One of the biggest critiques of the entertainment industry is that too many productions — on both film and TV — are dependent on existing intellectual property. However, the reason this keeps happening is because audiences eat them up.
Look no further than the streaming top 10 on the Samba TV Weekly Wrap for the week of July 1-7, where three of the top four most-watched programs are spinoffs or sequels. They’re led by “House of the Dragon,” the spinoff from HBO’s culture-dominating hit “Game of Thrones.” The second season of the prequel series reigns over the streaming chart for the third consecutive week.
It’s followed by “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” the fourth film in Eddie Murphy’s “Beverly Hills Cop” film series that started 40 years ago. The latest installment, on Netflix, comes 30 years after we last saw Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop III.” Fans clearly had built up anticipation, as 3.1 million U.S. households watched the film between its debut on July 3 and July 7. Black households, in particular, were interested in seeing Murphy reprise one of his most famous roles, over-indexing above the national average by 36%.
When we talk about sequels and franchises, few can compare to Godzilla. “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” sits at No. 4 this week after it landed on Max on July 4. The film is a direct sequel to 2021’s “Godzilla vs. Kong,” and is also the 38th Godzilla film and 13th King Kong movie.
Sitting ahead of Godzilla and Kong on the chart is “A Family Affair.” The buzzy romcom starring Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron has been in the top half of the charts since it debuted on Netflix in late June.
The critically acclaimed Hulu/FX series “The Bear” comes in at No. 5 this week, followed by season four of Amazon’s “The Boys” at No. 6. Season two of “Worst Roommate Ever,” the Netflix true-crime docu-series, is No. 7.
No. 8 is “Supacell,” a Netflix original superhero series building word-of-mouth buzz since it debuted on June 27.
Courtroom drama owns the final two spots on the streaming chart. The Apple TV+ legal thriller “Presumed Innocent” continues to build a following as its season moves toward its finale, putting it at No. 9 this week. It’s followed by the left-field streaming hit “Your Honor.” The Showtime series aired its last new episode in 2023, and has remained on the Top 10 for five straight weeks since it was added to Netflix.
There are fireworks atop the linear Top 10 in the form of “Macy’s 4th of July Spectacular.”
There’s less flash and sizzle in the rest of the top 10 as the networks relax for the summer. “Jeopardy! Masters” is second this week, while the original “Jeopardy!” holds the 10th spot. “America’s Got Talent” slides to No. 3 this week. Four airings of “Wheel of Fortune” made the chart this week. Other tried-and-true programs like “American Ninja Warrior” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos” round out the top 10.
The Wrap Report provides an exclusive first look at the most watched movies and TV series from the past week across both streaming and linear television sourced from viewership trends collected from Samba TV’s panel of more than 3 million households, balanced to the U.S. Census.
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