Netflix's 10 Most Rented Movies Will Shock, Delight, and Sadden You

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Netflix may be a little unpopular at the moment, but I assume you're holding onto a couple of red envelopes right now, right? (I've had Barefoot in the Park for two months, and I desperately need to move on to A Patch of Blue. I can hear Shelley Winters bellowing at me from beyond the grave.) The company just released a list of the ten most rented movies in its history, and you'll have several reactions to it: 1) Really? A few of these are surprising. 2) Really? A few of these are kind of cool. 3) Of course that damn movie is #1. Of course.

Here they are, the top ten.

10. No Country for Old Men

9. Iron Man

8. Inception

7. Sherlock Holmes

6. The Departed

5. The Hurt Locker

4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

3. The Bucket List

2. Crash

1. The Blind Side

This is kind of weird. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was celebrated Oscar bait, but would you think it'd garner more rentals than Inception or Iron Man? What's Crash doing so high? Who keeps recommending that condescending piece of Lifetime cinema? And what is Leigh Ann Tuohy doing at #1? I'm assuming most of its fans saw it in the theater anyway.

Anyway: Hooray for The Hurt Locker! But let's all work a little harder to get Shelley Winters on the tally, all right?

Netflix's 10 Most Rented Movies of All Time [THR]



Comments

  • AS says:

    I figured it would probably be a list of nothing but trash but I have been proven wrong. No Country, Inception, Departed, Hurt Locker and Benjamin Button all really good/great movies.

  • Dadlyedly says:

    What is truly saddening is that NONE of these movies can be streamed through Netflix Instant. This should actually be "Quickster's" top ten list.

  • Eric Kane says:

    "Patch of Blue": Elizabeth Hartman will break ur heart & Shelley Winters will make u want to slap a bitch!

  • NP says:

    I'm just going to pretend that's David Cronenberg's _Crash_.

  • The WInchester says:

    You mean it's not?
    Actually, the real fun lies in those who thought they were getting the one about racism but instead got the Cronenberg one accidentally.

  • that gurl says:

    +1

  • Chris says:

    Not surprised that Benjamin Button is higher than some better movies. Its a movie that no one saw in theaters so people had to check it out. Inception and others were bought instead of rented.

  • Anonymous says:

    The only one of these movies that I've seen is "The Departed" and I absolutely hated it.

  • Remy says:

    Seven are Best Picture nominees or winners, and two are popular blockbusters. Now, how did "The Bucket List" make it to number 3?

  • Duros says:

    Hey Louis Virtel. I hear Not everyone has the same taste in movies as you. Quit being a pretentious douchebag.

  • blizzard bound says:

    I wonder what the demographics are for Netflix customers? I'm one, and one reason is I can't see the bulk of films that interest me in my immediate area.
    (Granted I am a film nerd, and the bulk of movies I want to see were made before 1960 or are European. But even the new movies that come out that look interesting, I have to wait until their DVD release to see them because I live in the boonies.)
    If other customers are anything like me, I'm guessing they skew to the older side, versus the younger target audience for the bulk of average films out there.
    So the the high placement of Benjamin Button and The Bucket List doesn't surprise me. (I never saw Bucket List, but I know its premise.) Both films explore the idea of aging. That's something a lot of people are thinking about.
    As to The Bind Side, I never saw that either, but it's a feel-good movie, right? And it's about football. That sounds like it would appeal to the other half of Netflix's pie-chart: the rest of America.

  • sam says:

    DiCaprio, Nicholson, Robert Downey Jr. , Sandra Bullock, and Don Cheadle each appear in 2 movies on the list...just an observation.

  • rainestorm says:

    Am I the really the only one who thought The Hurt Locker was derivative, dull and poorly shot?

  • KevyB says:

    I love how Crash was a really good movie until it won the Oscar. Then it beat the movie where those two supposedly-macho dudes were too damned pansyish to actually live together and it suddenly became the worst movie in the world! I prefer my homosexuals to actually have spines and my Oscar-winners not fall into the romance category.

  • Justin says:

    The Bucket List is number 3? Wow

  • youkalikat says:

    You can't even rent these movies from Netflix!! All of them are DVD only at Quickster, and not available for streaming at Netflix. Irony. Those folks at Netflix just keep getting more and more clueless.

  • Dreamer of Dreams says:

    When it comes to getting my hands on the movies I need and want it’s important that I have the access to a large selection. That is definitely first and foremost in my mind. Second would be time, I have a limited amount of time when I am home to get what I need due to the amount of time I travel for work and that makes it difficult sometimes believe it or not. I have a passion for film that I have had since my Mom first introduced me to the classics as a little girl and I’ve been hooked ever since. I got involved with a very elegant film blog years ago as the moderator and acquired quite a few passionate members who are as addicted to the beauty of film as I am. Therefore, it really is necessary for me to have the options out there to be able to research while I’m traveling so I can be able to just write and enjoy the beauty of starting a new discussion. When talking with a colleague of mine who also works for Dish Network about the October 1st launch of Dish Network’s new package The Blockbuster Movie Pass I was thrilled as this was just another way they are making my life easier and more fun. Welcome live streaming! It seems like they are always coming up with fantastic ideas especially for individuals like me who have to travel frequently for work. Yet, still must maintain a passion that is very important to me that I would usually do at home. The Blockbuster Movie Pass will now be a combination of two of DISH Network’s prestigious packages the DISH Platinum and the Blockbuster by Mail package allowing me to stream thousands of movies with my laptop or my Dish receiver. How fantastic! I also now have access to thousands of DVD movies, TV shows and games by mail with unlimited exchange necessary for the elegant movie blog I have been hosting for years. It remotely streams directly to my laptop for TV if need be expanding my resources by a huge amount. Therefore, I can research the information I need from the film standpoint while looking into the media aspect as well which covers all the research necessary for the blog, $10 a month seems like a small price to pay for so many people’s enlightenment. My boyfriend is thrilled with the amount of video games available in this new package so that also makes me happy. Upon returning home, I can be at peace knowing that I can just write the blog entry to stimulate the new conversation topic, which is always, relaxing for me.

  • Don says:

    Crash="condescending piece of Lifetime cinema" Bitter over Brokeback much?.

  • Josiah says:

    I'm sure someone has pointed this out, but a lot of movies are especially popular as rentals because people wanted to see them, but were unwilling to pay the $8 or $9 to see them in theaters. I would bet that's why Benjamin Button and Bucket List are beating Inception here: most people who saw all three probably saw Inception on the big screen, but waited for Bucket and Button until they could rent them for less.
    This is why rental stats have always given strange results, even since the days when people went to Blockbuster for that sort of thing.

  • Coren says:

    I thought Cheadle was only in Crash? (If you're thinking of Iron Man, Terrence Howard was in the first one)

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