Sleeper hit

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the entertainment industry, sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game, or other entertainment product that was unpromising on release but became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have little promotion or lack a successful launch but gradually develops a fandom following media attention, which in turn increases its public exposure and public interest in the product.[1] As Variety puts it, "A 'sleeper hit' can be defined as the kind of show that catches us by surprise—programs whose popularity grows over time and can ultimately outshine the preordained hits."[2] A sleeper hit often lacks star performers or high production values, but prevails, at times against its own makers' expectations, on the strength of such qualities as narrative, approach, or novelty, as well as market accidents.[3] Sleeper hit films benefit theater owners because the owners keep a larger percentage of money from ticket sales.[4]

In film[edit]

Some sleeper hits in the film industry are strategically marketed for audiences subtly, such as with sneak previews a couple of weeks prior to release, without making them feel obliged to see a heavily promoted film. This alternative form of marketing strategy has been used in sleeper hits such as Sleepless in Seattle (1993), the Oscar winner Forrest Gump (1994), My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), There's Something About Mary (1998) and The Sixth Sense (1999).[1]

Screenings for these films are held in an area conducive to the film's demographic. In the case of Sleepless in Seattle, a romantic comedy, screenings were held at suburban shopping malls where romantic couples in their mid-20s to early 30s spent Saturday afternoons before seeing a new film. In theory, a successful screening leads to word-of-mouth marketing, as it compels viewers to discuss an interesting, low-key film with co-workers when they return to work after their weekend.[1]

Easy Rider (1969), which was created on a budget of less than $400,000 (equivalent to $3,323,000 in 2023)[5], became a sleeper hit by earning $50 million and garnering attention from younger audiences with its combination of drugs, violence, motorcycles, counter-culture stance, and rock music.[6] It was also one of the successful films during the beginnings of the American New Wave of cinema.[7]

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) was considered a failure[8] for the first 6 months of its release until it found popularity in midnight screenings afterwards.[9] A Christmas Story (1983) was initially a modest success with little promotion,[10] but after Ted Turner purchased the MGM back-catalog a few years later and began rerunning the film on his cable networks every December, it became an iconic Christmas classic.[11]

The 1979 Australian film Mad Max, which sprung from the Ozploitation movement and helped to popularize the post-apocalyptic dystopia genre, held the record for the biggest profit-to-cost ratio for several years until it was broken in 1999 by The Blair Witch Project, also a sleeper hit.[4][12]

The independent film Halloween, which played over the course of fall 1978 through fall 1979 and relied almost completely on word-of-mouth as marketing, was also a sleeper hit, having a box office take of $70 million on a budget of only $325,000. Its success caused other slasher films to try the same approach, although few fared as well since horror films heavily rely on opening weekend box office and quickly fall from theaters. Other notable examples of horror sleeper-hits to follow in Halloween's wake include A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, Scream in 1996, The Blair Witch Project in 1999, Saw in 2004, and Paranormal Activity in 2007.[13]

Hocus Pocus (1993) underperformed at the box office but eventually became a sleeper hit through television airings on the 13 Nights of Halloween block on what is now Freeform and spawned the successful sequel Hocus Pocus 2 (2022) which debuted on Disney+.[14]

The Iron Giant (1999) was a box-office failure due to lack of marketing from distributor Warner Bros., who did not have faith in the film. However, it received universal acclaim and earned a cult following once it arrived on home video and television, and is now considered a modern animation classic and one of the greatest animated films ever made.[15][16][17]

Napoleon Dynamite made back its $500,000 budget and became a phenomenon in 2004, grossing almost $45 million within a year of its release, and became the basis for a short-lived animated series featuring the film’s entire cast.[18][19]

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) also went on to become a sleeper hit,[20] expanding the following weekend to 1,249 theaters and earning $3 million, as well as $1.1 million on Labor Day.[21]

Elemental (2023) originally opened below projections, earning $29.5 million in its opening weekend. However, positive word-of-mouth led the movie to become a sleeper hit by managing to make a drastic turnaround, with many news outlets praising Pixar Animation Studios' unprecedented box office comeback upon the film crossing $400 million worldwide by early August 2023, which ultimately became Disney's biggest animated success during the pandemic. It also performed well internationally, particularly in South Korea, which became the film's third-largest market. This was attributed to director Peter Sohn's Korean-American background and the incorporation of elements that resonated with Korean audiences. Upon hearing this news, Sohn stated "I think my heart burst with joy."[22] By August 20, 2023, Elemental had surpassed Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's international box office total and in January 2024, the film received an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.[a]

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken (2023) was a box-office failure, grossing $46 million against a $70 million budget, losing projections of up to $80 million. However, it became a success on Netflix, beating out the competition, and caught on with the target audience, which was teens and young adults. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken would reach the top of Netflix's Top 10 and was seen by 12,300,000 viewers over the course of three weeks.[36][37]

Sound of Freedom (2023) received very little advertising up until its release, but due to positive word of mouth amongst audience members, it has kept a steady box office earning, eventually surpassing films like Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One domestically and is currently in the number three spot at the domestic box office and has grossed $133.9 million, becoming an unexpected box office success.[38]

The romantic comedy Anyone but You (2023)[39] also opened below projections. It was projected to gross around $7 million during its opening weekend,[40] but opened to $6.3 million instead.[41] However, the film experienced a gradual increase in weekend gross and stayed within the top five.[42][43] The film led the box office from January 8, 2024 to January 11,[44] which saw the debut of new films.[45]

In music[edit]

Don Howard's 1952 recording of "Oh Happy Day" was one of the earliest sleeper hits. Featuring only Howard's baritone vocals and his acoustic guitar played at an amateur level, it was initially released regionally and was never expected to become a hit. A massive groundswell of support from teenagers in Howard's home base of Cleveland, Ohio, led to the song rapidly rising in popularity,[46] despite music industry scorn;[47] cover versions (including one by Larry Hooper and the Lawrence Welk orchestra) were quickly rushed into production, and by 1953, there were no fewer than four hit recordings of the same song circulating, including Howard's original.

The Romantics' 1980 single "What I Like About You" was a minor hit upon its release, charting at number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, while not charting at all in the United Kingdom. It eventually became one of the most popular songs of the 1980s thanks to its use in various advertising campaigns.[48]

The Waterboys 1985 single "The Whole of the Moon" charted initially in several countries on the lower end of charts including No. 26 in the UK. The song was re-released in 1991 to much acclaim peaking at No. 3 in the UK and No. 3 in Europe, and becoming certified platinum in the UK.[49] The song became one of their most successful songs and well known.[50]

The 1987 single "Welcome to the Jungle" by American rock band Guns N' Roses performed poorly in both the United States and the United Kingdom when first released in September of that year. As the band's popularity grew steadily in 1988, it became a sleeper hit in the US and reached the top 10 of the Billboard charts. It was then re-released in the UK, charting within the top 40 there.[51]

The 1990 single "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole became a sleeper hit after being featured in numerous film and TV soundtracks throughout the 2000s and 2010s, the song eventually charted across Europe in 2010 and 2011, finishing 16th on Germany's decade-end charts for the 2010s.[52]

Nirvana's second album Nevermind was released in September 1991 with low expectations, hoping to sell 500,000 copies. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 144, but slowly climbed up the charts over the following months, entering the top 40 in November. The album was selling 300,000 copies a week by December, before in January 1992, it even replaced Michael Jackson's Dangerous at number 1 on the Billboard charts.[53] The album went on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, and has since become one of the world's best-selling albums of all time.[54]

The R&B singer Raphael Saadiq's classic soul-inspired album The Way I See It was a sleeper hit.[55] Overlooked upon its release in 2008,[56] it ended up charting for 41 weeks on the US Billboard 200.[57]

"Just Dance" and "Poker Face" by pop singer Lady Gaga were both released in 2008 but did not become popular hits until the end of the year and the following year in certain countries, including the U.S. and the U.K., and eventually becoming No. 1 hits in those countries. "Poker Face", in particular, went on to become the world's best-selling single of 2009 overall.[58]

R&B singer Miguel's 2010 debut album All I Want Is You performed poorly at first, debuting at number 109 on the Billboard 200 with sales of 11,000 copies,[59] while underpromoted by his record label.[60] As its singles achieved radio airplay and Miguel toured in the record's promotion,[59] All I Want Is You became a sleeper hit[61] and reached 404,000 copies sold by 2012.[59] As of November 2017, the album has been certified platinum in the US.[62]

"Truth Hurts" by Lizzo was released in September 2017, and did not chart until its appearance in the 2019 romantic comedy film Someone Great led to the single debuting at the number 50 position on the Billboard Hot 100. As the song became a sleeper hit on the chart, the music video—featuring the singer in a "wedding-gone-wild" concept—went viral. By September 2019, the single had reached number one on the chart. The music video has been viewed over 290 million times as of August 2022. The single also benefited from its use in TikTok videos by users who lip-synced or referenced the lyric "I just took a DNA test, turns out, I'm 100 percent that bitch".[63] During its chart run, Gary Trust, the senior director of charts at Billboard, noted the rarity of a song topping the Hot 100 almost two years after its release, but explained that, "in the digital era, it's much easier than ever before for music fans to be exposed to older songs that might've been overlooked the first time around."[64] According to Paper magazine's Michael Love Michael, Lizzo's sleeper hit can also be explained by a more inclusive popular media since the song's original release: "Black women are more visible than ever on magazine covers; fashion is having broader conversations about size, racial, and ethnic diversity. Lizzo's presence in these spaces signals a future of greater inclusion."[63]

TikTok[edit]

The COVID-19 pandemic played a significant role in audiences' rediscovery of previously-released media, including music, primarily through video sharing service TikTok and other social media platforms. Songs which were released up to several years prior but failed to make an immediate impression commercially have gained renewed popularity and chart success.[65][66] In September of 2023, Billboard introduced the new TikTok Billboard Top 50, which keeps track of songs from how many plays they get on TikTok.[67] Examples of TikTok sleeper hits since 2020 include:

In video games[edit]

Pocket Monster Red and Green were released in 1996 in Japan, and later released as Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998. They followed several years of development and became sleeper hits.[90][91] Believing it to be a one-time product, Nintendo initially shipped 200,000 copies, a relatively low amount. Most media ignored the games, but largely by word-of-mouth stemming from the hidden character Mew's introduction,[90] their popularity gradually spread throughout Japan, selling a million units by the end of 1996.[92] They eventually became the best-selling video games ever in Japan, with 7.8 million copies sold,[93] and 45 million sold worldwide.[94] After becoming a national sensation in Japan, the franchise was introduced to the United States in September 1998,[95] going on to start a worldwide craze dubbed "Pokémania".[96]

Portal was released in 2007 with little fanfare as part of the game compilation The Orange Box, but eventually became a "phenomenon".[97]

SteamWorld Dig (2013) was released on the 3DS by little-known developer Image & Form. It became one of the first indie games mentioned in a Nintendo Direct, and ultimately sold over a million copies on all platforms. If the game had not succeeded, the studio would have been forced to close.[98]

Among Us was released in June 2018 and received little mainstream attention at first, with the game only averaging at around 30 to 50 concurrent players. It received a sudden and significant jump in popularity in mid-2020 after being popularized by streamers on Twitch and YouTube. In November 2020, SuperData Research reported that the game had over half a billion users, proclaiming it to be "by far the most popular game ever in terms of monthly players."[99][100]

Helldivers 2, the sequel to Helldivers by developer Arrowhead Game Studios, began to have server issues because it was not designed to have a player base exceeding 250,000; at the time, the player base reached over 450,000.[101] Because of its unforeseen success, Helldivers 2 became one of the biggest sleeper hits of all time.[102][103]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Attributed to multiple references.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Berra 2008, p. 68.
  2. ^ Morris, Chris (31 October 2022). "Streaming Platforms Can Turn Slow-Burn Shows Into Red-Hot Hits". Variety.
  3. ^ "6 sleeper hits of Bollywood from recent years!". filmfare.com.
  4. ^ a b Haupert, Michael J. (2006). The Entertainment Industry. Bloomsbury. p. 123. ISBN 9781573566322.
  5. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  6. ^ Ganeri & Bergan 2006, p. 458.
  7. ^ Crawford, Travis (16 December 2010). "Criterion: American Lost and Found: The BBS Story". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 19 February 2013.
  8. ^ Ivan-Zadeh, Larushka. "The Rocky Horror Picture Show: The film that's saved lives". www.bbc.com.
  9. ^ Koehler, Robert (14 May 2005). "Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream".
  10. ^ Maslin, Janet (8 January 1984). "IN THE ARTS: CRITICS' CHOICES". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 December 2009. Popular misconceptions can get a movie off to a slow start, and they may have helped turn 'A Christmas Story' into the sleeper of this season.
  11. ^ "How A Christmas Story Went from Low-Budget Fluke to an American Tradition". Vanity Fair. 30 November 2016.
  12. ^ Beard, Lanford (13 July 2016). "Summer Sleepers: 14 Unexpected Movie Hits". Entertainment Weekly. Originally published 22 July 2014.
  13. ^ Kerswell, J.A. (2012). The slasher movie book. Chicago, Ill.: Chicago Review Press. ISBN 978-1556520105.
  14. ^ Chaney, Jen (28 October 2015). "The Magical Tale of How 'Hocus Pocus' Went From Box-Office Flop to Halloween Favorite". Yahoo.com. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  15. ^ Flores, Terry (24 September 2015). "Duncan Studios Adds New 'Iron Giant' Scenes for Remastered Re-release". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015. Brad Bird's 1999 animated classic The Iron Giant...
  16. ^ Rich, Jamie S. (20 January 2014). "'The Iron Giant,' a modern classic of animation returns: Indie & art house films". OregonLive.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015. Released in 1999, this modern classic of hand-drawn animation
  17. ^ Lyttelton, Oliver (6 August 2012). "5 Things You Might Not Know About Brad Bird's 'The Iron Giant'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 6 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015. is now widely recognized as a modern classic
  18. ^ "What'll become of the cult movie? - Baltimore Sun". digitaledition.baltimoresun.com.
  19. ^ "Napoleon Dynamite".
  20. ^ Thompson, Gary (22 August 2019). "How 'Friends' inspired Conshohocken's Aaron Scotti to start making movies, like the delightful 'Peanut Butter Falcon'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  21. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (1 September 2019). "'Angel Has Fallen' Still In Flight At Sluggish Labor Day Box Office With $16M+ 4-Day". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  22. ^ @PEETSOWN (21 July 2023). "I think my heart burst with joy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  23. ^ Seigh, Steve (9 August 2023). "Elemental: Disney defends Pixar's latest feature after misleading reports about the film's underperformance". JoBlo.com. Retrieved 2 September 2023.
  24. ^ Goyal, Aman (9 August 2023). "Disney Defends Elemental From Box Office Flop Reports". CBR. Retrieved 2 September 2023. Pixar's animated film Elemental continues gaining traction at the box office even in its seventh week, on track to becoming a sleeper hit.
  25. ^ Fuster, Jeremy (8 August 2023). "'Elemental' and Pixar Have Quietly Made a Box Office Comeback". The Wrap. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  26. ^ Lowry, Brian (31 July 2023). "'Elemental' was written off as a box-office flop. Then it sprouted legs". CNN. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  27. ^ Reyes, Mike (3 August 2023). "Pixar's Elemental Has Crossed Another Box Office Milestone, So Can We Stop Calling It A Bomb Now?". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  28. ^ Rudoy, Matthew (1 August 2023). "Pixar Box Office Redemption: Elemental Box Office Doubles Budget After Initially Being Declared A Flop". Screen Rant. Retrieved 8 August 2023.
  29. ^ Bizwire, Korea (5 July 2023). "Pixar's 'Elemental' Enjoys Popularity in S. Korea Despite Struggles in the U.S." The Koran Bizwire. Archived from the original on 7 July 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  30. ^ Drum, Nicole (20 August 2023). "Disney's Elemental Just Passed Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse at International Box Office". comicbook.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  31. ^ Eddy, Cheryl (3 August 2023). "Pixar's Slow-Burn Hit Elemental Is Coming Home Soon, With Tons of Extras". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  32. ^ "How to Stream Elemental, One of the Summer's Stealth Box Office Hits". TVLine. 6 September 2023. Archived from the original on 6 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  33. ^ "Barbie, opisyal nang highest-grossing movie of 2023" [Barbie is officially the highest-grossing movie of 2023]. Philippine Entertainment Portal. 6 September 2023. Archived from the original on 16 September 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  34. ^ Lorenzo, Nick (21 September 2023). "Elemental Viewing Surpasses The Little Mermaid on Disney+ | Chart". TheWrap. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  35. ^ Devon, Dayna; Samra, Christine (11 December 2023). "Elemental director Peter Sohn calls Golden Globes nomination 'incredible'". KTLA. Archived from the original on 1 January 2024. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  36. ^ "thanksgiving beaten by Dreamworks flop Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken netflix". Movieweb.com. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  37. ^ "Ruby Gillman Teenage Kraken Netflix Viewership Chart Ranking". screenrant.com. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
  38. ^ "Angel Studios has found a box office hit in 'Sound of Freedom'". February 2024.
  39. ^ Shaw, Lucas; Buckley, Thomas (10 January 2024). "Sony Lands Surprise Box Office Hit With 'Anyone But You'". Bloomberg. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  40. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (19 December 2023). "'Aquaman 2' The Big Fish In Warner Bros Christmas Troika With 'Wonka' & 'Color Purple', But Holiday Box Office Not Looking Bright – Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  41. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (24 December 2023). "Christmas Box Office Slows Down: 'Aquaman 2' $38M-$39M, 'Wonka' $26M, 'Migration' $17M & More – Sunday Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  42. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (31 December 2023). "'Aquaman 2', 'Wonka' & More Propel Christmas Week Box Office To $281M, +14% Over 2022". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  43. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (7 January 2024). "First Weekend Of 2024 Down 16%, As 'Wonka' Leads, 'Night Swim' Paddles To $12M+, 'Aquaman 2' Nears $100M – Saturday AM Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  44. ^ "Anyone But You (2023) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
  45. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (13 January 2024). "'Mean Girls' Too Cool For School With $33M+ Opening – Monday Box Office Update". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  46. ^ "Mystery Hit –". Time. 9 February 1953. Archived from the original on 22 December 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
  47. ^ Smith, Richard N. (19 February 1953). "No One Likes 'Happy Day' Except Public". Galveston Daily News.
  48. ^ Gimarc 2005, p. 287.
  49. ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved on 27 August 2023. Note: User needs to enter Waterboys in the "Search BPI Awards" field and press Enter
  50. ^ Ehrlich, Brenna (20 November 2019). "The Waterboys' 'Whole of the Moon' Is Having a Moment". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  51. ^ Masterton, James (2015). "Guns N' Roses". The Top 40 Annual 1988. James Masterton.
  52. ^ "Weiter geht's mit den Plätzen 17 und 16 unseres Jahrzehnte-Rankings. Diese sichern sich Bonez MC/ RAF Camora/ Maxwell ("Ohne mein Team") & Israel Kamakawiwo'ole ("Over The Rainbow") bei den Singles sowie @rsprachrohr ("Rammstein") & Santiano ("Mit den Gezeiten") bei den Alben" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 31 December 2019 – via Twitter.
  53. ^ Newman, Melinda. "Nirvana's 'Nevermind' Turns 25: How It Changed The Record Business". Forbes. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  54. ^ "The baby from Nirvana's Nevermind cover recreates the pose for its 25th anniversary". The Independent. 25 September 2016. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  55. ^ Sless-Kitain, Areif (6 August 2010). "Raphael Saadiq + Balkan Beat Box + Javelin at Lollapalooza 2010: Live review". Time Out. Chicago.
  56. ^ Watson, Margeaux (24 December 2008). "Raphael Saadiq's 'The Way I See It': Most overlooked CD of the year". Entertainment Weekly. New York. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  57. ^ "Raphael Saadiq Album & Song Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
  58. ^ "Lady Gaga Superstar". epubli. p. 7 – via Google Books.
  59. ^ a b c Lipshutz, Jason (21 September 2012). "Miguel's 'Kaleidoscope Dream': Inside The R&B Dynamo's Fresh Start". Billboard. Retrieved 20 October 2012.
  60. ^ Rytlewski, Evan (9 October 2012). "Miguel: Kaleidoscope Dream". The A.V. Club. Chicago. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  61. ^ Graham, Nadine (24 March 2011). "Q&A: Miguel". Soul Train. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  62. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.
  63. ^ a b Love, Michael Love (3 September 2019). "How Lizzo's 'Truth Hurts' Became the No. 1 Song in America". Paper. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  64. ^ "How Lizzo's Truth Hurts could hit No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 despite 2017 release". CBC Radio. 30 August 2019. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
  65. ^ McCathie, William (23 April 2020). "Say So, TikTok, and the 'Viral Sleeper Hit'". Cherwell. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  66. ^ a b c d Wass, Mike (14 July 2022). "Viral Revivals: From Kate Bush to Tom Odell, Inside the Business of Oldies as New Hit Songs". Variety. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  67. ^ Cabison, Rosalie (30 August 2023). "TikTok Billboard Top 50". Billboard. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  68. ^ Fuentes, Emily (11 January 2024). "Lesley Gore's 1963 'Misty' Reaches No. 1 on TikTok Billboard Top 50 | Billboard News". Billboard. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  69. ^ "Saltburn sends Murder on the Dancefloor back into top 10". 5 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  70. ^ Cavender, Elena (4 January 2024). "'Saltburn' gives 'Murder On The Dancefloor' new life 20 years after its release". Mashable. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  71. ^ White, Staci (15 November 2022). "What is the TikTok 'Who is She?' song?". WeGotThisCovered. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  72. ^ Skinner, Tom (21 October 2022). "Alex Turner tells us about Arctic Monkeys' '505' going viral on TikTok". NME. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  73. ^ Goldberg, Madison E. (13 October 2022). "10 Rock Songs from the Mid-2000s That Have Gotten TikTok Revivals". Billboard. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
  74. ^ Ruelle, Yohann (2 December 2022). "Lady Gaga: son titre "Bloody Mary" explose dans les charts grâce à "Mercredi" sur Netflix" (in French). Pure Charts. Archived from the original on 2 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  75. ^ Dailey, Hannah (2 December 2022). "Lady Gaga Reacts to 'Wednesday' 'Bloody Mary' TikTok Dance Trend". Billboard. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  76. ^ Roberts, Savannah (29 November 2022). "Netflix's 'Wednesday' Has Everyone Streaming Lady Gaga's 'Bloody Mary'". Capital. Archived from the original on 30 November 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  77. ^ "The Neighbourhood Score Best On-Demand Streaming Weeks Yet For 'Sweater Weather' & 'Daddy Issues'". Billboard. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  78. ^ "Here's the real meaning behind TikTok's 'Sweater Weather' trend". www.yahoo.com. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 16 April 2022.
  79. ^ "How Studio Killers' "Jenny" Became a Queer TikTok Hit (Interview)". 9 January 2021.
  80. ^ "Studio Killers Go Viral with "Jenny (I Wanna Ruin Our Friendship)"". 14 December 2020.
  81. ^ Benitez-Eves, Tina (31 August 2021). "Surf Curse Continue Connecting to "Freaks" 10 Years Later". American Songwriter. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  82. ^ Brown, August (19 July 2021). "These indie-rock lifers went from obscurity to scandal to a major-label deal in 10 months". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  83. ^ "TikTok Has Made Shoegaze Bigger Than Ever". Stereogum. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  84. ^ Campbell, Erica (17 January 2023). "Sped up songs: why are music fans becoming captivated by quick TikTok hits?". NME. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
  85. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (10 March 2022). "How MGMT's 'Little Dark Age' Became An Unstoppable TikTok Meme". Spin. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
  86. ^ Serra, Maria (5 November 2020). "10 artists you've heard on TikTok who you actually need to listen to". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on 16 February 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  87. ^ Ainsworth, Harry (24 September 2020). "Seriously, why is everyone dressing up as ghosts on TikTok right now?". The Tab. Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  88. ^ "Chartbreaker: Inside Måneskin's Unlikely, TikTok-Assisted Journey to Rock Stardom". Billboard. 3 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  89. ^ "The Real Meaning Of 'Arcade' By Duncan Laurence". Nicki Swift. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  90. ^ a b Knodle, Matt (2 January 2018). "Top 10 Sleeper Hit Games". Honey's Anime. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  91. ^ Berens, Kate; Howard, Geoff (2008). The Rough Guide to Videogames. Rough Guides. p. 21. ISBN 978-1848362291.
  92. ^ Kent, Steven (2001). The Ultimate History of Video Games. Three Rivers Press. pp. 566–567. ISBN 978-0761536437. See this and this link.
  93. ^ Master Blaster (8 July 2012). "Japan's 30 Best Selling Video Games of All Time". SoraNews24. Archived from the original on 21 December 2018.
  94. ^ Parish, Jeremy (24 September 2018). "Pokémon: The 20-year fad". Polygon. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018.
  95. ^ "Pokémon Craze Zeros In On the United States" (Press release). Atlanta, Georgia, US: Nintendo of America Inc. 27 May 1998. Archived from the original on 10 June 1998.
  96. ^ Chua-Eoan, Howard; Larimer, Tim (22 November 1999). "Beware of the Pokemania". Time Asia. Vol. 154, no. 20. pp. 80–93. Archived from the original on 20 February 2001. While best-selling games like Final Fantasy grabbed the top slot for a couple of dramatic months and then faded, Pokémon sales grew slowly and steadily--and they did not stop.
  97. ^ "Indies Take the Cake at Game Developers Conference". WIRED.
  98. ^ Jackson, Gita (November 2017). "The Making of a Switch Sleeper Hit". Kotaku.
  99. ^ "November 2020 worldwide digital games market". SuperData Research. Archived from the original on 22 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  100. ^ December 2020, Hope Bellingham 23 (23 December 2020). "Among Us gained almost half a billion players in 2020". GamesRadar. Retrieved 23 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  101. ^ "Helldivers 2 Increases Server Cap To 700,000 Players, But It Might Not Be Enough". Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  102. ^ "Helldivers 2 Review: Gameplay Impressions, Top Features and Videos". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 9 March 2024.
  103. ^ "Helldivers 2 Review". Retrieved 9 March 2024.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]