Inside Netflix's STRANGER THINGS Season 5 Record-Breaking Premiere Week
The first part of Stranger Things Season 5 premiered last week, hitting record-breaking numbers with those incredible first four episodes. The premiere boasted the biggest premiere week ever for an English-language series on Netflix.
The first four episodes of the fifth and final season, which debuted on November 26th, catapulted the latest season of the Duffer Brothers‘ supernatural drama to Number 1 on the weekly TV rankings with 59.6M global views. That beats the premiere-week record previously held by Wednesday Season 1, which accumulated roughly 56M views in its first four days. The second season of Squid Game still holds the all-time premiere-week record with 68M views.
In addition to the latest season, all four previous seasons of Stranger Things entered the weekly Top 10, which is a first for Netflix. The first season was at No. 3 (8.9 million views), Season 4 at No. 5 (6.1 million views), Season 2 at No. 6 (5.6 million views), and Season 3 at No. 8 (4.6 million views). The streamer says that since Season 1 debuted in 2016, Stranger Things has tallied 1.2B combined views.
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement to Deadline:
“We are completely overwhelmed by the fan response to this season. It means the world to us, and we know it means just as much to the thousands of cast and crew who poured their blood, sweat, and tears into bringing this story to life. We’d like to give a special shout-out to all the fans who kept the flame alive during the long lead-up to release — through word of mouth, on social media, in fan art, rewatches, and in the thousands of unforgettable moments we and the cast have shared with you around the world. Your passion didn’t just inspire us; it helped bring a new generation of fans into the world of Stranger Things.”
The outlet notes that this debut performance primes Stranger Things 5 to easily make it onto Netflix’s all time most popular list. The Night Agent and Fool Me Once are currently tied with 98.2M views in ninth and tenth place, respectively.
Since there are four new episodes on the way at the end of the month, it seems safe to say that Stranger Things 5 will blow right past these — and likely the entire bottom half of the Top 10 as it currently stands. Wednesday still holds onto first place with 252M views in its 91-day premiere window.
Can they take the top spot? I think it’s entirely likely. It’s the show that everyone is talking about again, and the upcoming holiday break seems like the perfect time for anyone hoping to binge a rewatch to catch up, or simply watch the episodes as they drop.
Part two of season 5 will consist of 3 episodes, 5-7, and they will premiere on December 25th at at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on Netflix. The final episode will be released on December 31st at the same time, as well as in theatres.