Today, Netflix released its list of the most POPULAR titles of 2019 in Malaysia. These are the titles that Malaysians watched the most this year. (Note: Only Netflix Originals that were released in 2019 are taken into account. Which means content like Friends, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, etc do not count.) There are a number of takeaways from this. For one, the two most acclaimed Netflix movies this year, The Irishman (96% on Rotten Tomatoes) and Marriage Story (95% on Rotten Tomatoes) wasn’t a part of the 10 most-watched Netflix originals among Malaysians. While, The Irishman will admittedly not appeal to the casual audience (it’s a slow burn, meditative, gangster-film), I think Marriage Story is something everybody should watch. The film follows Adam Driver’s Charlie and Scarlett Johansen’s Nicole as they go through the tumultuous process of getting a divorce. It’s a highly riveting, powerfully acted drama. Unsurprisingly, Michael Bay’s action-fest 6 Underground topped the list, despite only dropping on Netflix three weeks ago. Out of the 10 most-watched Netflix originals among Malaysians, only two are TV series, one of which is a fantasy based on video games and books, while the other is based on an indie comic book. I’m surprised 13 Reasons Why Season 3 did not crack the Top 10 list. Question: What on earth is Tall Girl and why did the wider Malaysian audience decide to watch that in droves? All the titles listed above are currently streaming on Netflix.
