With majority of 2020 spent indoors, Indians turned to watching movies on Netflix with the country having the highest viewing of films on the video streaming platform globally. Over the last year, 80% of Netflix’s members in India chose to watch a film every week, the platform said.
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“It’s no surprise that we love films in India....This year, the most popular thriller that kept us on the edge of our seats was Raat Akeli Hai. Extraction, Malang and The Old Guard gave us our dose of adrenaline as the most popular action films,” Monika Shergill, Vice President, Content, Netflix India, said in a blogpost.
She added that Ludo was the most popular comedy film. Films like Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (Telugu), Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal (Tamil), Kappela (Malayalam), and Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya (Telugu) were among the films that featured in India’s Top 10 row.
The US-headquartered platform saw about a 250% increase in viewing in 2020 over 2019 for both non-fiction series and romantic films and series.
“In 2020, we explored the world of non-fiction series and documentaries. The viewing for non-fiction series on Netflix in India grew more than 250% in 2020 over 2019 and the most popular non-fiction shows that got us hooked were Too Hot to Handle, Indian Matchmaking and the recently released Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives ,” Ms Shergill said.
The viewing of documentaries grew more than 100%, and Bad Boy Billionaires, The Social Dilemma and Money Heist: The Phenomenon were the most popular documentaries on Netflix in India this year.
In romance, Love Aaj Kal, Ginny Weds Sunny and Mismatched were some of the most popular romantic films and series that made us swoon this year.
This year, Indians also explored stories from around the world, irrespective of the original language. The German series Dark was on the Top 10 row in India for 95 days and the Spanish series Money Heist featured on Netflix’s Top 10 row for 170 days. “The Turkish series The Protector is among the most popular titles in the fantasy genre this year and was also the non-Indian, non-English title that was viewed the most with subtitles and/or dubs.”
Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back-Evolution, Blood of Zeus and One-Punch Ma n (S2) were the most popular anime titles in India this year.
The viewing of kids titles increased more than 100% in India in 2020 over 2019. “The kids adored traveling to outer space with Over The Moon , which was the most popular kids’ title on Netflix in India in 2020,” she said. Other popular kids titles were The Willoughbys, Boss Baby: Back in Business (S4) and Feel the Beat.
“Special mention to the lovable Mighty Little Bheem (S3) that featured in the Top 10 lists in the most number of countries globally,” she added.
Ms Shergill said, “We gravitated towards stories with strong female characters across genres and formats. The inspiring story, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, was the most popular drama film in 2020. The other popular films and series in India this year included Guilty, Masaba Masaba, Bulbbul, She, Miss India and Never Have I Ever and Emily in Paris .”
