Netflix has a reputation for concealing its streaming numbers—unless those stats are notably positive.
On Tuesday, the streaming giant announced its Murder Mystery flick garnered more than 30 million views in a three-day span, marking the biggest opening weekend for a Netflix original film. The Kyle Newacheck-directed comedy was written by James Vanderbilt and stars Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler. The movie follows a NYC cop (Sandler) and his hairdresser wife (Aniston), as they attempt to solve a murder that occurred on a yacht. Luke Evans, Gemma Arterton, and Terence Stamp costar.Â
Netflix reports Murder Mystery was streamed on 13.38 million accounts in the U.S. and Canada, and racked in 17.5 million international views across countries like German, Spain, Italy, and France.Â
Naturally, many people have questioned whether or not Netflix's streaming numbers are misleading. There's no doubt that 30 million figure is impressive, but what exactly qualifies as a "view"? Does the company only count the from-start-to-finish streams, or do they also include the streams that lasted, let's say, five minutes?Â
A Netflix spokesperson told Variety the company will only tally streams if viewers watched at least 70 percent of the film or a single episode.
Murder Mystery is part of Sandler's eight-movie deal with Netflix. The film follows titles like The Ridiculous 6, The Do-Over, The Week, of, and Sandy Wexler.
