Netflix’s concluding season of Stranger Things has arrived — and it’s off to an enormous start. The streamer announced Tuesday that Volume 1 of Stranger Things season 5 drew 59.6 million views during its first week, marking the largest premiere-week audience ever recorded for an English-language series.
According to Netflix, Volume 1 placed in the Top 10 across all 93 territories the platform monitors and reached the No. 1 slot in 90 of them. Netflix’s report highlights the series’ broad international reach.
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer celebrated the response, saying: “The sheer number of fans who have already watched Volume 1 is staggering — the response has been more than we ever could have dreamed. The show is now a decade old, and seeing the fanbase not only endure but continue to grow has been incredibly rewarding for us, the actors, and the thousands of artists who helped bring this story to life. We truly cannot thank everyone enough, and we are beyond excited to share Volume 2 — there’s so much more to come!”
The promised “more” arrives soon: three additional episodes will drop on Christmas Day, and the series — and season — finale premieres on New Year’s Eve on Netflix, with select theatrical screenings also planned. More details about the theatrical component are available here.
That milestone carries an important qualifier — it’s the biggest for an English-language program. Globally, the debut sits just behind Netflix’s Squid Game, which pulled in 68 million views for its second season, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Even if Stranger Things finishes its run ranked second in Netflix history, the series will be sorely missed. Fans, however, have a few consolation prizes: an animated semi-prequel, Tales From ’85, and an upcoming Lego set inspired by the show to keep the Upside Down lore alive.
Source: Polygon
