Netflix just pulled back the curtain on what its subscribers couldn’t stop watching in the first half of 2025—and the numbers are staggering.
Leading the pack is “Back in Action”, the high-octane action-comedy marking Cameron Diaz’s return to movies alongside Jamie Foxx. With nearly 165 million views, it’s the top-performing film globally from January through June, according to the streaming giant’s latest Engagement Report, which was released Thursday in tandem with its earnings.
On the TV side, the U.K. drama “Adolescence” came out on top with a commanding 145 million views, edging out the ever-dominant “Squid Game”, whose second and third seasons amassed a combined 189 million views—with Season 3 alone pulling in 72 million views in just four days.
Netflix said members worldwide streamed a total of 95 billion hours in the first half of 2025, up slightly from the 94 billion hours reported in the same period last year. Despite fierce competition in the streaming space, co-CEO Greg Peters sounded optimistic about a bigger jump in the second half of the year, pointing to a strong upcoming slate of content.
What Else Are People Watching On Netflix?
British hits dominated the TV charts. “Missing You” clocked in at 58 million views, “Black Mirror” Season 7 earned 31 million, and newcomer “Dept. Q” Season 1 reached 25 million.
Other TV standouts included:
- Zero Day, a limited series starring Robert De Niro (63 million views)
- Ms. Rachel, a preschool series from YouTube star Rachel Accurso (53 million views)
- American Murder: Gabby Petito docuseries (56 million views)
- Sirens — (53.3M views)
- The Night Agent Season 2 (53 million views)
- Ginny & Georgia: Season 3 — (48.1M views)
- Netflix’s growing WWE partnership also delivered—generating over 280 million watch hours across all events, including WWE Raw.
Movies Making Waves On Netflix
Behind “Back in Action”, Tyler Perry’s “Straw”, starring Taraji P. Henson, grabbed the No. 2 spot with 103 million views, followed by “The Life List” with Sofia Carson at 96 million.
Interestingly, nearly half of original content viewing came from titles that weren’t new releases. Shows like “Orange Is the New Black”, “Ozark”, and “Money Heist” each surpassed 100 million hours watched in 2025. Films such as “Red Notice”, “Leo”, and “We Can Be Heroes” also continued to pull strong numbers, each earning more than 20 million views.
With more major releases on the way—including new seasons of flagship series and blockbuster-level originals—Netflix expects engagement to pick up even more in the back half of the year. “Stranger Things”, “Wednesday”, and “Nobody Wants This” are some of the series to return in 2025. They also have a big blockbuster slate with “Happy Gilmore 2”, “Jay Kelly”, and “Knives Out 3”. Netflix continues to make content that is buzz worthy and gets us all talking! Can’t wait to see what new projects they have coming out next.
