‘The Last House’ Holds No. 1 As ‘Michael’ Makes History On Nielsen’s Streaming Chart

Streaming charts have become one of the more reliable barometers for measuring which titles are actually capturing audience attention week to week, cutting through marketing buzz to show what people are genuinely sitting down to watch. Nielsen’s weekly rankings, which track viewing minutes across major platforms, remain one of the industry’s most closely watched tools for that exact reason.

This week’s chart tells two very different stories about how audiences are consuming content right now. One involves a divisive thriller that critics largely dismissed but viewers can’t seem to stop watching, while the other marks a genuine first for a network that’s typically been absent from these particular rankings.

Netflix’s ‘The Last House‘ repeated as the No. 1 movie on Nielsen’s streaming chart, while the streaming premiere of the Michael Jackson biopic ‘Michael‘ landed at number four on Starz, marking the first time a Starz-exclusive title has ever cracked the rankings, according to data reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

‘The Last House’ pulled in 869 million viewing minutes to hold onto the top spot, continuing a run that’s been notable mostly for how disconnected it is from critical reception. The sci-fi thriller stars Greta Lee and Wagner Moura as a family trapped inside their own home while their supplies mysteriously vanish and an unexplained force keeps them confined, a premise that’s clearly resonated with subscribers even as reviews skewed sharply negative.

‘Michael’s’ arrival at number four represents a genuinely significant milestone for Starz, a platform that hasn’t historically competed at this level on Nielsen’s rankings. The film logged 275 million viewing minutes in its debut week on the service, enough to edge out several other high-profile titles further down the chart.

That performance comes on the heels of an already remarkable theatrical run. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Michael Jackson’s own nephew Jaafar Jackson in the title role, the biopic grossed more than $1 billion worldwide during its spring release, making it the highest-grossing music biopic of all time and Lionsgate’s biggest film ever.

The film traces Jackson’s career from his early days performing with the Jackson 5 through the height of his solo stardom during the “Bad” era, backed by a supporting cast that includes Colman Domingo as Joe Jackson, Nia Long as Katherine Jackson, and Miles Teller in a key industry role. Jaafar Jackson’s performance in particular drew widespread praise following the theatrical release, with critics and audiences alike responding to his physical and vocal resemblance to his uncle.

Rounding out the rest of the top 10 was a mix of newer releases and older catalog titles that continue to find audiences long after their initial release windows. ‘Arthur the King’ landed at number two with 422 million minutes across Netflix and Peacock, while ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ claimed third place with 279 million minutes on Peacock.

Further down the list, Netflix’s ‘Don’t Say Good Luck’ came in fifth with 269 million minutes, followed by ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ at number six with 266 million minutes across Disney+ and Netflix. ‘Minions’ held steady at number seven, while Prime Video’s ‘Masters of the Universe’ and ‘Project Hail Mary’ claimed the eighth and tenth spots respectively, with ‘In the Land of Saints and Sinners’ rounding out the ninth position on Netflix.

That spread across multiple platforms and release windows underscores just how fragmented streaming viewership has become, with newer originals competing directly against catalog titles and theatrical leftovers for the same pool of attention. For Starz specifically, cracking the top four with a single high-profile acquisition suggests there’s real appetite for premium theatrical content once it becomes available to stream, even on a platform that doesn’t typically generate this level of Nielsen buzz.

Whether ‘Michael’ can sustain that momentum into future weeks remains to be seen, but its debut alone marks a notable shift for how Starz factors into these industry-wide conversations. For now, both films are proving that audience taste and critical consensus don’t always move in the same direction.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments.