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Netflix: The most-watched movies and TV shows of 2021, from Red Notice to Sweet Tooth

We’ve collated previously announced figures to work out this year’s top 10

Jacob Stolworthy
Wednesday 24 November 2021 12:44 GMT
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Army of the Dead trailer

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Netflix’s top 10 list of 2021 is a mix bag of high-quality TV shows and not-so-great movies.

The streaming service continued to prove itself as a force to be reckoned with this year thanks to several new releases making their way onto Netflix’s most-watched of all-time rankings.

In September, Squid Game overtook 2020 series Bridgerton to become the streamer’s most-watched title ever.

Despite the fact that Netflix is yet to release a top 10 list for 2021, The Independent has collated previously announced figures to collate a list revealing the most-watched shows and movies of the year so far.

It is worth noting that Netflix considers a viewer to be someone who watches two minutes of a title, an amount of time they say is “long enough to indicate the choice was intentional”.

TV

1. Squid Game (142m)

2. Lupin part one (76m)

3. Money Heist season five (69m)

4. Maid (67m)

Margaret Quallet in Netflix series ‘Maid’
Margaret Quallet in Netflix series ‘Maid’ (Netflix)

5. Sex/Life (67m)

6. Sweet Tooth (60m)

7. Fate: The Winx Saga (57m)

8. Sex Education season three (55m)

9. Shadow and Bone (55m)

Netflix show ‘Shadow and Bone’, starring Ben Barnes
Netflix show ‘Shadow and Bone’, starring Ben Barnes (Netflix)

10. Lupin part two (54m)

Movies

1. Red Notice (129m)

2. Army of the Dead (75m)

3. Fatherhood (74m)

Kevin Hart led Netflix film ‘Fatherhood’ in 2021
Kevin Hart led Netflix film ‘Fatherhood’ in 2021 (PHILIPPE BOSSE/NETFLIX)

4. The Guilty (69m)

5. Sweet Girl (68m)

6. The Kissing Booth 3 (59m)

7. He’s All That (55m)

8. Blood Red Sky (53m)

9. The Mitchells vs the Machines (53m)

‘The Mitchells vs the Machines’ was a critical hit upon its release in 2021
‘The Mitchells vs the Machines’ was a critical hit upon its release in 2021 (Sony Pictures / Netflix)

10. Thunder Force (52m)

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