Netflix's most-watched movies of 2023 so far will surprise you – no.7 is my favourite

EntertainmentStreamingNetflix’s most-watched movies of 2023 so far will surprise you – no.7 is my favouriteThe top 10 most-watched movies on Netflix from January through to June are an eclectic selection, here’s the rundown:When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

The top 10 most-watched movies on Netflix from January through to June are an eclectic selection, here’s the rundown:

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Netflix)

Extraction 2 on Netflix

(Image credit: Netflix)

As the curtain closes on 2023Netflixhas officially revealed its most-watched list. Well, sorta. The streaming service’s official ‘Engagement Report’ compiles thenumber of hoursits viewers dedicated to its myriad specials, shows and movies throughout January to June inclusive. So I’ll call it a first-half report at best – but the top 10 movies in there will surprise you.

1. The Mother

Back in May of 2023 wewrote about how Jenifer Lopez’s Netflix exclusive movie,The Mother, had landed apaltry 43% on Rotten Tomatoes. That critics score remains true even writing this seven months on – but the audience score is a more respectable 62%.

Still average, sure, but we all cumulatively spent 249,900,000 hours watching J-Lo grace the screen in this flick. That’s almost a quarter-of-a-billion hours watching this almost-two-hour epic – assuming one watch per head that’s easily over 125-million viewers (and likely far more if you consider those watching with friends, family and partners). So it’s a success whether you like the movie or not…

2. Luther: The Fallen Sun

The seriesLutherhas a bit of a cult following (and deservedly). As does Idris Elba (also deservedly, although other than inThe WireI swear he only ever plays himself). That the feature-length movie on Netflix racked up so many watched hours isn’t a major surprise, therefore, but the no.2 position shows just how much of a major success it is.

Fans have been largely loving the movie too: it scored an85% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes– leaving the 62% critics' score in the dust (that being the same as the audience rating ofThe Mother, let me remind you). The total cumulative watch time of 209,700,000 hours is impressive for the two-hours-and-eight-minutes runtime, seeing it land in the 26th most-watched position for the first half of 2023.

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3. Extraction 2

Given that this list is solely compiled from the first half of 2023, and thatExtraction 2only became available from 16 June, its 201,800,000 hours of cumulative watch time is massively impressive. We all managed to rack that up in a mere two weeks or so, which makes me wonder if this will turn out to be Netflix’s biggest success story of 2023 once the full count is in…

4. You People

Oh, you people! No, not the movie, which somehow landed into the no.4 position, butyou,I and all your friendswho somehow let this dreadful flick land so high on the chart. The critics loathed it, with just 40% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the people loathed iteven more– asYou Peoplenetted a mere 34% audience scoreon the same site.

Somehow we cumulatively watched this movie for an eye-melting 181,800,000 hours in total. That said, the movie did release at the end of January, so it’s had more opportunity to rack up that score than many of the others on this list. So perhaps we can quietly forget it exists and move on to better things…

5. Murder Mystery 2

Not that I’m outright dissing Sandler, of course, his movieLeohit the no.1 spot on Netflix earlier this monthand that animated caper is a cracker that earned its spot. Murder Mystery 2 managed to rack up 173,600,000 hours of cumulative viewing, however, which is a lot of time considering its 31 March release date.

6. Your Place or Mine

Honestly, there are some good movies on this list, I swear. Just, y’know, not this one. Romantic comedies fairly often fail to hit the mark, but Reese Witherspoon’sYour Place Or Mineis actually thelowest-rated Rotten Tomatoes flick on this whole list, with just a 30% score. Yowch.

That didn’t stop us all from watching it for a cumulative 163,000,000 hours since its 10 February arrival date though. It’s actually the 43rd most-watched content on Netflix for the first half of 2023, so I’ve no doubt this’ll be a guilty pleasure movie for plenty of people. Maybe it’s worth a second chance (that being a rom-com pun, I think)…

7. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Well, well, well. I’ll let you into a little secret: despite theKnives Outsequel being my favourite on this list, hence the heading of this very round-up, when I first watched the original I didn’t think much of it. I think it was just Daniel Craig’s accent. But I tried again and, yes, it clicked. It’s ahoot!

As is the sequel:Glass Onionis the highest-rated on this list of 10, netting an equal92% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics and audience alike(how rare), showcasing that this is truly one of Netflix’s best of the year. We all watched it for a cumulative 142,900,000 hours since 1 January too (it was actually released on 23 December 2022, during the festive season, but those initial views don’t count here!).

8. The Pale Blue Eye

And watch we did: a cumulative 120,500,000 hours of viewing took place from 6 January through to the end of June this year. I suspect this one didn’t quite find its fullest possible audience, but it’s still a relative success all considered. One to pop onto your to-watch list if you’ve not yet caught it perhaps?

9. AKA

When I first sawAKAlisted in Netflix’s report I was left scratching my chin as I’d never heard about it. Then learned that it stars ex-footballer Eric Cantona, speaking his native French tongue. DespiteAKAbeing a foreign language film, however, it’s launched globally so we can all have the pleasure of watching it.

It’s been largely well-received, too, with criticsgracing it with an 82% Rotten Tomatoes scoreat the time of writing, so it’s likely one of those hidden gems that more of us need to watch. That being said its 120,000,000 hours of cumulative watch time since its 28 April release date would suggest that, actually, it’s proven more popular than the no.8 and no.7 movies above it, which both launched much earlier…

10. Minions: The Rise of Gru

The only animation on this list, but I wouldn’t call it a kids film. Indeed, the Gru origin story is one of my favourites – and while critics didn’t loveMinions: The Rise of Grucompletely, scoring it a 69% average on Rotten Tomatoes, the audience loved its every minute, with a much higher 89% score (makes Minion sounds in glee).

In total thisMinionsmovie netted 96,400,000 hours of cumulative watch time. However, it wasn’t made available globally, so that may have affected its ranking. It also first released way back in July 2022, so the coming-and-going nature of streaming services retention of movies may also be a factor. Anyway, if you want a giggle go watch this one – it’s a superb entry in the top 10 most-watched!

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1. The Mother#

2. Luther: The Fallen Sun#

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3. Extraction 2#

4. You People#

5. Murder Mystery 2#

6. Your Place or Mine#

7. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery#

8. The Pale Blue Eye#

9. AKA#

10. Minions: The Rise of Gru#

1. The Mother

2. Luther: The Fallen Sun

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3. Extraction 2

4. You People

5. Murder Mystery 2

6. Your Place or Mine

7. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

8. The Pale Blue Eye

9. AKA

10. Minions: The Rise of Gru