Netflix Hit Breaks Streamer Record

Stranger Things‘ fifth and final season is off to a record-breaking start on Netflix.

Just a week after the first four episodes debuted on the streamer on Nov. 26, the Duffer Brothers’ supernatural drama has achieved the best premiere-week viewership an English-language Netflix series has ever had, racking up 59.6 million views worldwide.

This breaks the premiere week record previously held by the Jenna Ortega-led first season of Wednesday, which accumulated 56 million views in its first four days. The all-time premiere-week viewership record is still held by Squid Game Season 2, which achieved 68 million views in the same timespan.

In addition to Stranger Things‘ success with Season 5, Netflix reported that all four of the show’s previous seasons also entered the weekly Top 10, marking a first for the streamer. The first season achieved 8.9 million views, while the second reached 5.6 million, the third 4.6 million, and the fourth 6.1 million. Since Season 1 of Stranger Things debuted in 2016, the series has racked up 1.2 billion combined views, according to Netflix.

“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,” Matt and Ross Duffer said in a statement to Deadline. “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.”

Only the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 were released last week, with another three slated to premiere on Dec. 25 and the series finale dropping on Dec. 31.

“Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna,” the official Season 5 description reads. “But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown.”

“Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding,” the description continues. “As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.”