About three years went by between the premieres of Stranger Things seasons 3 and 4, and Netflix subscribers were clearly anxious to catch up with the show’s characters by the time the new season was released. Deadline reports that Stranger Things season 4 had the biggest premiere weekend in the history of Netflix original series, with 286.79 million hours viewed. That far surpassed the 193 million hours that were viewed of Bridgerton season 2 over its premiere weekend.
Stranger Things season 4 reached #1 in 83 countries, another premiere weekend record. The series made it into the Top 10 in all 93 countries where Netflix is tracking viewership. The new season also gave the viewership of previous seasons a boost, with all three landing in the Netflix Top 10 for English-language series for the week of May 23-29. 38 million hours were viewed of season 1 in that week, 22.2 million hours of season 2 were viewed, and 24.3 million hours of season 3 were viewed. “Stranger Things crowded the Top 5, taking the No. 1 spot (Season 4, V.1), No. 3 (Season 1), No. 4 (Season 3) and No. 5 (Season 2.)”
Also benefiting from the return of Stranger Things is Kate Bush, whose 1985 song “Running Up That Hill” is prominently featured in season 4. Viewers clearly wanted to listen to the song some more after hearing it on the show, because “Running Up That Hill” rocketed up to the #1 spot on iTunes. On Spotify, there was a 8700% increase in global streams of “Running Up That Hill”. There was a 9900% increase in streams in the US, and a 1600% increase in global streams of Kate Bush’s overall catalog. Stranger Things viewers are also responsible for the 1030% increase in global streams of “Pass the Dutchie” by Musical Youth.
Stranger Things season 4 has the following synopsis:
It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.
Episodes of Stranger Things season 4 were written by the Duffer Brothers (401, 402, 407, 408, 409), Caitlin Schneiderhan (403), Paul Dichter (404), Kate Trefry (405), and Curtis Gwinn (406). They were directed by the Duffer Brothers (401, 402, 407, 408, 409), Shawn Levy (403, 404), and Nimród Antal (405, 406).
Here’s the list of this season’s cast members and the characters they play:
Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Priah Ferguson (Erica Sinclair), Brett Gelman (Murray), Cara Buono (Karen Wheeler), Matthew Modine (Dr. Brenner), Paul Reiser (Dr. Owens), Jamie Campbell Bower (Peter Ballard), Joseph Quinn (Eddie Munson), Eduardo Franco (Argyle), Sherman Augustus (Lt. Colonel Sullivan), Mason Dye (Jason Carver), Nikola Djuricko (Yuri), Tom Wlaschiha (Dmitri), Myles Truitt (Patrick), Regina Ting Chen (Ms. Kelly), Grace Van Dien (Chrissy), Logan Riley Bruner (Fred Benson), Logan Allen (Jake), Elodie Grace Orkin (Angela), John Reynolds (Officer Callahan), Rob Morgan (Chief Powell), Amybeth McNulty (Vickie), and Freddy Krueger himself Robert Englund (Victor Creel).
Stranger Things is produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment. The Duffer Brothers serve as executive producers alongside Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps Entertainment, Iain Paterson, and Curtis Gwinn.
Did you watch Stranger Things season 4 during its premiere weekend? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Two more episodes of Stranger Things season 4 are coming to Netflix on July 1st.