Christopher Nolan's Sci-Fi Epic Is Soaring On Netflix's Top Charts

As we enter 2025, the future of the box office looks as uncertain as ever, but if there's one thing we know for sure it's that we're all destined (or doomed, take your pick) to scroll the Netflix interface for years to come. In recent weeks, amid the usual festive fare, the streamer offered up its usual cavalcade of kind of okay "content" that exited our collective cortex as quickly as it entered. Netflixers sent Megan Fox's sci-fi thriller "Subservience" to the top of the streamer's charts over the festive period, while the Keira Knightley-led spy thriller series "Black Doves" similarly triumphed in the Netflix rankings.

But Netflix's 2024 wasn't entirely defined by slickly-produced yet somehow instantly forgettable films and TV shows. Amid the 10 best Netflix movies of 2024, we had some real standouts, including what proved to be a breakout turn for Aaron Pierre in the excellent "Rebel Ridge" and the affecting family drama of "His Three Daughters."

Still, 2025 will no doubt see the onslaught of media continue. But as we prepare for the cavalcade of streaming dross to begin anew, the year has at least gotten off to a decent enough start. Streaming audiences have even given us some hope by sending a modern sci-fi classic to the top of the Netflix charts in the form of what might be Christopher Nolan's best movie: "Interstellar."

In 2024, Christopher Nolan followed up what was already a banner year for him in 2023 with yet more succcess. Having directed the first box office blockbuster to win a Best Picture Oscar in 20 years with "Oppenheimer" the year prior, 2024 saw Nolan re-release his 2014 effort "Interstellar" in theaters, which became a box office hit 10 years after it first debuted. Now, the film has made its way to Netflix, where it has once again found major success.

"Interstellar" hit Netflix January 1, 2024, and despite already being a well-known sci-fi epic that has been part of the cultural conversation for a decade, immediately started to rise up through the most-watched charts. According to FlixPatrol, a site that tracks streaming viewership data across the various platforms, the movie debuted in the U.S. most-watched film charts at number three as of January 2. It remains in the third spot as of January 3, but could very well reach number one over the coming week. To do so, however, it will have to compete with exactly the kind of middling streaming movies that seem designed as anti-Nolan entertainment.

If we're taking an optimistic approach, the Netflix success of "Interstellar" at least suggests there's hope for the streaming sphere in 2025. While the streaming popularity of something like the Michael Fassbender flop "The Snowman" back in 2023 seemed to suggest Netflixers would watch anything, Christopher Nolan continues his mission to prove that audiences are still eager for high-quality cinematic offerings in the streaming age. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how "Interstellar" fares against the "Die Hard 2"-style Christmas action thriller "Carry-On," which currently occupies the top spot on the U.S.' most-watched charts.

The Taron Egerton-starring actioner is exactly the kind of thing that Netflix has become known for. It's an entertaining watch that overall doesn't do much to prevent it from being completely buried beneath the hail of "content" to come, ultimately dooming it to the crammed annals of streaming history. It will therefore be interesting to see whether "Interstellar" can topple "Carry-On" or whether the streaming movie remains the king of the charts. Nolan's sci-fi epic will also have to overcome Ron Howard's 2015 adventure drama "In the Heart of the Sea," which is currently in the number two spot stateside.

Meanwhile, Nolan, who will soon bring a Greek epic to the big screen with his upcoming 2026 project "The Odyssey," likely isn't too bothered either way about "Interstellar" charting on Netflix. The director is famously fond of physical media, and has spoken widely about the dangers of streaming-only media. Still, it's impressive to see the movie taking multiple wins 10 years after it first released.