The Danish thriller “Den hemmelige kvinde” has reached number one on Netflix’s global Top 10 list for non-English-language films.
The film now sits at the top of the streaming service’s ranking of most-watched non-English films. In a report published on September 9, DR put the figure at 19.9 million views over the past week, citing Netflix’s own global Top 10 list.
According to DR, the film also placed in the Top 10 in 88 countries. Alongside Denmark and a number of European markets, that includes El Salvador, Nigeria and Bangladesh.
Netflix’s own Top 10 update, published by the company’s site Tudum on September 9, lists 19.3 million views for the week of August 31 to September 6. The company updates the chart weekly.
“Den hemmelige kvinde” is based on Anna Ekberg’s crime novel of the same name from 2016. Natalie Madueño, Claes Bang and Norwegian actor Pål Sverre Hagen play the lead roles.
The story follows a Danish woman with memory loss who lives with her Norwegian husband on a small Norwegian island. Her life changes when a stranger claims she is his wife, who disappeared three years earlier, and that she has a son.
The film is directed by Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg. She was also behind the Danish Netflix film “Kærlighed for voksne” from 2022, DR notes.
Reviewers unimpressed
The viewing figures have come despite poor reviews in the Danish press. Politiken gave the film two out of six hearts and called it truly terrible, according to DR’s summary of the reviews.
The reviewer at Jyllands-Posten also landed on two out of six stars, as reported by the news agency Ritzau. The film scored slightly higher at the culture outlet Soundvenue, with three out of six stars.
Soundvenue’s reviewer described the film as marred by caricatures and an excessive use of ominous devices. DR states that the audience success is clearly not the result of the domestic critical reception.
Netflix does not publish detailed country-by-country viewing data in its weekly Top 10 charts. The lists rank titles by total views, calculated as hours viewed divided by a title’s total runtime.
The film remains available on Netflix, where it competes on the non-English chart against titles from markets including South Korea, Spain and France. The next weekly update from the streaming service will show whether it holds the top position.
