Both seasons of Squid Game top all non-English Netflix TV shows with a combined 457.8 million views in their first 91 days

Key takeaways:

  • Squid Game (Seasons 1 and 2) dominates with 457.8 million combined views, securing the top two spots globally.
  • Money Heist appears three times on the top 10 list—Parts 3, 4, and 5—with 285.2 million combined views.
  • France’s Lupin makes a strong showing, with Part 1 and Part 2 totalling 167.9 million views.
  • The top 10 list spans shows from Korea, Spain, France, Mexico, and Colombia, indicating Netflix’s successful global strategy.
  • Latin American thrillers like Who Killed Sara? and La Palma feature prominently, proving demand for drama-rich storytelling.
  • All shows on the list surpassed 50 million views each in just 91 days, showing rapid global consumption patterns.

Many English-speaking countries have a great interest in non-English-language content on Netflix, so such content is quite popular even among non-natives. Squid Game stands unchallenged at the top ranking of all-time most popular non-English-language content on Netflix. Season 1 raked in a massive 265.2 million views, while Season 2 followed with 192.6 million, making the Korean drama franchise the most watched non-English Netflix TV show of all time in its first 91 days. Combined, both seasons recorded an eye-watering 457.8 million views, showing the global appeal of high-stakes, emotionally charged storytelling.
Another clear trend is the strong representation of European and Latin American shows, led by Spain’s Money Heist, which has three parts in the top 10, and France’s Lupin, which appears twice. These shows have become global entertainment staples, even for audiences who don’t speak the native language, proving that gripping plots, relatable characters, and cinematic quality can easily transcend linguistic barriers.

Source:

Netflix

Period:

2025
HTML code to embed chart
Want a bespoke report?
Reach out
Click to copy HTML embed code
Tags
Related Insights
Troll leads non-English Netflix movies with 103.0 million views, closely followed by Under Paris at 102.3 million.
  • Troll leads with 103 million views, making it the most-watched non-English movie on Netflix in its first 91 days.
  • Under Paris follows closely with 102.3 million views, proving France's influence in Netflix's global content slate.
  • Society of the Snow (98.5M) and Nowhere (85.7M) show how survival and human drama resonate deeply with audiences worldwide.
  • Dystopian themes remain popular, with The Platform (82.8M) drawing strong viewership through intense, minimalist storytelling.
  • Five out of the top 10 movies pulled in more than 80 million views each, highlighting a huge appetite for international cinema.
  • Latin America and Europe dominate the list, with films from Spain, France, and Norway also attracting global attention.
Five of the top 10 most popular English-language Netflix movies achieved over 150 million views in their first 91 days
  • Red Notice leads with 230.9 million views in 91 days, making it the most-watched English-language Netflix movie to date.
  • Carry-On and Don’t Look Up are close, with 172.1M and 171.4M views respectively.
  • Five of the top 10 movies surpassed 150 million views within their first 91 days on the platform.
  • The Adam Project and Bird Box are tied closely, each drawing around 157 million views.
  • Back in Action and Leave the World Behind also made strong entries with over 140 million views each.
  • The entire top 10 showcases a mix of action, sci-fi, family, and thriller genres, proving Netflix’s broad appeal across demographics.
Wednesday Season 1 leads all English-language Netflix TV shows with 252.1 million views in its first 91 days
  • Wednesday (Season 1) tops the list with 252.1 million views, by far the highest ever for an English-language Netflix series.
  • Stranger Things 4 follows at a distant second with 140.7 million views in the same 91-day window.
  • The limited series Adolescence secured third place with 137.8 million views
  • Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story also performed strongly, gathering 115.6 million views.
  • Bridgerton Seasons 1 and 3 made the list, emphasising the franchise’s popularity.
  • Three of the top 10 shows had under 100 million views, with Stranger Things 3 closing the list at 94.8 million.
December 2024 saw the highest year-on-year increase in average movie ticket prices
  • December 2024 saw the biggest year-on-year increase in average movie ticket price since the 38.5% increase in 2021.
  • Cinema ticket prices in Nigeria have maintained an upward price trend since 2018, increasing by over 300%.
  • Since 2021, average ticket prices in December have maintained double-digit increases over 30% annually.
  • 2024's average ticket price was 17% below projections.
Lagos alone accounted for 53.6% of Nigeria’s 2024 box office revenue
  • Lagos led Nigeria’s box office with ₦5.8 billion in revenue, generating more revenue than all other regions combined.
  • The South-South emerged as the strongest market outside Lagos, contributing ₦2.1 billion, nearly 50% more than the South-West.
  • Abuja outperformed all three northern zones combined, earning ₦852 million, which is nearly four times their total revenue.
  • Cinema penetration in northern Nigeria remains weak, with the North-East contributing only ₦2.4 million—less than 0.05% of the national total, highlighting a significant gap in cinema infrastructure and audience engagement.
Filmhouse Cinemas earned the highest gross box office revenue in 2024
  •  The three largest cinema chains in Nigeria grossed over ₦7.6 billion naira combined in 2024 from Anglophone West Africa
  • EbonyLife Cinemas made the highest amount of any single cinema location
  • Filmhouse Cinemas has maintained the highest box office revenue for seven years
  • At ₦3.3 billion naira, Filmhouse's 2024 revenue is the highest ever recorded by a cinema chain in the region
POPULAR TOPICS
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
Get periodic updates about the African startup space, access to our reports, among others.
Subscribe Here
Subscription Form
A product of Techpoint Africa. All rights reserved