The Quest for the Most Viewed Film: It's Trickier Than You Think
Hey movie buffs! So, you're on a mission to find the most viewed film of all time? That's awesome, but let me be the one to tell you, it's not exactly straightforward! What we consider the “most watched films” depends hugely on how we define “most viewed.” It also greatly depends on what kind of criteria are we using!
Is it about box office gross? Total tickets sold? Streaming numbers (and which streaming platforms are included)? Considering those who pirated and watched movies illegally? Or even considering historical factors, changing viewing standards or how many viewings that specific movie may have had across specific periods across different demographic groups, as well as taking in consideration that what is defined as the "top 10 movies in the world" can vary wildly; even simply deciding what this definition actually encompasses might require several long lists!
There isn’t any real list for the total viewings ever!
Most “most viewed film” lists you find online, which do use these classifications will use box office figures; this approach alone suffers some inconsistencies. That means it is completely prone to bias (for example, movies from the past don’t usually get that many “re-viewings”). It also usually focuses more specifically on US-focused cinema which fails to accurately describe some very big successes internationally and it entirely excludes multiple big viewings within countries that don’t frequently show such records, particularly some Asian countries and several European nations!
The Box Office Conundrum: Why It's Not the Whole Story
While box office numbers are convenient (we know those figures are more standardized), they only offer a slice of what is truly watched; Those grossing numbers alone cannot reliably provide this information! Because of the many, many factors it excludes from the computation – namely international viewings that have never been documented officially in box office receipts!
To accurately capture that complete total count, we must not ignore streaming; we could potentially reach very different results when including it and there really isn't any centralized, accurate tracking system across various platforms either. A massive range of other criteria should also be considered, even down to what's considered to be “counted” (e.g., multiple viewings on a streaming service versus viewings by piracy methods)! We would never actually find the best or a complete viewership listing; not from these measures alone!
Beyond Box Office: Other Factors to Consider
Instead of looking purely at money-made; we should also explore factors like viewership through multiple platforms – that might change the results massively!
Moreover some films that really had a gigantic global impact, in other regions which never appear in many viewership counters: Many other aspects, not documented usually will certainly influence how accurately this can get reported; For instance those older, classic films often don’t have very easily comparable viewer numbers! It also has no ways to count illegal distribution which should obviously also affect this measurement! We really must acknowledge there aren’t reliable ways to determine those viewership count outside box office or streaming reports
- Streaming Views: Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime…These platforms have BILLIONS of users, making these sources potentially incredibly large in sheer numbers; and this is something that should easily be taken into consideration, however accurate measurements on views aren't always documented across multiple services.
- Home Video Sales: DVDs, Blu-rays and all those VHS tapes we keep at home! All should easily factor in to determine that massive count – but once again: tracking is still difficult; because multiple rentals that might not even get officially recorded can influence total number viewings!
- Historical Context: We’ll not easily compare current viewer data to a black-and-white cinema from the past. That just changes entirely too many criteria. So many changes occur!
The Elusive Title of "Most Viewed Film"
Sadly there really is no definitive answer when considering "most viewed film”. Because simply this changes according to which metrics are used.
Instead of seeking this one definitive answer it is far more helpful and productive for everyone if the viewer focused on different data. To get a better sense of popularity we must take into consideration multiple platforms, sales figures etc.. But more importantly the need to also understand that several measures – when combined might easily provide that needed context. Simply listing that title ignores many aspects that affect and influence total numbers: there aren’t simple methods of computing total viewer numbers at any level without addressing and acknowledging limitations inherent to the ways in which we record, count and document it!
So while the quest for the single "most watched films" is still ongoing. And the challenge will most likely remain – because any such approach to classifying the viewership ignores many specific biases. Simply be aware of those challenges before venturing into that challenge; and more importantly: make sure to explore using various methods instead; the combination of several of those is essential for understanding those total count measures better and effectively!
