Top 10 most streamed movies of 2020: 'Joker', 'Birds of Prey' to 'Ford v Ferrari', here's what movie buffs loved
Thanks to the global pandemic, theatres across the world remained shut for a major part of 2020 but that did not stop the movie buffs from catching up on their favorite films. Thankfully, we now have the options of streaming and rentals and following the same trend, a majority of people did not move from their couch for days. If you somehow missed out on the most searched or the most streamed movies, then we got you covered. Here’s what the list looks like for the top 10 streamed films of 2020.
'Joker'
With two Academy Awards in its kitty along with another 108 wins and 223 nominations, Joaquin Phoenix-starrer ‘Joker’ was one of the biggest movies of 2019. However, as the world came to a standstill, the film also ended up as one of the most streamed movies of 2020. ‘Joker’ was helmed by Todd Philips and it roared at the box-office with a massive collection of $1.074B worldwide.
The film revolves around failed comedian Arthur Fleck who seeks connection in Gotham City. Isolated, bullied and disregarded by society, Fleck begins a slow descent into madness as he transforms into the criminal mastermind known as The Joker. The film is up for streaming on Amazon Prime.
'Jumanji: The Next Level'
Released at the end of 2019, ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’ is another movie that helped people survive the lockdown in 2020 as they enjoyed the movie repeatedly with their friends and family. The adventure comedy flick is a sequel to 2017's ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ and stars Dwayne ‘Rock’ Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Karen Gillan in main roles with a supporting cast of Nick Jonas, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser’Darius Blain and Madison Iseman.
The film’s plot takes place two years after ‘Welcome to the Jungle', in which the same group of teenagers, along with an old friend and two unwitting additions, become trapped in the game of Jumanji. They all find themselves discovering new obstacles as they figure out how to get out of the broken game. Fans can catch this exciting movie on Amazon Prime.
'Birds of Prey'
One of the top global films released before Covid-19 hit the world, ‘Birds of Prey’ was released in January 2020. A follow-up to 2016’s ‘Suicide Squad', the DC Comics’ superhero film lived up to its hype, all thanks to the wonderful performance by Margot Robbie along with the supporting cast of Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Rosie Perez, among few others. Even if the movie earned more than $200M at the global box-office, it got the same amount of love on the streaming platforms.
The plot of the film sheds light on the character of Harley Quinn, who is trying to overcome her break-up with Joker as she takes on the goons of Gotham. ‘Birds of Prey’ can be watched on Amazon Prime.
'Bad Boys for Life'
Starring Hollywood A-lister Will Smith and his good old friend Martin Lawrence, ‘Bad Boys for Life’ is a follow-up to ‘Bad Boys II’ released in 2003. ‘Bad Boys for Life’ was released in January 2020 and grossed close to $500M at the global box-office. Even though the film was released before the global pandemic, the action-comedy film was loved by each and everyone at home post lockdown, as viewers repeatedly saw the flick to catch on some excitement indoors. The movie focuses on the two detectives played by Will and Martin who team up to bring culprits to justice. The film is up for streaming on Amazon Prime.
'Knives Out'
The 2019 suspense thriller directed by Rian Johnson starred Hollywood actors Daniel Craig, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas in lead roles along with the supporting cast of Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson and others. ‘Knives Out’ was one of the most underrated flicks, which eventually ended up pocketing more than $300M at the box-office worldwide. The film got the same love on the streaming platforms despite being a thriller — a genre that usually doesn’t get repeat views.
For the unversed, the film scored Best Original Screenplay nominations at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards and 92nd Academy Awards. It was also selected by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review as one of the top 10 films of 2019. The film is up for streaming on Amazon Prime.
'Terminator: Dark Fate'
‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ is a science fiction action film directed by Tim Miller. The 2019 flick is probably one of the biggest franchises released in the year as it raked-in above $250M at the global box-office. The much-loved movie is a sixth installment in the ‘Terminator’ film franchise, and acts as a direct sequel to ‘The Terminator’ (1984) and ‘Terminator 2: Judgment Day’ (1991), according to the timelines mentioned in the movies. Even though the film was released in 2019, it proved to be a great entertainer in 2020. ‘Terminator: Dark Fate’ is up for streaming on Disney+.
'The Invisible Man'
After staging his own suicide, a scientist uses his power to become invisible with an intention to stalk and terrorize his ex-girlfriend. When the police refuse to believe her story, the lead actress played by Elisabeth Moss decides to take matters into her own hands and fight back. The plot of ‘The Invisible Man’ is surely intriguing, isn’t it? Well, we guess that’s one of the reasons what made this horror flick one of the most-streamed movies of 2020. The film released in February 2020 also stars Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, Michael Dorman and Oliver Jackson-Cohen in prominent roles. ‘The Invisible Man’ is up for streaming on platforms like Amazon and YouTube.
'Ford v Ferrari'
Another 2019 film that became one of the most streamed and searched films of 2020 is Matt Damon and Christian Bale-starrer sports drama ‘Ford V Ferrari'. The movie sheds light on how American automotive designer Carroll Shelby and fearless British race car driver Ken Miles battle corporate interference, as they plan to compete against the race cars of Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France in 1966. The captivating movie is up for streaming on Disney+. A fun fact: It was the last film to win the Academy Award for Best Sound Editing before the award was combined with Best Sound Mixing as a single award for Best Sound.
'Dolittle'
Thanks to the 2020 fantasy adventure film directed by Stephen Gaghan, we could again see our beloved Robert Downey Jr on the silver screen after ‘Avengers: Endgame’, and since the Hollywood biggie enjoys a massive fan following across the world, the film proved to be a major success on the streaming platforms. Despite the unfortunate global pandemic, ‘Dolittle’ was one of the most searched and streamed films of 2020. The flick is a reboot of the original 1967 ‘Doctor Dolittle’ film. The Robert Downey Jr movie grossed $250M worldwide and became the seventh highest-grossing film of 2020. As of now, the film is only available for rent on Google Store.
'Just Mercy'
Courtroom dramas can rarely go wrong and if the makers rope in a stellar cast, the film is bound to leave an impression on viewers. The same happened with the December 2019 release ‘Just Mercy’ which starred Michael B Jordan and Jamie Foxx in the lead roles. Even though the movie could only manage to earn $50M at the box-office, it got thumbs from the critics. The courtroom drama also got love from the audience sitting at home as it also became one of the most-streamed flicks of 2020. ‘Just Mercy’ is up for streaming on Amazon Prime.