Most Streamed Film Franchises Revealed After Oscars Weekend
Oscars and awards season significantly shape what people stream
Harry Potter has beaten James Bond and Jurassic Park to be crowned as the UK’s most repeatedly streamed film franchise. The wizarding saga tops the list of the UK’s most re-watched movie franchises, with 30% of Brits saying they regularly return to the films. Other blockbuster favourites in the top five are Jurassic Park (23%), James Bond (22%), Toy Story (21%) and Star Wars (21%). Horror classic Scream, first released 30 years ago in 1996, remains a streaming favourite for 12% of Brits.
The research by Zen Internet also reveals the most-loved Oscar-winning films. Titanic tops the chart, with a quarter of Brits streaming DiCaprio and Winslet’s iconic moments on repeat. Titanic was closely followed by Forrest Gump (21%) and The Shawshank Redemption (20%). And one in three Brits say awards ceremonies like the Oscars and BAFTAs influence what they choose to stream at home, suggesting that critical acclaim still shapes viewing habits in the age of algorithms.
A strong home internet connection has now overtaken TV size as the most important part of a home cinema experience, according to 78% of Brits.
While the findings highlight how nostalgic blockbuster franchises dominate streaming habits, even with thousands of new on-demand titles available, they also show how dramatically the internet has changed how we watch films over the past 30 years.
Brits now stream more than two hours of video a day (14+ hours per week) and 78% of Brits say a strong WiFi connection matters more than the size of the TV when creating the perfect home cinema experience.
Stephen Warburton, Film Fan and MD of Consumer at Zen Internet, which powers thousands of UK broadband connections, said: “As someone born in the 70s I can still remember arranging to meet friends at the cinema on a Saturday with excitement to watch the latest release. At the time the cinema offered the big screen and incredible sound compared to a much more inferior experience at home with poor quality VHS and TV sound.
“Today’s streaming era has changed this. Many of us now have 50-inch TVs (or much bigger), amazing sound systems and Ultra HD picture quality so you can get much closer to a cinema experience at home.”
But while the screens have improved dramatically, the most important part of the modern movie night is the internet connection behind it.
“As the research shows, WiFi is now a critical component of the home cinema experience. 43 million of us now subscribe to one (or more) of the big streaming platforms such as Netflix, Prime and Disney, and there is nothing worse than the dreaded buffering during a film, especially at that critical moment when Lord Voldemort takes on Harry Potter in that final epic fight, or there is another miraculous escape from a dinosaur,” adds Stephen.