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Here's what movies are worth watching on Netflix's Global Top 10 List from the week of November 22-28
Every Tuesday, Netflix announces its Global Top 10 lists, the most-watched movies and shows in English and not in English from the previous week. The ranking metric Netflix uses to share this information with the public is "total hours viewed," which is the sum of the time Netflix subscribers all over the world spent watching a given show or movie. This is a decent way of measuring a show or movie's popularity, as hours viewed roughly corresponds with the number of people watching it — and more meaningfully to Netflix, watching it all the way through.
You're looking at the list of the week's most-watched English-language movies. For the week of November 22-28, the most popular Netflix movie in the world once again is Red Notice, the splashy action comedy starring three of the world's biggest stars, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot, and Ryan Reynolds. Topping the chart for the third straight week, Red Notice was watched for over 50 million cumulative hours last week. It's down a lot from its high of nearly 150 million hours watched two weeks ago, but it's still a bona fide Netflix hit, notching a few million more hours watched this week than second-place finisher Bruised.
But just because something is being watched for millions of hours doesn't mean it's actually good. So every week, we break down what's worth watching in Netflix's Global Top 10 English-language movies. We do the same for Global Top 10 English-language shows, as well as the American Daily Top 10 list, which we further break down into the Top 10 movies and the Top 10 shows. We also have a running list of the 50 best shows and movies to watch on Netflix right now, plus the best movies to watch on Netflix and the best TV shows on Netflix.
Based on Netflix's Global Top 10 movies in English for the week of November 22-28
For fans of: The Rock, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot | Is it good?: It's good if you don't want to think about anything for two hours
If you need to turn off your brain, you could do worse than to watch Red Notice, a movie starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot. Rocky and Ryan play a fed and an art thief, respectively, who team up to catch the world's most-wanted art thief (Gadot), and there are tons of fights, big action sequences with rocket launchers and helicopters, and one bit where the former Brahma Bull takes on a real bull in a bullfight. This would normally be a slam dunkarooni to watch, but the critics will tell you that it's a stinker that should be avoided. I'd counter that it runs on enough megawatts of Hollywood star power to mine two whole Bitcoins, rendering any criticism pointless. Red Notice was the most-watched movie on Netflix for the third week in a row, and No. 1 in 47 countries. (Weeks in Top 10: 3)
For fans of: Halle Berry, washed-up athletes | Is it good?: Berry's performance is better than the movie itself
Halle Berry's directorial debut comes in the form of this sports drama, which she also stars in. Berry plays Jackie Justice, a disgraced UFC fighter who returns to her roots for one last fight. In the middle of it all, the son she gave birth to and subsequently ignored shows up on her doorstep, forcing her to think about the direction her life has gone in. Bruised was the No. 1 movie in a few big Netflix markets like the United States and Brazil. Curiously, it was only No. 1 in one European country, Italy. Gli italiani adorano Halle Berry. (Weeks in Top 10: 1)
For fans of: Santa Claus, saying "is that Maggie Smith?" | Is it good?: It's cute and very much for kids
The Santa Claus origin story you've been looking for is right here! The Netflix original Christmas fantasy film adapts the 2015 book and tells the story of young Nikolas, who travels to the North Pole in search of his father and comes across a town of elves and other Christmas goodies. It's a family-friendly affair, as evidenced by the adorable CGI mouse that accompanies young Nik. Maggie Smith, Kristen Wiig, and Henry Lawfull star. It hit No. 1 in several European countries and Thailand. (Weeks in Top 10: 1)
For fans of: Hallmark vibes, real estate | Is it good?: What is "good" when it comes to this type of movie, really?
Netflix's latest Hallmark-style Christmas movie has a premise genre fans should find as familiar and comfortable as a Scotsman's favorite kilt. After flopping and getting canceled, a famous author (Brooke Shields) decides to shake her life up and buy a castle in Scotland that has personal significance to her family. But there's a catch: The castle's current owner, the stuck-up Duke of Dunbar (Cary Elwes, doing his best burr), will continue to live in the castle alongside her until the escrow period ends on Christmas. He's planning to make her so miserable she leaves, after which point he'll keep her deposit and the castle. Of course, they develop real feelings for each other during their forced cohabitation and there are complications before the inevitable happy ending. Because if there's one thing Cary Elwes knows about, it's true love! (Yes, that's a Princess Bride reference.) (Weeks in Top 10: 1)
For fans of: Vanessa Hudgens, Vanessa Hudgens, Vanessa Hudgens | Is it good?: It's one of Netflix's best Christmas franchises, if that counts for anything
If you haven't been keeping up with the shamelessly cuckoo Princess Switch movies, you might be saying, "Wait, there are three of these now?" There sure are, and this time it's a heist. Princess Stacy (Vanessa Hudgens) and Lady Margaret (Vanessa Hudgens with a British accent) are simply trying to host a Christmas festival when they discover that the priceless relic loaned to them by the Vatican (yes, you read that right) has been stolen. To get it back, they have to team up with Margaret's identical cousin Fiona (Vanessa Hudgens in a blonde wig) and her various criminal associates. Fingers crossed they find a way to somehow add a fourth Vanessa Hudgens to the mix. (Weeks in Top 10: 2)
For fans of: Nic Cage's voice, teaching kids that parenting is hard | Is it good?: It's a solid family film
A family of cave people who only leave their home for necessities must learn to survive in the wild when circumstance forces them out. A normal human boy with a knack for inventions helps them out, as do the requisite friendly animals that all kids movie require. It was No. 6 last week, too, but it actually gained some ground this week, with about two million more hours watched. (Weeks in Top 10: 2)
For fans of: When Tom Cruise beats people up | Is it good?: It's no Mission: Impossible - Fallout
The Jack Reacher franchise stalled out after this unexceptional sequel underperformed at the box office in 2016, but it's thriving on Netflix in Kenya, the Philippines, and New Zealand, which are just a few of the countries where the action flick hit No. 1 this week. Cruise plays the titular former military policeman, who goes back into action after his friend and successor, Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), is arrested on espionage charges. While trying to find who framed Turner, Reacher also tries to develop a relationship with Samantha (Danika Yarosh), a teenage daughter he didn't know he had. It's a forgettable story, but it's always fun to watch Tom Cruise punch through a car window to get at somebody, you know? (Weeks in Top 10: 1)
For fans of: Ice Age, mild rude humor | Is it good?: Not especially
Your kids' enjoyment of Extinct may come down to whether or not they think the Flummels are cute or creepy. The Flummels are donut-shaped rodents (I guess?) from the Galapagos Islands in 1835 who discover portals that allow them to travel back and forth through time. And in the future, they discover that they've gone extinct. Heavy! But there's still a lot of room for goofy jokes and bright colors as the Flummels try to save their species from going the way of the dodo. The voice cast is led by Rachel Bloom and Adam Devine. (Weeks in Top 10: 2)
For fans of: Buddy comedies, stuff that's good enough but not actually good | Is it good?: It's whatever
If you want evidence of how Netflix is a truly global streaming service, Central Intelligence made the worldwide Top 10 list without being available to stream in America, the company's largest market. But people are watching the 2016 action comedy pretty much everywhere else. Central Intelligence follows Calvin Joyner (Kevin Hart), a mild-mannered forensic accountant who by chance encounters his high school classmate Robbie Weirdicht, who is now a CIA agent who goes by Bob Stone (Dwayne Johnson). To keep his cover from getting blown, Bob has to incorporate the resistant Calvin into his mission. Most of the humor comes from the size disparity between Johnson and Hart. (Weeks in Top 10: 2)
For fans of: Christmas, catfishing | Is it good?: It is a truly silly delight
Nina Dobrev stars as a writer who seemingly meets her perfect man (Darren Barnet) via dating app, only finding out she's been catfished. The man who catfished her (Jimmy O. Yang!) offers to set her up with the guy she's interested in if she pretends to be his girlfriend for the holidays. There is nothing better than a ridiculous Christmas rom-com, and this one fully understands the assignment. (Weeks in Top 10: 4)