This Killer Documentary Is Seconds Away From Becoming The First Movie On Netflix To Achieve This Incredible Milestone

For several days straight, the latest Adam Sandler project, Hubie Halloween, has dominated Netflix. But before that Happy Madison production came along, there was another movie that was busy controlling the world’s most popular streaming platform—a project that is currently accomplishing feats that no other movie has ever accomplished on Netflix.

In fact, that movie is just one day away from doing something no other documentary has ever done on Netflix.

That movie? American Murder: The Family Next Door. Playing on the public’s rabid desire for true crime stories, this Netflix Original has commanded the streaming device’s Top 10 feature in ways no other documentary has in 2020, quite possibly making American Murder the most viral documentary to ever hit Netflix.

This is interesting because just last month, the social media-themed The Social Dilemma became the first documentary to dominate Netflix in the Top 10 era. In September, The Social Dilemma pulled in 157 points (the point total is based on a formula I developed for the Netflix’s Top 10 system). That was a higher total than any other movie that played on Netflix last month, including popular non-documentaries like The Smurfs 2, Pets United and Bastille Day.

But The Social Dilemma never outright dominated the Top 10 like American Murder: The Family Next Door has in October. While The Social Dilemma thrived because of its longevity, the social media documentary never reached the #1 spot on the Daily Top 10 charts. Meanwhile, American Murder became just the ninth movie this year to spend seven consecutive days atop the Daily Top 10 charts.

And if Hubie Halloween hadn’t come along, that streak would’ve lasted longer. After Hubie Halloween premiered on October 7, American Murder went on to spend four days in the #2 position. So if it weren’t for Sandler’s latest comedy, American Murder would have become just the third movie ever to claim 11 straight days in first place—and the first documentary ever to pull that off.

In fact, American Murder is on the verge of doing something no other documentary has ever done on Netflix. The Social Dilemma’s 157 points made it the most popular documentary in the Top 10 era. But by this time tomorrow, there’s a pretty good chance that American Murder will move past that point total and become the first documentary on Netflix to surpass 157 points (and inch closer to the 200-point mark).

So far this autumn season, American Murder: The Family Next Door has earned 151 points. That total just moved past Enola Holmes, which has only managed to pull in 143 points this season before exiting the daily charts altogether.

Since the documentary fell from the daily chart’s #1 spot on October 7, American Murder has spent five days in second place and three days in third place. And it wasn’t until Friday that the documentary fell below the #3 spot. That means American Murder owned a streak of 15 days in the top three positions—a feat that no other documentary has come even close to matching this year.

On the 2020 rankings, American Murder ranks as the 13th-most-popular movie of the year. With 151 points in its pocket, the documentary ranks just ahead of Top 10 behemoths The Lost Husband, The Kissing Booth 2 and Mr. Peabody & Sherman. So if American Murder’s popularity can keep up for just one more day (which it will), then it’ll pass The Social Dilemma in no time and unequivocally become the most popular documentary on Netflix in the Top 10 era.