Netflix’s breakout 2023 hit Leave the World Behind was the most streamed movie on the platform during the second half of the year. Produced by Higher Ground, the production company founded and operated by Michelle and Barack Obama, Leave the World Behind offered an unsettling hypothetical near-future dystopia in the United States. Starring Ethan Hawke, Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, and Kevin Bacon, Leave the World Behind was written and directed by Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail.

While Leave the World Behind has many head-scratching moments, the film quickly became one of the most talked-about movies of the year upon its December 8, 2023 release date. Esmail worked closely with Obama to develop the screenplay, taking the former President’s notes and intel into account when writing the script, which was adapted from the novel of the same name written by Rumaan Alam. The film essentially paints a portrait of an instantaneous downfall of American society through a mass manipulation of common and real-world technologies.

Leave The World Behind Became Netflix’s Most-Watched June-December 2023 Movie In 3 Weeks

The film amassed 121 million views and 286.3 million hours watched

According to Netflix’s “What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report”, Leave the World Behind was the most viewed movie on the entire platform between the months of June and December 2023. Leave the World Behind generated a total of 121 million views and 286.3 million hours watched, according to Netflix. What’s most astonishing is that the data in the report is limited to a range from June 1 to December 31, so Leave the World Behind only had three weeks to become the most-watched film on Netflix during that time.

Also topping the list was the Gal Gadot-led spy action thriller Heart of Stone, which pulled in 109.6 million views and 228.4 million hours viewed after its August 11, 2023 release date. The data was not limited exclusively to Netflix original productions, indicating that Leave the World Behind was the most viewed movie during this period, hands down. Leo (96 million views, 171.2 million hours viewed), Nowhere (86.2 million views, 156.6 million hours viewed), and The Out-Laws (83.8 million views, 135.5 million hours viewed) rounded out the top 5 most viewed movies.

How Leave The World Became A Massive Hit For Netflix

The film inspired a far-reaching online discourse

Much of Leave the World Behind’s streaming success is due to the conversation it was able to inspire on the internet, which is even more impressive considering it was released at the peak of Hollywood’s awards season. Although the film wasn’t up for any Academy Awards, the greatest achievement of Leave the World Behind is its ability to use science fiction as commentary on reality.

Leave the World Behind outperformed Netflix’s initial Oscar contenders by a massive margin, with May December (released 12/1) only accruing 6.8 million views and 13.3 million hours watched and Maetsro (released 12/20) attaining 6.7 million views and 14.7 million hours watched. Considering its chart-topping success, Leave the World Behind could wind up with a sequel on Netflix soon.