Buzz
It’s no secret that Bridgerton became a cultural phenomenon when it premiered during the 2020 holiday season. The Shonda Rhimes production dominated social media chatter and likely sparked discussions in your own circles, even without Netflix’s official viewership data.
However, understanding how Bridgerton compares to other popular Netflix originals like Stranger Things and Money Heist requires insights from the streaming giant itself. As Variety reports, Netflix’s co-CEO and chief content officer Ted Sarandos unveiled a groundbreaking list at Vox Media’s Code Conference. This list ranks the most-watched original series and films based on total hours viewed within the first 28 days of their release.
In the TV category, Bridgerton’s debut season led the pack with 625 million viewing hours in its first 28 days, surpassing part four of Money Heist by 6 million hours. Notably, several series saw their later seasons outperform earlier ones. For instance, season 3 of Stranger Things secured third place with 582 million hours, while season 2 ranked eighth, and the first season didn’t make the list. Similarly, 13 Reasons Why and You experienced higher viewership in their second seasons compared to their initial releases.
In the realm of Netflix original films, Sandra Bullock’s gripping thriller Bird Box (2018) remains unmatched, garnering 282 million viewing hours within its first 28 days. The closest contender was 2020’s action-packed Extraction, featuring Chris Hemsworth, which secured second place with 231 million hours. Interestingly, when ranked by the number of Netflix accounts that streamed at least two minutes of the film in the first 28 days, Extraction and Bird Box swapped positions.
Explore the complete rankings of films and series, along with their remarkable viewership numbers, below.
Netflix Original Series
- Bridgerton (Season 1) // 625 million
- Money Heist (Part 4) // 619 million
- Stranger Things (Season 3) // 582 million
- The Witcher (Season 1) // 541 million
- 13 Reasons Why (Season 2) // 496 million
- 13 Reasons Why (Season 1) // 476 million
- You (Season 2) // 457 million
- Stranger Things (Season 2) // 427 million
- Money Heist (Part 3) // 426 million
- Ginny & Georgia (Season 1) // 381 million
Netflix Original Movies
- Bird Box (2018) // 282 million
- Extraction (2020) // 231 million
- The Irishman (2019) // 215 million
- The Kissing Booth 2 (2020) // 209 million
- 6 Underground (2019) // 205 million
- Spenser Confidential (2020) // 197 million
- Enola Holmes (2020) // 190 million
- Army of the Dead (2021) // 187 million
- The Old Guard (2020) // 186 million
- Murder Mystery (2019) // 170 million
