Last week saw a significant shakeup in the top 10 most popular titles on Netflix, with four new original movies breaking into the list. Among these films was the highly anticipated drama “Scoop,” which tells the true story behind Prince Andrew’s infamous 2019 BBC interview about his connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Despite the presence of these new releases, the chart was mostly dominated by older films that were making their debut on the most-watched chart.
“Heart of the Hunter,” which premiered on Netflix on March 29, retained its position as the most-watched film for the second consecutive week, garnering 10.9 million views. Another standout was “Damsel,” a Millie Bobby Brown fantasy tale, which was in the No. 7 spot after enjoying its fifth consecutive week on the most-watched chart. The remaining eight films in the top 10 were all newcomers to the chart, marking the highest number of first-time entrants in a single week since the beginning of 2023.
Two of the new films on the chart were Netflix originals, with “The Beautiful Game,” a sports drama starring Bill Nighty, coming in at the 5th spot, and “Scoop” claiming the No. 6 position. The other films were older movies that had experienced a surge in popularity. Many of these older films were added to the streaming platform on April 1, including titles like “The Little Things,” “Glass,” and “Baby Driver,” which now hold spots in the top 10 most-watched list.
Surprisingly, some films like “The Maze Runner” and its sequel “The Scorch Trials” were added to Netflix on April 1 but were only available to viewers in the United Kingdom. The third film in the trilogy, “The Death Cure,” is still not accessible for streaming. Rounding out the top 10 most popular films of the week was the 2010 movie “Letters to God,” a critically panned film based on the true story of a young cancer patient’s letters to God during his treatment.
One interesting fact to note is that “Glass,” a movie by M. Night Shyamalan that is part of a trilogy including “Unbreakable” and “Split,” is the final installment of the series. While “Split” and “Glass” can be found on Netflix, “Unbreakable” is missing from the platform. This discrepancy highlights the challenges and limitations of streaming rights and availability for film trilogies.
On April 5, the highly anticipated film “Scoop” made its debut on Netflix, garnering 5.8 million views in its first three days. The movie provides a behind-the-scenes look at the BBC News team’s interview with Prince Andrew regarding his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The interview, which aired three months after Epstein’s death, led to Andrew stepping back from his royal duties and resigning from all public roles. “Scoop” features a stellar cast including Rufus Sewell as Prince Andrew, Gillian Anderson as Emily Maitlis, and Billie Piper as Sam McAlister.
With a critics’ score of 77% on Rotten Tomatoes, “Scoop” has been praised for its portrayal of the controversial interview. The film offers insight into the events leading up to the interview and sheds light on Prince Andrew’s responses to questions about his relationship with Epstein. Overall, the influx of new and popular films on Netflix’s top 10 list demonstrates the diversity of content available on the streaming platform and the varied preferences of viewers.
