Germany Documentary about rapper Haftbefehl becomes a streaming hit
First place in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and 4.1 million views within six days: the shatteringly honest documentary "Babo - The Haftbefehl Story" is more than respectable, as can be seen from the Netflix weekly charts (October 27 to November 2). The documentary about the rapper Haftbefehl (92 minutes) was released on the streaming service on October 28.
05.11.2025, 17:02
SDA
The film, produced by Paco-Luca Nietsche and "Fack ju Göhte" star Elyas M'Barek, otherwise only made it into the top 10 in Luxembourg. In the global weekly charts in the "non-English-language films" category, the documentary is still in fourth place with around four million views.
For comparison: Kathryn Bigelow's nuclear missile thriller "A House of Dynamite", which is currently the top English-language film on Netflix worldwide, collected a further 31.6 million views during the week and has now had a total of more than 53 million views since its launch on October 24.
Haftbefehl ("Chabos wissen, wer der Babo ist", "069", "Russisch Roulette") may be a long way off such figures, but the unsparing documentary about him is undoubtedly a hit in German-speaking countries - in the so-called DACH region, which includes Germany (D), Austria (A for Austria) and Switzerland (CH for Confoederatio Helvetica).
From the Plattenbau to the top of the charts
"Babo - The Haftbefehl Story" shows the abysses in the biography of Aykut Anhan, who was born to parents of Kurdish-Turkish descent in Offenbach near Frankfurt/Main in southern Hesse. The 39-year-old first came to prominence at the end of the noughties. For many young people with a migrant background, he became the most important musician in Germany.
The documentary (directed by Juan Moreno and Sinan Sevinç) revolves around his difficult family history, street crime, fame, depression and almost fatal drug use. It spans an arc from the Offenbach high-rise district of Mainpark, where Anhan grew up, to his rise as a hip-hop star and his mental health problems. Prominent companions have their say, as does his wife Nina ("I love Aykut, not Haftbefehl").
At the end of the documentary, Haftbefehl plays a song by Reinhard Mey ("In meinem Garten"), which has now achieved cult status among his fans.
