The final movie to top Netflix‘s streaming charts in 2025 brought a 2018 adaptation of a classic story back in a major way years down the line – though its remarkable resurgence in popularity makes a lot of sense. Netflix’s streaming charts have long been a fascinating way to measure the popularity of movies and shows alike, thanks to the platform releasing statistics on its most-watched installments.
Though Netflix has released its fair share of new films and television series, it’s not uncommon for older releases to also have another lease of life on the streaming service as viewers take a new interest in them. This is certainly the case for the last movie to hit Netflix’s number one spot on its weekly charts, as the film was 7 years old during that stretch of time.
2025’s Last Netflix Number 1 Movie Brought A Seasonal Classic Back To New Heights
The final week of 2025 brought with it one last victor for the competition to be Netflix’s most-watched movie of the week – a title that is all the more notable given it comes in a period where people tend to be watching more movies at home for various reasons.
Despite debuting all the way back in 2018, one movie adaptation of a classic Christmas story took the crown for Netflix’s global results during December 22-28. This was none other than Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, which was viewed a staggering 16,500,000 times, putting it a healthy 4,700,000 views above the movie that came in second place, which was none other than Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
The animated adaptation of The Grinch story having a resurgence in popularity as 2025 came to an end seems in many ways par for the course, given the story’s Christmas setting and approach to its central character have resonated with audiences for decades at this point.
Indeed, given the film’s original theatrical debut made it both the highest-grossing Christmas movie of all time and the highest-grossing Dr. Seuss adaptation ever, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch notable streaming popularity in the final week of 2025 makes a lot of sense – though it is also interesting in terms of proving another long-term trend lives on for Netflix and streaming services more broadly.
2025’s December Film Hits Prove A Longtime Trend Continues Once More
While the success of stellar movies like Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery during the end of 2025 shows that this stretch of time is not entirely beholden to Christmas or seasonal movies, the return of films like Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch to streaming charts year upon year shows that this genre still has a strong hold on the end of year period.
Though much about both the world of movies and the world of streaming continues to change shape and evolve with time, the consistency of Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch and other Christmas films like it hitting the top of Netflix‘s charts around the end of year period certainly makes it seem as though this kind of release will continue to have resurgences around this time, as viewers look for feel-good seasonal fare.
