflix’s most watched movies, ranked

The following are Netflix’s most watched movies, based on Netflix’s own reporting of total hours viewed in the first 28 days of each titles’ release. Any changes are in bold text.

Red Notice, an action movie starring Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds — 364 million hours.
Don’t Look Up, a dark comedy with a star-packed cast — 359.8 million hours.
Bird Box, a post-apocalyptic movie starring Sandra Bullock — 282 million hours.
The Gray Man, a CIA action thriller — 253.9 million hours.
The Adam Project, a sci-fi adventure comedy — 233.2 million hours.
Extraction, an action movie starring Chris Hemsworth — 231.3 million hours.
Purple Hearts, a romantic drama about a musician marrying a Marine — 228.7 million hours.
The Unforgivable, a drama about a woman rebuilding her life after prison — 214.7 million hours.
The Irishman, a period Mafia epic directed by Martin Scorsese— 214.6 million hours.
The Kissing Booth 2, a teen rom-com sequel — 209.3 million hours.

Former top-ranking movies that have been bumped out of Netflix’s official all-time charts:

6 Underground, a Michael Bay explosion-fest starring Ryan Reynolds — 205.5 million hours.
Spenser Confidential, an action-comedy starring Mark Wahlberg — 197.3 million hours.
Enola Holmes, a period detective film — 189.9 million hours.
Army of the Dead, a heist set in a zombie apocalypse — 187 million hours.
The Old Guard, an action-thriller starring Charlize Theron — 186 million hours.
Murder Mystery, a comedy starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston — 170 million hours.

Netflix appears to have never released a non-English-language film that generated enough viewing hours to make it into an overall top-watched ranking. But additional widely watched non-English language movies on Netflix have included:

Blood Red Sky, a German/British action horror film set during a plane hijacking — 110.5 million hours.
The Platform, a Spanish social commentary wrapped in a horror film — 108.1 million hours.
Black Crab, a Swedish apocalyptic war thriller starring Noomi Rapace — 94.1 million hours.
Through My Window, a Spanish teen romance — 92.4 million hours.
The Takedown, a French cop comedy — 78.6 million hours.
Below Zero, a Spanish action thriller about a breakout from a prison transport vehicle — 78.3 million hours.
All Quiet on the Western Front, a German war drama — 71.5 million hours.
Loving Adults, a Danish thriller about an extramarital affair — 67.3 million.
Rogue City, a French action thriller about an unorthodox team of cops — 66.6 million hours.
Carter, a South Korean action thriller about a man who wakes up with no memories and a voice in his ear — 65.4 million hours.
The Forgotten Battle, a Dutch World War II film — 60.9 million hours.

Former top-ranking non-English movies that have been bumped out of the non-English top 10 include:

Restless, a French action thriller — 59.1 million hours.
Lost Bullet, like a Fast & Furious movie but French — 58.3 million hours
Spoiled Brats, a French comedy about rich siblings tricked into earning their own living — 56.9 million hours.
#Alive, a South Korean movie about a gamer’s bid to survive the zombie apocalypse — 54.6 million hours.
Space Sweepers, a South Korean space western with a weaponized child-android — 53.3 million hours
The Last Mercenary, a French action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme — 52.1 million hours.
Just Another Christmas, a Brazilian Christmas comedy — 48 million hours.

Technologies

The Witcher 3, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Bring the Heat to Xbox Game Pass

Two amazing games will be available soon for Xbox Game Pass subscribers.

The second half of February and early March could be considered one of the best stretches in recent memory for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, widely regarded as one of the best games of the past decade, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 headline a lineup that leans heavily into sprawling, choice-driven adventures but does throw in some football to mix things up a bit.

Xbox Game Pass offers hundreds of games you can play on your Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, smart TV, PC or mobile device, with prices starting at $10 a month. While all Game Pass tiers offer you a library of games, Game Pass Ultimate ($30 a month) gives you access to the most games, as well as Day 1 games, meaning they hit Game Pass the day they go on sale.

Here are all the latest games subscribers can play on Game Pass. You can also check out other games the company added to the service in early February, including Madden NFL 26.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition

Available on Feb. 19 for Game Pass Ultimate and Premium Game Pass subscribers.

The Witcher 3 came out 10 years ago, and it’s still being praised as one of the best games ever made. To celebrate, developer CD Projekt Red is bringing over The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Complete Edition to Xbox Game Pass. Subscribers will be able to play The Witcher 3 and its expansions, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine. Players once more take on the role of monster-slayer Geralt, who goes on an epic search for his daughter, Ciri. As he pieces together what happened to her, he comes across vicious monsters, devious spirits, and the most evil of humans who seek to end his quest.

Death Howl

Available on Feb. 19 for Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Death Howl is a dark fantasy tactical roguelike that blends turn-based grid combat with deck-building mechanics. Players move across compact battlefield maps, weighing positioning and card synergies to survive increasingly difficult encounters. Progression comes through incremental upgrades that reshape each run. Battles reward careful planning, as overextending or mismanaging your hand can quickly end a run.

EA Sports College Football 26

Available on Feb. 19 for Game Pass Ultimate subscribers.

EA Sports College Football 26 delivers a new take on college football gameplay with enhanced offensive and defensive mechanics, smarter AI and dynamic play-calling that reflects real strategic football systems. Featuring over 2,800 plays and more than 300 real-world coaches with distinct schemes, it offers expanded Dynasty and Road to Glory modes where team building and personnel decisions matter. On the field, dynamic substitutions, improved blocking and coverage logic make matches feel more fluid and tactical.

Dice A Million

Available on Feb. 25 for Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Dice A Million centers on rolling and managing dice to build toward increasingly higher scores. Each round asks players to weigh risk against reward, deciding when to bank points and when to push for bigger combinations. Progression introduces modifiers and new rules that subtly shift probabilities, making runs feel distinct while keeping the core loop focused on calculated gambling.

Towerborne

Available on Feb. 26 for Game Pass Ultimate, PC, and Premium Game Pass subscribers.

After months in preview, Towerborne will get its full release on Xbox Game Pass. The fast-paced action game blends procedural dungeons and light RPG progression, with players fighting through waves of enemies. You’ll unlock permanent upgrades between runs and equip weapons, spells and talents that change how combat feels each time. The core loop pushes risk versus reward as you dive deeper into tougher floors, adapting builds on the fly, and mastering movement and timing to survive increasingly chaotic battles.

Final Fantasy 3

Available on March 3 for Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Another Final Fantasy game is coming to Xbox Game Pass. This time, it’s Final Fantasy 3, originally released on the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES) back in 1990. Since then, Final Fantasy 3 has been ported to a slew of devices and operating systems, including the Nintendo Wii, iOS and Android. Now, you’ll be able to play on your Xbox or PC with a Game Pass subscription. A new group of heroes is once again tasked with saving the world before it’s covered in darkness. Four orphans from the village of Ur find a Crystal of Light in a secret cave, which tasks them as the new Warriors of Light. They’ll have to stop Xande, an evil wizard looking to use the power of darkness to become immortal.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Available on March 3 for Game Pass Ultimate, Premium and PC Game Pass subscribers.

Last year was stacked with amazing games, and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was one of the best. Developer Warhorse Studios’ RPG series takes place in the real medieval kingdom of Bohemia, which is now the Czech Republic, and tasks players with a somewhat realistic gaming experience where you have to use the weapons, armor and items from those times. The sequel picks up right after the first game (also on Xbox Game Pass) as Henry of Skalitz is attacked by bandits, which starts a series of events that disrupts the entire country.

Games leaving Game Pass in February

For February, Microsoft is removing four games. If you’re still playing them, now’s a good time to finish up what you can before they’re gone for good on Feb. 28.

For more on Xbox, discover other games available on Game Pass now, and check out our hands-on review of the gaming service. You can also learn about recent changes to Game Pass.

Technologies

Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt Trade Blows in Latest AI Slop Video, and Hollywood Won’t Stand for It

While some Hollywood icons are feeling doom and gloom over the AI-generated clip, labor unions are fighting back with legal threats.

Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise are trading blows in a viral AI-generated clip on social media, sparking backlash from the film industry. Chinese company ByteDance’s new video generation model, Seedance 2.0, allowed people to create fictional videos of real likenesses with short prompts. Irish filmmaker Ruairi Robinson used two lines to generate the clip of Pitt and Cruise fighting.

If ByteDance sounds familiar to you, it’s because the company also owns TikTok internationally, though it recently sold its US ownership of the social media and video-sharing platform to US companies. Oracle, MGX and Silver Lake each hold a 15% stake.

The actors in this latest viral AI slop video still don’t look like perfect re-creations — close-up shots of the fake Brad Pitt’s face, especially, have an «uncanny valley,» dreamlike AI look where the cuts blend into his flesh a little too smoothly. However, a CNET survey from earlier Tuesday showed that while 94% of US adults believe they encounter AI slop on social media, just 44% say they’re confident they can tell real videos from AI-generated ones.

One of the most inflammatory parts of the Pitt-Cruise video is the dialogue, as the computerized facsimiles of the actors fight over a supposed assassination plot regarding Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who maintained ties to rich and powerful people worldwide. The two actors’ likenesses became a vehicle to push conspiracy theories that have been picking up steam as the millions of pages of redacted emails, receipts and other documents that make up the Epstein files continue to trickle out of the US Department of Justice.

Hollywood is fighting back as AI-generated content consumes and spits out actor likenesses and copyrighted content alike. Major studios and their labor forces alike have united to push back against the precedent set by the viral AI video.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Motion Picture Association demanded that ByteDance «immediately cease its infringing activity» through Seedance. SAG-AFTRA, the labor union that represents Hollywood performers, released a statement on Friday saying it «stands with the studios» in condemning the Seedance video generation model.

The Screen Actors Guild specifically pointed to Seedance’s unauthorized use of members’ faces, likenesses and voices as a threat that could put actors out of work.

«Seedance 2.0 disregards law, ethics, industry standards and basic principles of consent,» the actors’ guild said in its statement.

Representatives for the MPA and SAG-AFTRA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Similar videos generated by Seedance have depicted Star Wars characters dueling with lightsabers as well as Marvel superheroes Spider-Man and Captain America brawling. Disney issued a cease-and-desist order to ByteDance on Friday in response to these videos, which it alleges constitute copyright infringement, according to the BBC.

A representative for ByteDance didn’t immediately respond to CNET’s request for comment, but issued a statement to the BBC saying it is «taking steps to strengthen current safeguards as we work to prevent the unauthorized use of intellectual property and likeness by users.»

Following the viral incident, ByteDance updated its tool to prevent people from uploading images of real people for AI-generated content, but it remains to be seen how effective that policy will be. Certainly, it won’t curb the output of videos depicting fictional masked or anthropomorphic characters like Spider-Man or Mickey Mouse.

As AI models continue to create mediocre copies of cultural icons, this won’t be the first — or last — legal battleground for AI video generation.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Feb. 18, #983

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Feb. 18 #983.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle was great fun for me, as I’m the co-author of two pop-culture encyclopedias, one about the 1970s, and 1980s and the other about the 1990s. Two of the categories are retro-themed! Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Farrah hair.

Green group hint: Totally tubular!

Blue group hint: Bock-bock!

Purple group hint: Can refer to a dairy product or a cosmetic.