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Image Courtesy: IMDb
In 2025, it was nearly impossible to escape Adam Sandler, Cynthia Erivo, and Ariana Grande, as their work lit up screens of every size, from living room TVs to smartphones on the go.
On 28th January, media analytics company Nielsen revealed that Adam Sandler's Netflix comedy 'Happy Gilmore 2' was the most-watched live-action movie of the year across all streaming platforms. The film racked up an impressive 7.1 billion minutes streamed. Close behind was 'Wicked,' the first part of Jon M. Chu's two-film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, which logged 6.8 billion minutes viewed across Peacock and Prime Video during the year.
'Happy Gilmore 2' Massive Victory
Nielsen also reported that 'Wicked' was one of just three movies to pass the 2 billion–minute mark among women ages 18 to 49. Meanwhile, 'Happy Gilmore 2,' the long-awaited sequel to the 1996 sports comedy, made history by setting a weekly streaming record when it debuted in July. Netflix previously confirmed 'Happy Gilmore 2' had the biggest U.S. opening weekend ever for a film released on the platform.
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Image Courtesy: IMDb
Rounding out the top 10 most-streamed live-action movies of 2025 were Netflix's 'Back in Action' starring Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz, 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone,' 'Home Alone,' 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,' Ben Affleck's 'The Accountant 2,' Chris Pratt's Netflix film 'The Electric State,' the superhero movie 'Kraven the Hunter,' and Tyler Perry's 'Madea's Destination Wedding.'
Movie Dominating Netflix Views
Despite the success of these titles, none matched the overall streaming power of 'KPop Demon Hunters,' which pulled in 20.6 billion minutes streamed on Netflix after its June release. Animated hits also dominated, with 'Moana 2' reaching 9.4 billion minutes and 'Despicable Me 4' earning 8.7 billion minutes, both outperforming every live-action movie in 2025.
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Image Courtesy: IMDb
On the television side, the children's series 'Bluey' led the pack with 45.2 billion minutes streamed on Disney+. 'Grey's Anatomy' followed closely with 40.9 billion minutes viewed across Netflix and Hulu, while 'Stranger Things' logged 40 billion minutes on Netflix, making it the most-streamed original series on a single platform. Other top performers included 'Squid Game,' 'Wednesday,' 'Landman,' and a few others.
Classic and long-running shows also remained hugely popular. Series such as 'NCIS,' 'SpongeBob SquarePants,' 'Bob's Burgers,' 'Family Guy,' 'The Big Bang Theory,' 'Law & Order: SVU,' and 'Criminal Minds' filled out Nielsen's top 10 list for overall television streaming.
Nielsen also honoured 'Family Guy' creator Seth MacFarlane as its first-ever Streaming Icon of the Year, recognising the continued success of his TV series and films. According to the company, his work generated more than 60 billion minutes viewed across streaming platforms in 2025.
