'Stranger Things' Season 3 Trailer Sets Netflix YouTube Record With 22 Million Views

The first trailer for Stranger Things season 3 dropped last week and managed to break a few records in swift time. According to SyFy Wire, the new trailer set a record for Netflix on YouTube by racking up 22 million views. This surpasses any of Netflix's previous offerings on the platform and passes the season 2 trailer's 19 million views.

According to SyFy Wire, the next pair of clips that even come close are the first trailer for Bird Box starring Sandra Bullock at 18 million views and the Super Bowl spot for Stranger Things season 2 at 16. A video for "Kaam 25" by DIVINE — related to the original series Sacred Games — comes in at 16 million too.

As has been noted numerous times, Netflix does not release viewer data publicly despite making numerous claims about viewing numbers when praising or canceling their series. But the interest on social media and YouTube, and its longevity on the service shows that Stranger Things is a definite phenomenon and gives a window into what people are watching. As SyFy Wire notes, most original series that underperform usually never make it past their second season on Netflix.

Stranger Things seems to have reached a fandom level you see with series like Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead, as noted by SyFy Wire. The ability of the show to garner attention despite the long break since season 2 helps to support this notion.

Season 3 of the series will follow the citizens of Hawkins over the summer of 1985. For comparison, the second season was set during Halloween 1984. While the jump in time isn't too crazy, it does give the show a little breathing room for its young cast.

Millie Bobby Brown, Noah Schnapp, Charlie Heaton, Caleb McLaughlin, David Harbour, Winona Ryder, Finn Wolfhard, Natalia Dyer, Dacre Montgomery, and Priah Ferguson all return for the new season. Whether it will be their last is up in the air, especially with their age and growing stardom elsewhere. Still, SyFy Wire notes that they'll be joined by recognizable faces like Cary Elwes as Hawkins' mayor and Jake Busey as local journalist.

There aren't a lot of details about the plot of the new season, but some alleged details about the major villain leaked back in December. As the Reddit post indicated, the Soviet Union could be the major antagonists.

"We'll discover that Starcourt Industries, which owns and runs the mall, is actually a Soviet front," the theory puts forth. "The 'rats' are actually Soviet spies. We'll begin to learn what these rats are up to."

While the main baddies so far have been creatures from the Upside Down, it would make some sense to see another government come in an attempt to leverage the discoveries of the past seasons for themselves. It also fits in with the pop culture from the '80s that seems to dominate the series.

Stranger Things season 3 will premiere July 4 on Netflix and the previous seasons are currently streaming.