Netflix Says ‘The Kissing Booth,’ ‘To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before’ Were Its Most-Rewatched Original Movies of 2018
By Todd Spangler
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Netflix collects reams of data, but it keeps most viewing metrics close its vest. That leaves third-party measurement firms to try to estimate what’s trending on the streaming service.
Occasionally, though, does dribble out a few stats — to promote its own original TV shows and movies. That’s despite the fact that the majority of subscriber viewing time is for content licensed from other studios according to independent research.
For what it’s worth, Netflix announced its three most-rewatched original movies of 2018: teen rom-coms “The Kissing Booth” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” and “Roxanne Roxanne,” a biopic about rapper/hip-hop artist Roxanne Shanté. According to Netflix, almost 50% of viewers who watched “Kissing Booth” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” rewatched them at least once.
Those three were tops among original films released between Jan. 1-Nov. 28, 2018, based on global viewing, Netflix said. The company noted that the rankings have “no relation to overall viewing” — so there’s no indication of how many Netflix subscribers overall watched those movies.
Netflix also said that stars from the top two movies — Lana Condor and Noah Centineo (“”) and Joel Courtney and Joey King (“”) — were in the top 10 of talent in its original productions with the biggest rise of Instagram followers this year.
More than 80 million Netflix subscribers worldwide had watched one of its “Summer of Love” rom-coms in the previous few months, including “The Kissing Booth” and “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” the company said in announcing Q3 2018 earnings. Last month, it was confirmed that Netflix and Viacom’s Awesomeness Films are in discussions on a sequel to “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”
As part of the extremely limited glimpse into its metrics, Netflix also touted original series with the highest U.S. average watch time per viewing session — in other words, the most highly binged TV shows among U.S. subscribers — released between Jan. 1-Nov. 28. Those included “Bodyguard,” the ITV-produced political thriller that garnered two Golden Globes (drama series and actor in a drama series, for star Richard Madden).
Again, the Netflix analysis excludes licensed shows, such as NBC’s “The Office,” Warner Bros. Television’s “Friends” and ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” which independent measurement firms have found are among the most popular in the U.S.
Netflix Original Series With Highest Average Viewing Session Time (U.S.) in 2018
- “On My Block”
- “Making a Murderer” Part 2
- “13 Reasons Why” Season 2
- “Last Chance U: INDY”
- “Bodyguard”
- “Fastest Car”
- “The Haunting of Hill House”
- “Anne with an E” Season 2
- “Insatiable”
- “Orange Is the New Black” Season 6
Finally, trying to bolster its claim that Netflix’s originals are a star-making factory for a new class of young celebs, it released a list of talent who appeared in a Netflix series or film this year who received the largest percentage growth in Instagram followers since January 2018. That’s interesting as far as it goes, but Netflix’s list lacks any broader context of how popular they are relative to other influencers and talent on social media.
Talent From Netflix Originals With Biggest Increases in Instagram Followers in 2018
- The Fab Five (“Queer Eye”)
- Lana Condor (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”)
- Joel Courtney (“The Kissing Booth”)
- Miguel Herrán (“Elite”/”La Casa de Papel”)
- Jaime Lorente Lopez (“Elite”/”La Casa de Papel”)
- Maria Pedraza (“Elite”/”La Casa de Papel”)
- Noah Centineo (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” “Sierra Burgess is a Loser”)
- Joey King (“The Kissing Booth”)
- Hannah Gadsby (“Nanette”)
- Kiernan Shipka (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”)
