Netflix’s Chilling New Crime Movie Hits #1 With 43.7 Million Hours Viewed

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Netflix‘s newest crime documentary has accelerated through the charts.

Netflix has always had success with true crime documentaries. Last year, The Perfect Neighbor was one of their most-watched and acclaimed documentaries, built largely from actual police bodycam footage. Other popular true crime titles on Netflix include Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story and What Jennifer Did.

Netflix’s new true crime documentary, The Crash, launched on May 15, 2026, and quickly became the most popular movie on the platform worldwide. As of today, just under two weeks after its release, it’s been watched for over 43.7 million hours, totaling 27.6 million views.

The film tells the story of Mackenzie Shirilla and a tragic event that happened in Strongsville, Ohio in 2022. On July 31st, while driving with her boyfriend, Dominic Russo, and friend, Davion Flanagan, Shirilla sped up, reaching almost 100 mph. The car ultimately crashed into a building, and the reasons behind her actions remain unclear.

The documentary’s popularity likely stems from the central mystery of the case: was the crash a terrible accident, or a planned double murder? Even though Mackenzie Shirilla was only 17 at the time, she was tried as an adult and faced the most severe penalties the law allowed.

I was amazed by how quickly The Crash became the number one documentary on Netflix! It really took off, and I think a big reason why is because the case went viral on TikTok and social media during the 2023 trial. So many of us were already following everything that happened, and we were all eager to see more – especially Shirilla’s first interview, filmed from prison. It was a case everyone was talking about, so it’s no surprise the documentary did so well.

People are still talking about the events surrounding the crash and whether it was intentional or not. Shirilla’s legal team has focused on her diagnosis of POTS, claiming she has no recollection of what happened. A recent review of her medical records by a neurologist suggests she may have experienced a seizure or brief loss of consciousness right before the collision.

Despite the defense’s arguments, the judge found Shirilla guilty of all charges, including murder, assault, and vehicular homicide. The judge believed Shirilla drastically changed from a careful driver to someone reckless and dangerous as she drove down the street.

Investigators found that Shirilla had practiced driving the route before and had previously threatened her boyfriend. The road itself was challenging, with many curves and turns. If Shirilla had passed out, someone else would have needed to steer to prevent a crash, as it would have been very difficult to navigate the winding road and reach the building without control.

The Crash is available to stream now on Netflix.

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2026-05-28 23:19