‘Stranger Things 5’ Is Big, But It Isn’t Quite ‘Squid Game’ Big

Last week marked the return of Stranger Things, and Netflix is already reporting massive viewing numbers for Volume One of season five.

According to the official Netflix news site Tudum, the show garnered the largest premiere week for an English-language show on the platform with 59.6 million views. While it locked in the top spot for the TV list, the final season’s first drop also got into the Top 10 in 93 countries, nabbing number one in 90.

In a statement shared with Tudum, series creators the Duffer Brothers said, “The sheer number of fans who have already watched Volume One 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!”

As the year closes out, Stranger Things will certainly continue to surpass the numbers Tim Burton’s Wednesday did for its second season, with 50 million views within its first five days. However, it has yet to top the final season of Squid Game, which won 106.3 million global views within two weeks. Stranger Things 5 has time to catch up, as it’s only been a few days since the Thanksgiving drop. And that’s not counting the viewers waiting to see the whole thing once it’s up; that could be a determining factor as fans plan their appointment viewing or prep for a long binge come New Year’s Eve when the finale is released.

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