A study from Comparitech found that the UAE can’t get enough of the 2017 action comedy

Dwayne Johnson is certainly one of the biggest stars in the world, but it’s not Fast and Furious 5, nor Hobbes and Shaw that is the most popular film in the UAE.

According to a new study from the folks behind Comparitech, a tool where users upload what they’re watching, the most popular film in the UAE is Baywatch. The study also found that Lucifer is the most popular TV show.

Comparitech analysed the data of nearly 25,000 users, and found that the 2017 film, which also starred Zack Efron, is the biggest film in the country. That’s in spite of its low ratings with movie-watchers and critics. Users of IMDb put the movie at 5.5 out of 10, whereas Rotten Tomatoes’ critics score put the movie at 18 percent, a very low score.

Dwayne Johnson, also known affectionately as The Rock, is almost always a box office hit in the UAE, so it stands to reason that his films would carry over to streaming just as well.

The Rock also has a Netflix original film called Red Notice in the works, which will be coming out later in 2021. That could eclipse the popularity of a film such as Baywatch in the UAE.

The study may not be reliable, however. Comparitech said that any country with results from fewer than seven users was removed, meaning it’s possible this is data from a grand total of eight people.

We’ve reached out to Netflix to see if these numbers can be trusted, but in the mean time, we’re going to watch some of The Rock’s old wrestling matches ahead of WWE’s Wrestlemania this weekend.


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