A new Netflix thriller inspired by a real murder has become a major hit. Netflix is a major subscription streaming service that has a library of licensed movie and television titles that includes major hits like Suits, but is perhaps best known for its original movies and television shows. Titles that have become global smash successes include the South Korean survival thriller series Squid Game, the Taron Egerton TSA thriller movie Carry-On, the Addams Family reimagining Wednesday, and the 1980s-set sci-fi fantasy show Stranger Things.
One particularly robust genre for Netflix across all mediums is true crime. They have found success with a number of true crime documentaries and docies including Tiger King and Don't F**k with Cats. However, they have also had hit movies and TV shows that are dramatizations of true crime stories featuring actors portraying the real life figures, including the scam series Inventing Anna (which starred Julia Garner as Anna Delvey) and Ryan Murphy's anthology series Monster (which starred Evan Peters and Jeffrey Dahmer in season 1 and Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez as the Menendez brothers in season 2).
A Widow's Game Is Dominating The Netflix Chart
It Was Their Most-Watched Movie During Its Debut Week
A Widow's Game has now connected with a huge global audience on Netflix. The Spanish language movie (originally titled La viuda negra, or The Black Widow) is based on the real-life murder of Antonio Navarro Cerdán, who was stabbed in a parking garage in Valencia, Spain in 2017. It follows police officer Eva (Carmen Machi) investigating the case of a murdered man and looking into the activities of his widow Maje (Ivana Baquero), who cheated on her husband multiple times, including with his coworker Salva Rodrigo (Tristán Ulloa).
A Widow's Game was directed by Carlos Sedes (The Lady's Companion).
Netflix has calculated their Top 10 list of the most-watched Non-English movies for the week of May 26 through June 1. Although A Widow's Game debuted midway through the week, on May 30, it managed to land at No. 1 on the chart with 15.4 million viewers accumulating a total of 31.4 million viewing hours. This makes it the most-watched movie on the entire platform that week, as the most-watched movie on the English language chart was Fear Street: Prom Queen with 8.5 million viewers and 12.7 million viewing hours.
A Widow's Game was in the Top 10 in 90 different countries and No. 1 in 24 of them, including Spain, Colombia, Venezuela, Greece, Switzerland, and Morocco. Additionally, FlixPatrol reports that the movie's success has not slowed down, as it has remained the No. 1 movie on the platform on the daily chart as of Thursday, June 5.
What This Means For A Widow's Game
The Future Is Bright For The Movie's Cast
While the success of A Widow's Game probably won't garner a sequel because it is based on true events, this could mean that the stars of the movie will be appearing in more major projects for the streamer. Netflix makes a habit of featuring actors from hit movies or shows in multiple projects across the platform, including Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown (Enola Holmes, Damsel, The Electric State), To All the Boys romantic lead Noah Centineo (The Perfect Date, Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, The Recruit), and Squid Game's Lee Byung-hun (The Match, KPop Demon Hunters).
Source: Netflix & FlixPatrol

A Widow's Game
- Release Date
- May 30, 2025
- Director
- Carlos Sedes
- Writers
- Jon de la Cuesta, David Orea, Javier Chacártegui
Cast
- Ivana BaqueroMaje
- Tristán UlloaSalva
- Carmen MachiEva
Your comment has not been saved