(Credits: Netflix)

When choosing a film to watch, there always seems to be an overwhelming number of options. With constant new releases and revivals of old classics, there is never a shortage of projects to choose from, especially on a site like Netflix, whose business model depends on creating variety, as shown by its most popular movies.

Coming in at the bottom of the list is Rob Peace and The Hunt. Rob Peace was directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor this year, marking the actor’s fourth feature film as director. Most well-known for his roles in Love Actually, 12 Years as a Slave and The Martian, Ejiofor returned to his role behind the camera for the story of Robert Peace, a gifted young Black man who begins his studies at Yale University, only to find himself disturbed by the injustices of his past.

The Hunt is another devastating tale from Danish director Thomas Vinterberg, following a teacher who is falsely accused of sexually abusing a child. The movie is not a heartwarming story, and it’s somewhat surprising that audiences would turn to this feature during the winter season. 

To redeem the gravity of the aforementioned projects, Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa, Meet Me Next Christmas and Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy took the next spots in the top ten rankings. The second Madagascar movie loosely follows on from the antics of the first, with the gang unsurprisingly finding themselves in Africa.

Meet Me Next Christmas is a Netflix original that was released this year, which tells the story of Layla, a woman on the quest to find the man of her dreams at a Christmas concert. Buy Now: The Shopping Conspiracy is a documentary about the strategies and tactics used by global brands to trick us into buying their products. It’s very fitting that has found its audience now, with Black Friday and the endless shopping season just around the corner from us. 

In the next three spots, are Ready or Not, the 2019 horror film starring Samara Weaving, Minions: The Rise of Gru and Spellbound. The Minions movie was added to the franchise in 2019 and follows a young Gru with his band of yellow fiends, and Spellbound is an animated movie that was also released this year.

The film that takes the second to last spot is Hot Frosty, another Netflix original film that was released this year, starring Lacey Chabert and Dustin Milligan. It follows a young widow with a magic scarf that helps bring love into her life. And finally, in the number one spot, is The Merry Gentlemen. The film is also a Netflix original that was released this year, with teen heartthrob Chad Michael Murray in one of the lead roles. It centres around a Broadway dancer who stages an all-male Christmas-themed performance in her parent’s nightclub to save it from going under.  

There will no doubt be another set of projects sweeping the list next week, but perhaps this will inspire you to revisit an old favourite or discover something new to watch.