When it comes to anything streaming related over the past couple of months, all roads have pointed to Stranger Things 4, which recently released its bumper two-episode Volume 2 and seemingly wrapped up the series on a bit of an unknown.
Whether we will see Eleven and crew come back for more instalments is unclear for now, but the success of the franchise for Netflix cannot be understated, especially as it is now the most popular English language series on the streaming platform.
This according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), which says that Stranger Things 4 has racked up an estimated 1,15 billion hours of viewing.
More specifically Volume 1, which comprises seven episodes, garnered 930.32 million hours of viewing, while Volume 2 and its nearly two and a half hour long finale registered 221 million hours as of 3rd July 2022. As such, the aforementioned 1.15 billion figure will likely increase in the coming weeks.
While an impressive feat, South Korean produced series Squid Game still exists in a territory all its own on Netflix, having accumulated 1.65 billion hours within the first 28 days of its release on the streaming platform.
As such, it exists in a rarified air all its own in terms of viral success.
That said, with a second season of Squid Game now on the cards, it will be interesting to see whether it can match or surpass the impressive standard set by the first season.
Either way, executives at Netflix will now be looking for more properties like Stranger Things and Squid Game moving forward, as both series can be likened to Uber in terms of what people at the boardroom level are wanting to invest money in.
If we scan the horizon, the only upcoming property with that kind of potential currently in the Netflix stable is One Piece, which is getting a live action adaptation that is being partly filmed here in South Africa.
Given Netflix’s poor history with anime adaptations though (Cowboy Bebop), we are still on the fence.
If you have not watched Stranger Things 4, but are hoping for more horror and Kate Bush power anthems, both of the latest volumes will have you sorted.
