Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2018-12-01/Traffic report
Traffic report
Queen reigns for four weeks straight
- This traffic report is adapted from the Top 25 Report, prepared with commentary by Igordebraga (October 21 to 27); Rogerknots and Igordebraga (October 28 to November 3); JFG (November 4 to 10); and Stormy clouds (November 11 to 17).
October and scares rise (October 21 to 27)
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The Halloween holiday (#12) inspires the entertainment industry to release scary products in October, and this is reflected by Netflix topping the list with a show about a haunted house (#1, #5), adding in a series starring a teenage witch (#14) — and in an unintended case, there's the equally disturbing subject of miscarriage of the law (#10, #17), along with a fictional assassin (#13) — while Hollywood brings back the Halloween slasher movies (#3, #20, #22), and is still making money out of a questionable comic book movie that evokes more terror than justice (#23). Scares are also provided by terrorism attempts (#11), urban legends (#21), life-threatening disease (#4) and life-ending (#9) manhunts (#6). On less spooky notes, there's movies about musicians (#2, #8, #18) and actors (#19), some sports (#15, #25), video games (#5), Google Doodles (#15) and boneheaded TV moments (#24).
| Rank | Article | Class | Views | Image | About |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Haunting of Hill House (TV series) | 
|
1,057,068 |  |
It seems like Netflix scares will be a constant close to Halloween. Last year, our report was topped by Stranger Things, and 2018 goes from teen horror to adult one, in a series that simultaneously shows Carla Gugino (pictured) as the mother of a family that, in 1992, moves into an old house during renovations to their mansion, and present day events showing their stay there was traumatic. |
| 2 | Freddie Mercury | 
|
996,475 | .jpg) |
Wembley Stadium hosted iconic performances by Queen and The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, so it's only natural that Mercury's biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (which narrowly missed the list at #26) premiered at nearby Wembley Arena. Reviews have been mixed, deeming the movie too orthodox for such a groundbreaking artist, but it still topped the UK and Ireland box office. This week, Bohemian Rhapsody will Play the Game in most markets, including the U.S. |
| 3 | Halloween (2018 film) |
|
977,862 |  |
Taking a page from Superman Returns, the Halloween series decides to ignore most of its sequels (not the first time it's happened, as shown by this helpful graph) and instead make a movie where Michael Myers (#22) gets free after 40 years (#20) of imprisonment and again goes on a killing spree during October 31 (#12), with a deeply traumatized Laurie Strode (still played by Jamie Lee Curtis, pictured) deciding to take him down with her own hands. The back-to-basics approach results in a frightening movie approved by both audiences and reviewers. |
| 4 | Roman Reigns | 
|
947,396 | .jpg)
|
A few weeks before the next wrestling pantomime, one of the headliners had to back out due to real life drama: Roman Reigns revealed he has leukemia, which made a return even after it had entered remission during his 11-year private treatment. |
| 5 | Red Dead Redemption 2 | 
|
865,220 | Rockstar Games returns to their "Grand Theft Auto in the Wild West" series, which has already gotten great reviews. | |
| 6 | Jamal Khashoggi |
|
794,298 | .jpg) |
The brutal story which captivated the world this week revolves around Khashoggi, a journalist, famed in the West for his work with the Post, who disappeared in the Saudi embassy in |
| 7 | The Haunting of Hill House |
|
781,070 |  |
Shirley Jackson's 1959 novel, a seminal cornerstone of mid-twentieth century horror literature, alongside the corpus of literary royalty, has been adapted into a popular Netflix miniseries (#1). |
| 8 | A Star Is Born (2018 film) |
|
754,756 | .jpg) |
Bradley Cooper does basically everything in the fourth iteration of this cinematic classic: he stars as the famous musician who discovers a fledgling one played by Lady Gaga (#18), directs, co-writes, co-produces, and even helps make the songs he performs. And it works out pretty well, with a well-done and touching movie that, after critical and commercial success, is certainly expected to be an awards contender. |
| 9 | Deaths in 2018 | 
|
684,074 |  |
In the immortal words of our #3:
"Too late, my time has come |
| 10 | Steven Avery |
|
545,655 |  |
An American prisoner whose sad story of being framed by the police — after serving 18 years in prison for a sexual assault he plainly did not commit, the subsequent civil lawsuit had him charged for a murder and convicted again, this time with his underage nephew (#17) being roped along — was told in the Netflix series Making a Murderer, which had a second season released on October 19 exploring the aftermath of the conviction. |
Somebody to Love (October 28 to November 3)
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"Here we are, born to be kings, we're the Princes of the Universe!" Or at least of Wikipedia, as the late, great Freddie Mercury (#1) and his band Queen (#14) gather lots of views with the release of Bohemian Rhapsody (#13), starring Rami Malek (#15), in a great performance that to borrow from another musical hit, might lead to people saying "A Star Is Born" (#17). Readers are also celebrating Halloween (#2) – and on a lesser level, the Day of the Dead (#8), them who never leave this list (#12) and have two high entries (#3, #5) – by watching slasher movies (#16) and binging on Netflix shows about haunted houses (#11, #21) and teenage witches (#6, #18). The other prevalent topics are a record-breaking Indian statue (#4, #10), Western-themed video games (#9, #22), wrestling events (#7, #20), and politics, with the results of the elections in my country (#23), to borrow from that man still blaming everything wrong in the U.S. on immigrants (#24, #25), can be summed in just one word: "Sad!"
| Rank | Article | Class | Views | Image | About |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freddie Mercury |
|
2,090,170 |  |
It seems that he is the champion, indeed. The lead singer of the groundbreaking rock band Queen (#14) was played by Rami Malek (#15) in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (#13), which is currently outperforming most expectations at the box office. |
| 2 | Halloween |
|
1,745,391 |  |
It’s amazing how consistent this holiday’s view count has been over the years. Every October 31st, parents scramble for the last bag of candy, a trillion mouth bacteria have the best day of their lives, and roughly 1.7–2.0 million people check the Wikipedia page for some reason. I’m sure there’s some cool explanation for why this is, but for the life of me I can’t figure out what. |
| 3 | Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha |
|
1,529,577 | _(cropped).jpg) |
The 5th richest man in Thailand and the owner of Leicester City F.C. (pictured) unexpectedly passed on October 27th in a helicopter crash. Srivaddhanaprabha was the founder and CEO of a chain of duty-free shops in Thailand, King Power International Group. Srivaddhanaprabha leaves behind his wife and his four children. |
| 4 | Statue of Unity |
|
1,271,087 |  |
The world’s tallest statue has been unveiled in India, rising up to a height of 597 feet(182 m), about twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty. The monument honors the Indian statesman Vallabhbhai Patel (#10), who was crucial to the unification of the Indian state. |
| 5 | Whitey Bulger |
|
1,185,140 |  |
In a sequence of events seemingly straight from a gangster movie, the 89 year old mob boss was beaten to death by multiple inmates on Monday. The hit was apparently orchestrated by Mafia hit man Fotios "Freddy" Geas. Bulger was famously discovered living as a fugitive in Santa Monica in 2011. |
| 6 | Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV series) |
|
1,131,510 |  |
The TV adaptation of the dark version of a comic book series spun off from a one-off in a humor anthology from a popular teenage comic series debuted to a very positive reception and strong ratings. Featuring Kiernan Shipka (pictured) as the titular character, the show explores questions of belonging, split identities, and sleep demons. In short, the perfect coming-of-age recipe. |
| 7 | WWE Crown Jewel | 
|
990,608 |  |
The timing was terrible for this WWE event, hosted by wrestling legend Hulk Hogan (pictured): returning to Saudi Arabia just after the Killing of Jamal Khashoggi led to calls for cancellation and boycotts by some wrestlers. |
| 8 | Day of the Dead |
|
939,479 |  |
Ever since last year, we can celebrate the Mexican carnival of the cadaverous with this beautiful song:
Remember me |
| 9 | Red Dead Redemption 2 |
|
852,942 | Rockstar Games has outdone themselves once again, creating their most expansive and visually stunning title yet. The game has earned an equally staggering amount of money, claiming the largest opening weekend in the history of entertainment. | |
| 10 | Vallabhbhai Patel |
|
835,622 | .jpg) |
The Indian statesman memorialized in colossal form by #4. |
When rising stars bring down the house (November 4 to 10)
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This week on Wikipedia, the King of Queen (#1) meets the King of Scots (#11), opera rock (#7) meets political theater (#5), and Google heroes (#12, #15) meet Indian greatness (#23), while rising stars (#2, #9, #10, #17) keep on fighting till the end. In a nod to the simulation hypothesis winking at us, a movie focusing on election fraud in India (#21) was released in the midst of U.S. elections (#24, #25), where accusations of fraud have become routine.
| Rank | Article | Class | Views | Image | About |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Freddie Mercury |
|
3,495,059 | 
|
Thanks to the epic biopic released last week (#7), a younger generation discovers the flamboyant mores and music of Farrokh Bulsara, a native of colonial Zanzibar who so loved England that he decided Mercury would not only be a stage name but his legal one. According to a quote attributed to him in the movie, there was only space for one drama queen in the band. And drama he loved, he stirred, he moved us all to tears. The show must go on! |
| 2 | Beto O'Rourke |
|
1,282,137 |  |
In a week when American media were, for once, justified in being dominated by politics, Saint Beto was seen by one side as the redeeming knight in white armor who alone could defeat the Texas Rat today, and of course the Orange Monkey two years down the road. But inertia was stronger, and the former debate fiends endured the re-election challenge thanks to newfound love. |
| 3 | Diwali |
|
1,158,916 | .jpg) |
Annual splendors returned with the Hindu festival of lights, spreading blessings and good will over humanity. When Lakshmi calls, you need to answer. |
| 4 | Queen (band) |
|
1,129,559 |  |
Welcome back to the 70s, when rock-and-roll blends with opera to make your head spin. Galileo would be proud. |
| 5 | United States elections, 2018 |
|
1,070,138 |  |
The usually apathetic American voters turned up en masse to support their preferred candidates across the country. Turnout was yuge, but results were surprisingly predictable: a swing of the House and stability in the Senate. All eyes are already on the 2020 presidential campaign, with literally dozens of potential candidates ready to fight for the right to challenge the incumbent (#14). |
| 6 | Thugs of Hindostan |
|
920,854 |  |
This epic adventure drama film, set in the late 18th century, sports the highest budget for an Indian film ever, about ₹300 crore (US$38 million), including hefty premiums for superstar Amitabh Bachchan (up one spot on Twitter). Critical reception was tame, but crowds still rushed to be entertained and made the movie a box office success. Such is the magic of cinema… |
| 7 | Bohemian Rhapsody (film) |
|
899,168 | The young audience was mystified by the crazy analog tape recording equipment. Older fans marveled at the exact scenography of the Live Aid 1985 concert, down to the placement of a green sticker on Freddie's microphone. All in all, a chart topper. | |
| 8 | United States House of Representatives |
|
786,249 |  |
The House flipped. It does that sometimes. For more information, see #2, #5, #10, #14, #16, #18, #24 and #25. |
| 9 | Rami Malek |
|
753,131 |  |
Rami's stupendous portrayal of Freddie Mercury (#1) earns him worldwide fame, and certainly a spot on the short list for the next Oscars. A reminder to watch or re-watch the Mr. Robot series, for which Malek won a Critics' Choice Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. |
| 10 | Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez |
|
738,237 | .jpg) |
The rising star of the Democratic party was comfortably elected in New York's 14th congressional district. In a strategy reminiscent of Trump's unbelievable campaign messages, she advocates free healthcare and free education for all, noting that many countries seem to manage this feat. Perhaps hospitals and universities are less greedy there? |
Excelsior! (November 11 to 17)
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A very upsetting week for comic fans, as one of the pioneering champions of the medium died. Stan Lee was a legend, a perennial figure of respect and renown for nerds and dorks worldwide. Lee will be greatly missed. Aside from the passing of a hero, the week was evidently the domain of cinephiles, with films, film subjects, and actors galore reaching the top 25. This week's iteration of the report is strange yet intriguing, and was a joy to compile. Hopefully it is as fantastic to read as it was incredible to pen.
| Rank | Article | Class | Views | Image | About |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stan Lee |
|
5,841,113 | .jpg) |
With the ceaseless flood of celebrity deaths, it is easy to become desensitised to the demise of those we know and love, but the marvellous comic writer was an clear exception to the rule, and immensely impactful for many fans of the media, new and old. The heroic author was responsible for the creation of many seminal characters, from Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk, to Doctor Strange and the X-Men, and helped lead the Silver Age. Lee saw himself seep further into the modern zeitgeist in recent times through his frequent cameos, and it is difficult to think of one which more perfectly encapsulates what he meant to his audience than this. He was beloved by many, and will be sorely missed by all purveyors of his fantastical escapism. While creating relatable heroes for us to admire, Lee himself became one. |
| 2 | Freddie Mercury |
|
2,359,538 |  |
Freddie Mercury, even by the time of his untimely demise, was widely recognised as one of the most influential and innovative forces in the history of music, responsible, along with his royal band (#8), for a vast number of unforgettable hits, including a very potent contender for the greatest song of all time. He has been a staple of recent iterations of the report as a consequence of the biopic about his life, which ranks at #10 this week. The film has been chastised for taking very strong liberties with Mercury's mercurial life story, to the detriment of his reputation, but thankfully it has driven droves to his article where they can find more trustworthy information about the lyrical legend. |
| 3 | Robert the Bruce |
|
1,284,385 |  |
Our third entry is another British monarch propelled to high view counts courtesy of the binge royals, albeit one who is slightly older. Robert the Bruce is a legendary king amongst the Scottish, as he delivered a famous victory over the old enemy at the Battle of Bannockburn, helping maintain the independence of the northern kingdom. Netflix made a film about the leader (#19), perhaps hoping to emulate the success of the flick about Bobby's lieutenant. |
| 4 | Arecibo message |
|
1,105,905 |  |
An indecipherable entry rockets into the top 5 courtesy of our supreme search leaders, who devoted a doodle to the Arecibo message, the interstellar note penned by Frank Drake and Carl Sagan back in the 1970's. The message was specifically designed to convey basic information regarding humanity and our existence on Earth, and hoping that aliens who intercept the message will be capable of decoding and comprehending it. As such, the message is a scientific and linguistic marvel, and the decisions taken are intriguing and great insight into how we as humans communicate and share a common comprehension. It is also significantly more helpful than our other try, as the barrier to comprehension is lower. |
| 5 | Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald |
|
1,007,718 |  |
The latest installment in Rowling's ever-expanding Wizarding World hit multiplexes worldwide, to a somewhat subdued response. Naturally, being the Potterhead that I am, I duly booked a seat in the local cinema to witness whatever heinous crimes Willy Wonka had planned. I was, quite frankly, underwhelmed. The special effects are impressive, the intricate plotting less so. The film goes for a dramatic Shyamalan-esque twist, that doesn't land at all, and leaves even the most devoted disciples of Hogwarts confounded. It makes it truly a hard film to recommend – nonsensical for the uninitiated, irritating for the interested. |
| 6 | Thugs of Hindostan |
|
860,204 |  |
On a list which is dominated by Hollywood, our sixth entry originates from the other major movie market, the latest in a long line of Bollywood smash hits to reach the report. Hardly a surprise, given India's status as the second largest English-speaking nation. Raking in the crore at present is this film, revolving around the efforts made in Hindustan for independence, which stars the enigmatic Aamir Khan. Despite the star power, the film is reportedly going down as somewhat of a bomb. |
| 7 | Queen (band) |
|
854,540 |  |
Another week, another entry for the phenomenal rock band, my personal favourite artists. For decades, they rocked audiences across the globe, truly being lethal and captivating, breaking from the shackles of all who came before them, and paving a new path for those to follow. Any self-proclaimed fan of rock and roll to not know the lyrics to a copious quantity of Queen songs is unworthy of the title, and the best consequence of the underwhelming film about the band (#10) is that it has introduced an entirely new generation to the crazy music of the magical quartet, guaranteeing that their legacy of being the greatest will persevere. |
| 8 | World War I |
|
811,974 |  |
If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace behind the wagon that we flung him in, and watch the white eyes writhing in his face, his hanging face, like a devil's, sick of sin. If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs, obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud, of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues – my friend, you would not tell with such high zest, to children ardent for some desperate glory, the old lie – Dulce et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori. |
| 9 | Deaths in 2018 |
|
730,213 |  |
As this week's report is topped by a prominent death, it is hardly surprising that the perusers of Wikipedia journeyed to the list of the fallen in their droves to see who else was felled by the Grim Reaper. |
| 10 | Bohemian Rhapsody (film) |
|
625,118 |  |
Once again, the biopic centred on #2 and #7 remains a firm fixture of the report, in spite of the tepid response of critics to the film. Having seen it, I can report that the critics have the right end of the stick – the soundtrack is simply the greatest, and the central performance is phenomenal, but the screenplay will leave viewers left wanting, and is more devoted to drama than historical accuracy, to the detriment of the central characters of the tale, and infuriating Queen fans worldwide. The Live Aid scene is engrossing though. |
Exclusions
- These lists exclude the Wikipedia main page, non-article pages (such as redlinks), and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Since mobile view data became available to the Report in October 2014, we exclude articles that have almost no mobile views (5–6% or less) or almost all mobile views (94–95% or more) because they are very likely to be automated views based on our experience and research of the issue. Please feel free to discuss any removal on the Top 25 Report talk page if you wish.
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