Over the past 12 months, 34 movies have risen to the top of Netflix's most-watched list and have been ranked global No. 1 on the world’s most popular streaming service (per Netflix’s tracking). That’s no small achievement, and reaching the top spot means that each of these flicks has drawn significant interest from subscribers and amassed millions of total viewing hours.
It would be logical to assume that any movie that ranks No. 1 on Netflix must be worth watching, but unfortunately, that’s definitely not the case. In 2024, duds have ranked in the top spot more often than winners. The likes of “Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver,” “Mea Culpa,” “Atlas,” “The Union” and “Lonely Planet” all took the crown despite an awful reception from both professional critics and regular Netflix viewers.
However, among the clutch of skippable movies that ranked No. 1 on Netflix this year, some films that earned the title deserved the honor. So, to ensure you don’t miss a watchlist-worthy pick, I’m rounding up the best Netflix No. 1 movies in 2024 below…
Best Netflix No.1 movies in 2024
‘The Equalizer 3’
“The Equalizer 3” is very much a “more of the same” sequel, but when the franchise formula involves Denzel Washington playing a vigilante action hero on a mission to protect the downtrodden in our society it’s not very hard to overlook the lack of innovation. “The Equalizer” series provides viewers exactly what it promises, and has built up a sizeable group of fans who wouldn’t have it any other way. Plus, Washington is just so darn cool in the lead role.
In “The Equalizer 3,” Denzel Washington returns as Robert McCall, a former U.S. Marine who has taken to dishing out street justice to protect those who can’t stand up for themselves. Having relocated to sunny Southern Italy, McCall’s plans for a peaceful retirement are dashed when he learns that a criminal gang is intimidating his friends. Taking up arms again, the action hero faces his most dangerous adversary yet, the powerful Camorra family.
Watch on Netflix now
‘Hit Man’
Released back in early June, "Hit Man" remains my favorite Netflix movie of the entire year. The launching pad for the “Summer of Powell,” this critically-acclaimed flick is a true showcase of the rising star's talents. Directed by Richard Linklater (who co-wrote the movie with Powell himself), “Hit Man” is a potent blend of rom-com and crime-thriller that will have you laughing, swooning and, most importantly, absolutely glued to the screen until the end.
In “Hit Man,” Glenn Powell plays Gary Johnson, a seemingly ordinary college professor, who moonlights as a fake contract killer as part of a police sting operation. Gary adopts unique personas to tailor the ruse to each target and finds himself surprisingly skilled in the role. However, things get seriously complicated when his services are requested by a vulnerable young woman (Adria Arjona) who wants somebody to snuff out her abusive husband.
Watch on Netflix now
‘Rebel Ridge’
Netflix had a rough summer. The streaming service served up a whole load of misfires from “A Family Affair” to “Trigger Warning” over the hottest months of the year, but in early September “Rebel Ridge” arrived and was just the tonic needed. This action-thriller is riotously entertaining thanks to its instantly hooky premise and the slick lead performance from Aaron Pierre. There are narrative stumbles, but these are easy to overlook when the moment-to-moment action is this engaging, and the central villain so easy to dislike.
“Rebel Ridge” opens with Terry Richmond (Pierre), a former Marine, cycling into the small town of Shelvy Springs. Suddenly he’s rammed off the road and unlawfully detained by two crooked cops. These corrupt lawmen also take Terry’s backpack full of cash. But this money is for a vital purpose: it's to pay bail for his cousin, and Terry will stop at nothing to get it back. This brings him into conflict with the town’s egotistical sheriff, Sandy Burnne (Don Johnson), and soon the situation escalates into all-out-warfare between the two.
Watch on Netflix now
‘The Menendez Brothers’
Netflix sparked a massive wave of interest in the case of Lyle and Erik Menendez this year. Firstly, the streaming service dropped a fictionalized take on the brother’s crime (“Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story”) before following up with a true crime documentary that aimed to present the facts of the case. “The Menendez Brothers” is a feature-length doc that explores what happened on that fateful night in August 1989 from the siblings’ perspective.
If you missed the intense social media attention on the case, Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted of the murder of their parents in 1996. The two don’t deny the act, but this documentary sees them speak on the record to explain why they committed such a brutal crime. The doc also interweaves insight from family members, legal experts and the prosecutors in the case. While undoubtedly compelling due to a sense of morbid curiosity, there are many layers of tragedy to this true crime story, so prepare for a tough watch.
Watch on Netflix now
‘Don't Move’
“Don’t Move” was one of the more interesting Netflix movies of 2024. A refreshing spin on the cat-and-mouse thriller, like many similar flicks it focuses on a young woman attempting to escape a dangerous psychopath in a dense forest, but the key difference here is that the protagonist, Iris (Kelsey Asbille), has been injected with a paralytic drug that is slowly rendering her immobile. This wrinkle adds lots of tension as it’s a lot harder to escape a deranged killer when your arms and legs are frozen and all you can move are your eyeballs.
Unfortunately, “Don’t Move” is a little inconsistent with its own internal logic (Iris is allowed to move as much as the plot demands it at any given moment), but this is still an extremely tense thriller that feels claustrophobic in all the right ways. Finn Wittrock is devilishly unhinged as the villain of the piece, and there’s an excellent mid-movie sequence that brings the (fake) blood for those craving some bite. Plus, it’s only 85 minutes long so it's a great choice when you’re looking for a breezy watch after a long day.
Watch on Netflix now
‘Hot Frosty’
I’m going to need you to trust me on this one. Everything about “Hot Frosty” screams cheesy Hallmark holiday movie worthy of mocking, and yet, this rom-com is so self-aware and has so much fun with its ludicrous story, that it’s hard not to get swept up in the fun of it all. "Hot Frosty" is helped by a winning lead performance from Lacey Chabert. A Hallmark veteran herself, the former “Mean Girls” star (which is playfully referenced), knows the exact tone to strike and plays the lead character Kathy with a sweet sincerity that feels genuine.
If you missed all the talk about this festive flick last month, it’s a movie where a grieving widow falls in love with a snowman who’s come to life (played with great enthusiasm by Dustin Milligan). Yes, I’m aware this sounds terrible on paper, but trust me, it’s surprisingly endearing in practice. The effective comedy is helped loads by a strong supporting cast including Craig Robinson and Joe Lo Truglio as a pair of bumbling small-town cops.
Watch on Netflix now
‘Carry-On’
Netflix is ending the year pretty strong with “Carry-On,” an action-thriller that tips its hat so heavily to “Die Hard” that it borders on shameless. Fortunately, the movie is so enjoyable that you can forgive the similarities. All good action-thrillers need a suitably menacing villain, and “Carry-On” certainly has one in the former of Jason Bateman, who plays against his usually affable type to bring to life a cynical and aggressive mercenary with a sinister plot.
Squaring off against Bateman is Taron Egerton, who plays a young TSA agent working the Christmas Eve shift at LAX airport. But it’s not the masses of passengers trying to get home for the holiday that make this a shift from hell, instead his day takes a turn for the worse when he’s blackmailed into letting a mysterious package through security unchecked. Yes, there are a lot of cliches here, and a weak side plot involving an LAPD detective hurts the pacing, but “Carry-On” is a great choice if you want an alternative Christmas movie.
Watch on Netflix now
Every Netflix No. 1 movie in 2024
- “The Equalizer 3”
- “Lift”
- “The Greatest Night in Pop”
- “Despicable Me 3”
- “Players”
- “Mea Culpa”
- “Code 8 Part II”
- “Damsel”
- “Irish Wish”
- “Heart of the Hunter”
- “What Jennifer Did”
- “Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver”
- “Unfrosted”
- “Mother of the Bride”
- “Atlas”
- “Hit Man”
- “Trigger Warning”
- “A Family Affair”
- “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F”
- “Find Me Falling”
- "Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie"
- "The Union"
- "Incoming"
- "Rebel Ridge"
- "Uglies"
- "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"
- "The Menendez Brothers"
- "Lonely Planet"
- "Don't Move"
- "Meet Me Next Christmas"
- "Hot Frosty"
- "The Merry Gentlemen"
- "Our Little Secret"
- "Carry-On"
More from Tom's Guide
