Murder Mystery 2 nearly set a new Netflix comedy movie record with your help
Another mystery solved
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Netflix’s lineup of original comedy movies have often failed to make an impact among viewers, butMurder Mystery, the 2019 film starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston, bucked the trend – and its sequel,Murder Mystery 2, which only debuted on Netflix on March 31, has done likewise.
In fact,Murder Mystery 2has proven so popular on the world’sbest streaming servicethat it almost set a new record for aNetflixcomedy movie.
Per a Netflix press release,Murder Mystery 2’s debut was the second-biggest opening weekend for a comedy film on the platform. The film, which was recently added to ournew Netflix movieslist, was watched by 42 million households in the first three days post-release. According to Netflix,Murder Mystery 2accumulated 64.4 million hours streamed over its debut weekend, too – a figure that catapulted it into the Top 10 of the streamer’s movies section in 91 countries. It was also the most-watched English-language Netflix movie on the service for the week running March 27 to April 2.
Murder Mystery 2’s release gave its predecessor a new lease of life, too.Murder Mysterywas the second most-watched Netflix film during the same six-day period, with Netflix users racking up 24.7 million hours viewed. Not bad for a four-year-old movie, eh?
Netflix hasn’t revealed which movie stood betweenMurder Mystery 2and the title of most-streamed Netflix original comedy film of all-time. It seems likely thatYou People, the Jonah Hill and Eddie Murphy-starring comedy that arrived on January 27 this year, is the culprit, though – that flick accrued 55.6 million hours viewed in its first week on the platform. We’ve reached out to Netflix for clarification on this, and we’ll report back if we receive a response.
A winning formula for Netflix
So, why hasMurder Mystery 2proven so popular among Netflix’s user base?
For one, it’s got two fan-favorite, powerhouse performers in its lead roles. Aniston and Sandler are well liked among film fans, and the duo’s star power is sufficient enough to draw viewers in, even if a film or TV show they star in isn’t up to much.
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Then there’s the fact thatMurder Mystery 2is an easy watch. The film doesn’t reinvent the whodunnit or comedy genres, but its combination of wacky and silly humor, plus a mystery that’s more intriguing and elaborate than the one at the heart of its predecessor, fit together nicely. It’s not overly cerebral, either, so viewers looking for an uncomplicated film to relax with over the weekend couldn’t really go wrong.
There’s also the movie’s 90-minute runtime – that’s breezy compared to most flicks released these days, and means you don’t need to focus on its albeit simplistic plot for too long.Murder Mystery 2’s position as a sequel to one of Netflix’s most popular original films is sure to have helped as well. Don’t be surprised if you see one or both of these flicks make it onto ourbest Netflix movieslist soon.
Murder Mystery 2isn’t the only huge hit Netflix has had on its hands recently. Espionage action-thrillerThe Night Agenthas installed itself as Netflix’s new TV show darlingsince its March 23 release, with the series racking up 168.7 million hours streamed in its first week, and a further 216.4 million hours over the last six days. Unsurprisingly,The Night Agentseason 2 has been greenlitas a result. If you’re looking for similar genre fare to stream,watch one of these seven spy shows after you’ve recently been thrilled byThe Night Agent, too.
For more Netflix coverage, read ourbest Netflix showsandbest Netflix documentariesguides.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
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