Netflix’s ‘Family Switch’ Leads Weekly Most-Watched Streaming Movies | Chart

With the holidays now on the horizon, recent releases “Family Switch” and “Candy Cane Lane” soared to the top of the streaming charts this past weekend. They became the top two-most streamed films in the U.S. the weekend of Dec. 1-3 on Whip Media’s Movie Ranker, a report powered by viewership data from TV Time, a consumer app with over 28 million registered global users.

The Netflix original “Family Switch” took the top spot, driving audiences to stream the latest film to feature a body-swapping plot point. The comedy film stars Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms as a couple with three children who wake up to discover they have all switched bodies and must live out a day in someone else’s shoes. Although the movie received mixed reviews, we can expect to see more body-swapping films in the future, especially with the rumors that “Freaky Friday 2” is in the works at Disney.

While not outperforming “Family Switch,” Prime Video’s “Candy Cane Lane” garnered significant traction and ranked second. The Christmas comedy film stars Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross as Chris Carver and Carol Carver, a couple who encounter Pepper, an evil elf. The film is part of a larger deal between Amazon and Murphy, who took on the roles of both actor and producer. Although met with mixed reviews, Prime Video has deemed it a huge success, as it has broken the service’s record for the most-watched debut for an Amazon MGM Studios produced movie ever in the U.S.

“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” took No. 3 this week following its streaming debut on Disney+ last Friday. The fifth and final installment of the “Indiana Jones” movie franchise failed to drive ticket sales during its theatrical run and was a box office bomb despite critical praise for Harrison Ford’s performance. He reprised his iconic role as the franchise’s title character, playing opposite Phoebe Waller-Bridge who portrayed Indy’s estranged goddaughter. Set in 1969, the two are tasked with finding a highly sought-after artifact before a Nazi scientist working for NASA can use it to revert Germany’s defeat in World War II.

The animated comedy film “Leo” earned No. 4 for Netflix, debuting on Nov. 21 as one of the top-watched titles for the platform. It stars Adam Sandler in the titular role of Leo, a reptile stuck as a class pet in a fifth-grade classroom, worrying about his own mortality and longing for the wild.

Following a limited theatrical release, the drama film “May December” debuted on Netflix last Friday and placed fifth on our overall ranking. Loosely inspired by a true story, the film stars Natalie Portman as an actress who must familiarize herself with the life of a controversial woman she is set to play in an upcoming film.

Horror film “The Exorcist: Believer” entered the ranking at No. 7 this week after its streaming debut on Peacock last Friday. While it’s the sixth movie in the franchise, it is a direct sequel to the original 1973 film, after Universal Pictures acquired the rights from Morgan Creek Entertainment in 2020. It had the best theatrical debut of the franchise, topping the box office despite poor reviews from critics.

While falling further on the ranker, “Blue Beetle,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” “Genie,” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” continued to draw significant viewership across streaming audiences.

Nick Lorenzo is a client solutions specialist at Whip Media, a WrapPRO partner. Click here for more from Whip Media.

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