Measuring the most-watched films in the world is more complicated than it seems: each platform keeps its numbers to itself. In the movie industry, the worldwide box office remains the gold standard. When it comes to streaming, netflix is the only platform that publishes its official data.
First, here is the list of the highest-grossing movies of all time, followed by the top 5 most-watched non-English-language movies on Netflix.
The World's Most-Watched Movies: All-Time Box Office Hits
In the movie industry, a film's popularity is measured by the box office, that is, total worldwide box office receipts. Here are the films that have generated the most revenue in the history of cinema.
| Rank | Film | Director | Year | Recipes from Around the World |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Avatar | James Cameron | 2009 (re-released in 2022) | 2.923 billion $ |
| 2 | Avengers: Endgame | Joe and Anthony Russo | 2019 | 2.797 billion $ |
| 3 | titanic | James Cameron | 1997 (re-released in 2012 and 2023) | 2.264 billion $ |
| 4 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | J.J. Abrams | 2015 | 2.068 billion $ |
| 5 | Avengers: Infinity War | Joe and Anthony Russo | 2018 | 2.048 billion $ |
| 6 | Jurassic World | Colin Trevorrow | 2015 | 1.671 billion $ |
| 7 | The Lion King | Jon Favreau | 2019 | 1.663 billion $ |
| 8 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Joss Whedon | 2015 | 1.402 billion $ |
| 9 | Frozen 2 | Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee | 2019 | 1.450 billion $ |
| 10 | Black Panther | Ryan Coogler | 2018 | 1.347 billion $ |
This ranking is dominated by franchises Marvel, the movies by James Cameron and blockbusters disney. Other series such as Harry Potter, Fast & Furious, Pirates of the Caribbean Where Star Wars: Rogue One are also among the top 20 at the global box office.
These figures have nothing to do with streaming: the two worlds are measured differently. A movie can be a huge hit in theaters and go largely unnoticed on streaming platforms—and vice versa.
Top 5 Most-Watched Non-English-Language Movies on Netflix
This chart is dominated by hits from Spain, Norway, and elsewhere. If you're looking for other hidden gems, check out Best Netflix Movies carefully selected by us.
Troll
Troll takes the lead in this ranking with 103 million views. This Norwegian film opens with a shocking scene: a man blows up a mountain to dig a tunnel, awakening in the process a giant troll buried there for centuries.
The creature immediately dashes toward Oslo to make humans pay. nora, a paleontologist, is called in to help put a stop to this rampage. A blend of action and adventure pitting her against a legendary monster—effective and spectacular.
The Snow Circle
Directed by J.A. Bayona, The Snow Circle reached 86.1 million views. It recounts the ordeal of the survivors of the crash of Flight Fuerza Aérea Uruguaya 571, which occurred in 1972 in the Andes mountain range.
On the 45 passengers, only 16 survived, stranded in extreme conditions before being rescued. A film that is as harrowing as it is moving, based on a true story.
It is available at Netflix. If you want to get the most out of the picture quality, we've put together a guide to Change the video quality on Netflix.
Nowhere
Released in late september 2023, the Spanish film Nowhere with Anna Castillo registered 85.7 million views. The story continues Mia, a pregnant woman fleeing a totalitarian country with her husband.
A storm causes the container in which she had been hiding to tip overboard. She finds herself alone in the open sea and must fight for her survival and that of her child. Gripping from start to finish.
The platform
Signed Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, The platform holds 82.8 million views. The film takes us inside a vertical prison of the future: food is lowered from cell to cell, and only the inmates on the upper floors get enough to eat.
Goreng, a prisoner who has just arrived, is looking for a way to make the distribution more equitable. This Spanish film exposes social inequalities with rare force. To explore other films in this genre, check out our List of Serial Killer Movies to watch on Netflix.
Through my window
Released on February 4, 2022, Through my window rounds out this top 5 with 61.1 million views. It follows Rachel, a high school girl who watches discreetly Ares, her wealthy neighbor, without knowing that his feelings are mutual.
When the two fall in love, Arès’s family doesn’t approve of the relationship. It’s a compelling romance that has clearly found an audience around the world.
How does Netflix count the number of views?
Since June 2023, the method for calculating Netflix has evolved:
- The platform tracks the total number of’viewing hours for each movie.
- This total is then divided by the running time.
- The result is a number of views, which serves as the basis for the ranking.
- The viewed hours are still displayed alongside the current time; they haven't disappeared.
Netflix is currently the only streaming platform to make its data publicly available. Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Where Apple TV+ do not disclose their viewership figures.
If you want to learn more, check out the most expensive films never produced, or explores the secret codes Netflix to access hidden categories.
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