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Library/Series/Stranger Things
Grade A25 sourcesHIS-01268

Stranger Things

Series · 2016 · Notable

58Editable slideCertificate

Netflix reported 1.5 billion lifetime Stranger Things views through March 2026.

Trailer · Netflix on YouTube
Clip · Vox on YouTube

Stephen King

@StephenKing · Jul 17, 2016

Watching STRANGER THINGS is looking watching Steve King's Greatest Hits. I mean that in a good way.

11.4K332
Post · @StephenKing on X

Netflix

@netflix · Jul 8, 2019

.@Stranger_Things 3 is breaking Netflix records! 40.7 million household accounts have been watching the show since its July 4 global launch — more than any other film or series in its first four days. And 18.2 million have already finished the entire season.

167.1K3.1K
Post · @netflix on X
Stranger Things key art: the boys and Eleven under the red title.
Netflix on YouTube
Red Stranger Things title lettering on black; Commons identifies the Netflix text logo as public domain.
Netflix / Wikimedia Commons
The boys searching the woods with flashlights in the first trailer.
Deadline
A call on the Byers family's wall phone.
Variety
Dustin and Will in Ghostbusters costumes, from season 2.
Variety
Eggo's waffle truck at the Stranger Things season premiere.
Kellogg Company / PR Newswire
Stranger Things Twitter
Variety
Max floating above a cemetery in the 'Running Up That Hill' scene from season 4.
The Hollywood Reporter
A bloody and brusied couple embrace in a snowy prison courtyard
ABC News (Australia)
Group of kids on bikes with flashlights at night, central figure wearing a head device, surrounded by adult and teen characters in a mysterious, retro, sci-fi setting with blue and red lighting.
Netflix
Steve and Dustin in a season 2 scene.
The Hollywood Reporter
Eleven carrying boxes of Eggo waffles out of a store.
Parrot Analytics / TheWrap
A rainy night scene from Stranger Things.
Variety
Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna.
Variety
The alphabet wall of Christmas lights from season 1.
AList
A 'Stranger Memes' parody of the show's title card.
Inverse

Spread Score

How it works
Reach87Contagion35Breadth100Velocity0Longevity3158

Numbers

Observed peak date
Week of Nov 2, 2017
Jul 15 ’16 to Week of Nov 2, 2017
Platforms
8
Started on Open web
Origin
Mixed
Entertainment

Mechanics

  • Fandom mobilisationPrimary
  • Identity badge
  • Platform jump
  • Press loop
  • Controversy

How it spread

Trace the origin

Netflix released Stranger Things in July 2016. Fans shared Barb tributes, waffle references and title-card remixes. Renewals and paid promotion followed. Season 4 set viewing records in 2022, and Netflix marked a decade with a VHS-style edition.

Observed peak within the documented measurement window; not an all-time maximum. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.

Wikipedia views · Google searchesJan ’16JulSepApr ’17NovDec ’18Mar ’20Sep ’21Sep ’22Jun ’24Mar ’26NovObserved peakYouTubeTwitchOpen webXRedditTVRetailPress
YouTubeTwitchOpen webXRedditTVRetailPress

13 more events on this chart

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Timeline (16)

  1. June 2016

    Netflix precursor · Jun 9 ’16

    Netflix released the first trailer for its forthcoming eight-episode series.[1]

    The boys searching the woods with flashlights in the first trailer.
    Open the first post ↗

  2. July 2016

    Netflix / Twitch precursor · Jul 14 ’16

    Netflix and Twitch staged a four-hour influencer broadcast that ended with eight minutes of the first episode.[2]

    The alphabet wall of Christmas lights from season 1.

  3. Netflix / The Duffer Brothers seed · Jul 15 ’16

    Netflix released the first season of Stranger Things.[3]

  1. platform jump · Jul 17 ’16

  2. platform jump · Aug 17 ’16

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Why it worked

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  1. 1
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Pro opens the playbook, all 13 sourced numbers and 25 sources. Start with a free account.

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Origin
Mixed
Sector
Entertainment
Region
US
Reported figure
—
Evidence
Grade A

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How the next thing spread, the week it does.