A shocking movie is about to leave Netflix. The platform tends to make a big deal of the viewing statistics of their original movies and shows: when releases like KPop Demon Hunters become smash hits, you can’t avoid the success story. Netflix is, after all, a success engine: anything that does well – particularly Originals – ends up getting a sequel, or further seasons, all thanks to whatever algorithm is judging the numbers. But what happens when one of Netflix’s biggest successes doesn’t actually belong to them? Well, they lose it, sooner or later.
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That’s the case for the most watched movie of the last 2 years on Netflix (by their own What We Watched admission), which, improbably, is The Boss Baby. Yes, the Alec Baldwin-led animation about a baby that’s secretly a spy, which has amassed more than 220 million views since 2023. And disastrously for all parents who’ve had their Netflix accounts hijacked by children repeat-binging the movie, it’s leaving Netflix on August 22. That might not mean a lot to most people, but The Boss Baby has been a frequent power player in the Netflix movie Top 10 for the past 2 years, and it’s not without reason.
So, Why Is Boss Baby So Popular?
In a word, kids. Animation is big business for Netflix, which is why the company lavishes millions on deals like the one that licensed CocoMelon to the platform in recent years. The movie has a simple, compelling premise that has a lot of good jokes for adults, but is laser targeted on the prime young demographic who will watch and rewatch, racking up countless viewing hours. It’s funny, silly, and timeless, and crucially, it doesn’t really ask much of the audience.
The Boss Baby and its sequels have actually accounted for an astonishing 327M views in the last two years alone (without considering the Back in Business TV series spinoff). And the top 10, is pretty healthily dominated by animation: the second placed movie in the past two years is The Super Mario Bros. Movie, with 209M views, and third is Adam Sandler’s Leo, with 207M.
Beyond the top 3, Minions (of course), Sing!, and Dr Seuss’ The Grinch account for more than 530 million views. That’s a vast amount of viewing hours, and only Leo is a Netflix original. That partly explains why Netflix will be so delighted with the huge success of K-Pop Demon Hunters, which is now listed as the second highest watched Netflix original of all time, according to Tudum. It still has a long way to go to beat Boss Baby, though.
Other Big Movies Leaving Netflix Soon
Thanksgiving (Aug 17) – Eli Roth’s surprisingly great horror from 2023 stars Patrick Dempsey as the sheriff of a town stalked by a vengeful killer a year after a Black Friday disaster.
Kung Fu Panda 4 (Aug 21) – Another popular animation, this time with Jack Black’s high-kicking panda Po trains his potential successor and takes on another mystical villain.
Melancholia (Aug 25) – Pretty much the single most depressing movie you’ll ever watch in your life, but it’s inarguably well made.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard & The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (Aug 31) – Ryan Reynolds’ other comedy franchise, which saw him team up with Samuel L Jackson and Salma Hayek.
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