The final season of “Stranger Things” was so popular that Netflix on TVs crashed for a few minutes after the first four episodes dropped last Wednesday.
But that didn’t deter fans who generated 59.6 million views for Volume 1 of the final season last week, a record for the sci-fi series that began in 2016, according to Netflix. It also broke a record in viewership for the premiere week of any English-language show on Netflix.
“The sheer number of fans who have already watched Volume 1 is staggering — the response has been more than we ever could have dreamed,” said the show’s creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, in a statement. “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.”
The show’s throwback to the 1980s and its themes of friendship and adventure struck a chord with global audiences. It has become one of the most popular franchises for Netflix and helped propel the streamer’s business in live events and branding opportunities.
The next three episodes of the final season will be released on Christmas Day, followed by the roughly two-hour finale on Dec. 31.
The fandom behind hit sci-fi series “Stranger Things” is a force to be reckoned with. Netflix said Tuesday that the finale also will be available for viewing in over 500 theaters, 150 more than previously announced, on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.
While Netflix has brought show episodes to theaters in the past, it generally releases many of them on its streaming service. Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria said in an interview last month that the decision to bring the “Stranger Things” finale to theaters came after a conversation with the Duffer Brothers, and “we thought it was a really fun way to eventize it.”
“You can watch it at home, you can go out to the theater and watch that last episode … it has amazing cinematic scale,” Bajaria said.
The Duffer Brothers told Netflix’s Tudum that bringing the finale to theaters is “something we’ve dreamed about for years.”
“Getting to see it on the big screen, with incredible sound, picture, and a room full of fans, feels like the perfect — dare we say bitchin’ — way to celebrate the end of this adventure,” they said.
Already, enthusiasm for the show has been tremendous. Analytics firm Samba TV estimated that 39% of U.S. households that had watched at least one episode of “Stranger Things” Season 5 from Nov. 26 to 30 on TVs, had binged all four available episodes within the first 48 hours. Netflix declined to comment on Samba’s data.
“Stranger Things is a perfect storm of cultural relevance, broadly appealing narratives, and a smart release strategy,” said Ashwin Navin, co-founder and chief executive of Samba TV, in a statement. “Netflix has proven its ability to create a true tentpole event in an increasingly competitive streaming landscape.”
After the first four episodes of Season 5 were released last Wednesday at 5 p.m., Netflix on TV devices was down for a few minutes.
The show’s fourth season ranks as the third-most viewed English-language series on the service in its first three months, generating 140.7 million views, according to Netflix.
This week, “Stranger Things” became the only English-language show to have all seasons in the Top 10 on Netflix, the streamer said. Cumulatively, the first four seasons of “Stranger Things” have generated more than 1.2 billion views, the streamer said.
Part of the surge in viewership was due to fans like Jason Serstock rewatching past seasons of the show in the lead up to the final season. Netflix said its rewatch campaign was its largest prelaunch campaign, with 5.75 billion global social impressions.
“We’re trying to refresh our memories,” said 32-year-old Serstock, an aspiring actor who attended the premiere of the final season in Hollywood last month.
After the series ends, Netflix has plans to continue the franchise. It will host “Stranger Things” fan experiences and photo opportunities at its Netflix House locations and, next year, will release animated series “Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.” The show’s creators also told Deadline there are plans for a spinoff.
“It’s just a natural extension of a brand fostered and turned into a juggernaut,” said Tom Nunan, a former studio and network executive. “I believe that chances are greater that they will succeed than they won’t, because there’s such tremendous loyalty to this brand and I don’t think that the audience is nearly satiated yet.”
On Tuesday, Netflix announced many brand partnerships and consumer products with various retailers, including a KFC Stranger Things Burger and Stranger Wings in the U.K., a 2,593-piece Lego set and a Care Bears collaboration where Grumpy Bear is dressed as a Demogorgon. Marian Lee, Netflix’s chief marketing officer, said in a statement that it was “the largest collection of products and experiences in ‘Stranger Things’ history and one of our biggest campaigns yet.” Netflix has at least 100 consumer product collaborations worldwide related to “Stranger Things’” final season, according to a person familiar with the matter who declined to be named.
“For nearly a decade, the Stranger Things franchise has made an undeniable cultural impact and leaves a lasting legacy,” Lee said.
In addition to “Stranger Things” merchandise, Netflix has hosted fan events around the show, including a bike ride in collaboration with nonprofit CicLAvia on Melrose Avenue on Nov. 23, where more than 50,000 fans participated and were encouraged to dress up in ’80s attire or as “Stranger Things” characters.