Netflix is one of the most popular streaming services in the world, with nearly 270 million subscribers. And just what do those people tend to watch? In particular, what is the most popular movie on Netflix? Each week, the streaming service releases a list of its 10 most-watched movies over a recent seven-day period to keep subscribers in the loop regarding its most popular titles.
After flopping at the box office, Madame Web is now on Netflix. Ironically, Madame Web shot right to No. 1 on the Netflix top 10 list. Mother of the Bride remains strong in its second week at No. 2, followed by Shrek at No. 3. Other new movies in the top 10 include Upgrade at No. 4 and Thelma the Unicorn at No. 5. Below, we’ve listed the top 10 movies in the U.S. from May 13 to May 19, along with general information about each film, such as genre, rating, cast, and synopsis.
Looking for something else? We’ve also rounded up the best shows on Netflix, the best movies on Netflix, the best movies on Amazon Prime, and the best movies on Disney+. For Netflix fans, check out the 10 most popular shows on Netflix right now.
10. The Courier (2024)
6.0/10Set in 2002, The Courier stars Arón Piper as Iván, a young valet living in Spain. Iván is from the lower-middle-class and witnessed his family suffer during Spain’s financial crisis of the 1990s. Iván joins a money0laundering scheme involving the real estate bubble, working as a courier for the international cartel.
Iván’s newfound money leads to wealth, cars, and a girl, Leticia (María Pedraza). It’s a meteoric rise for Iván, as he takes advantage of the scheme and prospers. However, not everyone wants Iván to succeed, as Francisco (Luis Tosar) views him as an enemy. With every rise comes a fall, but will Iván’s downfall lead to his demise?
9. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
61%
6.6/10Everyone’s favorite Central Park Zoo animals — Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer), and Gloria the hippopotamus — are back in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. The quartet attempts to return to New York City on a cargo plane with lemurs King Julien XIII (Sacha Baron Cohen), Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer), and Mort (Andy Richter).
Unfortunately for the animals, the plane never makes it to the Big Apple, crashing in continental Africa on the savannah. However, each animal is welcomed by their native species, including Alex, who reunites with his parents. Will the group live here forever or continue their original plan of returning to New York?
8. Shrek Forever After (2010)
58%
6.3/10The adventures of Shrek (Mike Myers) continue in the fourth film, Shrek Forever After. Shrek is married to Fiona (Cameron Diaz), a father to their children, and a celebrity because of his actions in the previous films. However, Shrek longs for the days of his privacy in the swamp.
Shrek signs a contract with Rumpelstiltskin (Walt Dohrn) to become a “real ogre” for a day. However, Shrek is sent to an alternate reality where he has never met Fiona and where Rumpel is the leader. Shrek eventually teams up with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) to undo the contract and return to his old life in the franchise’s final film.
7. Dumb and Dumber To (2014)
36%
5.6/10Twenty years after Dumb and Dumber, Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) and Harry Dunne (Jeff Daniels) reunite for more hijinks in Dumb and Dumber To. Harry needs a kidney transplant, but can’t get one from his parents due to his adoption. While visiting his parents, Harry learns that his ex-girlfriend, Fraida Felcher (Kathleen Turner), had a daughter named Fanny (Rachel Melvin), whom she gave up for adoption.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, so Harry and Lloyd embark on a road trip to find Fanny and see if she’ll donate a kidney. This looks like a job for the “Shaggin’ Wagon.” Because Lloyd and Harry are nitwits, this trip won’t be easy.
6. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
46%
7.1/10Thanks to NBCUniversal’s deal with Netflix, one of the biggest titles of 2023 – The Super Mario Bros. Movie – is available to stream. Based on the popular characters from the Nintendo games, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is an origin story for Mario (Chris Pratt) and Luigi (Charlie Day), two Italian-American brothers working as plumbers in Brooklyn, New York.
While fixing a water main leak, the two brothers are sent down the Warp Pipe into two kingdoms. Mario lands in the Mushroom Kingdom with Princess Peach (Furiosa‘s Anya Taylor-Joy), while Luigi appears in the Dark Lands ruled by Bowser (Jack Black). Mario sets out to find Luigi and save the world from Bowser’s reign. The film also features other notable characters like Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen).
5. Thelma the Unicorn (2024)
66%
5.9/10From the director of Napoleon Dynamite comes the new animated film Thelma the Unicon, a story about a pony with rockstar dreams. Thelma (Grammy Award-winning artist Brittany Howard) is a lowly pony who wants nothing more than to be a music star. One day, a truck accidentally drops glitter on Thelma while she’s wearing a carrot on her head, making her look like a unicorn.
This new appearance attracts a crowd, helping Thelma gain attention for her music. Thelma’s popularity soars to new heights as she begins to live out her dream. However, fame comes at a price, as Thelma grapples with what she’s willing to sacrifice to become a star.
4. Upgrade (2018)
67%
7.5/10In Leigh Whannell’s Upgrade, the future is dominated by technology. Mechanic Grey Trace (Logan Marshall-Green) and his wife, Asha (Melanie Vallejo), are involved in a tragic car accident. Four men murder Asha at the scene of the accident, while Grey suffers a gunshot wound that leaves him a quadriplegic.
With no reason left to live, Grey attempts suicide and fails. One day, tech genius Eron Keen (Harrison Gilbertson) offers Grey a STEM implant, an artificially intelligent chip that allows him to walk and gives him superhuman strength and agility. With these newfound powers, Grey embarks on a vengeful quest to hunt for his wife’s murderers.
3. Shrek (2001)
84%
7.9/10Shrek is not your ordinary fairy tale. The protagonist is Shrek (Mike Myers), an antisocial ogre who wants to be alone in his swamp. Shrek’s dreams of peace are ruined when Lord Farquaad of Duloc (John Lithgow) banishes fairy-tale creatures to the swamp. Determined to win his swamp back, Shrek cuts a deal with Lord Farquaad. If Shrek rescues Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) so she can be Farquaad’s bride, then Farquaad will move the fairy-tale creatures out of the swamp.
With Donkey (Eddie Murphy) by his side, Shrek travels to the castle to rescue Fiona, where she is being held prisoner by a fire-breathing dragon. Though the mission is successful, Fiona’s dark secret threatens to ruin Shrek’s deal with Farquaad.
2. Mother of the Bride (2024)
39%
5.0/10Brooke Shields plays a mother concerned with her daughter’s upcoming marriage in Mother of the Bride. After the death of her husband, Lana (Shields), has dedicated her life to being a great mother to her daughter, Emma (Miranda Cosgrave). Years later, a now-grown-up Emma returns from working abroad to tell Lana about her plans to marry her boyfriend, RJ (Sean Teale). Much to Lana’s surprise, the wedding is one month away in Thailand.
Lana eventually comes around and agrees to support her daughter. However, things get complicated soon after Lana arrives and discovers RJ’s father is Will Jackson (Benjamin Bratt), her ex-boyfriend and the man who broke her heart. Weddings facilitate love, so perhaps rekindling with a former flame is on Lana’s agenda.
1. Madame Web (2024)
26%
3.9/10For all the wrong reasons, Madame Web is arguably the most talked-about movie of the year. It’s also one of the worst movies of 2024. Is this Spider-Man spinoff legitimately bad, or are there some redeeming qualities? There’s only one way to find out. Dakota Johnson stars as Cassie Webb, a paramedic in Manhattan who becomes a clairvoyant after a near-death experience.
With the ability to see into the future, Cassie learns that the villainous Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) haswset out to kill three girls: Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced), and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor). Cassie intervenes, saving the three girls, which sparks a deadly showdown with Ezekiel. If you don’t like the movie, at least you’ll find out why “he was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders just before she died.”
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