Netflix reported its highest Christmas Day viewership of all time this year, a significant achievement largely spearheaded by the second volume of its global phenomenon, “Stranger Things” Season 5. While a comprehensive total viewership for December 25, which included two NFL games and other holiday content, was not explicitly provided, “Stranger Things” Season 5 emerged as the most-watched title worldwide due to the release of three new episodes.

These new episodes contributed to Season 5 accumulating 34.5 million views during the week of December 22-28. This marks the season’s second-best weekly total, following its impressive debut in November with 59.6 million views, which set a new record for Netflix’s best-ever opening week for an English-language title. Netflix’s reporting does not differentiate viewership between volumes for its Top 10 charts; thus, while the Thanksgiving debut represented viewing hours for the first four episodes, the recent 34.5 million views were calculated based on all seven available episodes, making it challenging to directly compare the debuts of Volume 1 and Volume 2. One episode of “Stranger Things” Season 5, the series finale, remains.

In a groundbreaking move, Netflix announced that the series finale, titled “The Rightside Up,” will debut concurrently in movie theaters and on the streaming platform on New Year’s Eve. This eighth episode, with a runtime of two hours and five minutes, marks the franchise’s first big-screen outing, playing in over 500 theaters across the United States and Canada. Screenings are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. P.T. on December 31 and will continue through January 1. Ross Duffer, one of the series creators, reported an astonishing 1.1 million RSVPs for the theatrical experience, with 3,500 showtimes in more than 620 theaters already sold out, underscoring the immense anticipation.

“Stranger Things” Season 5 has consistently demonstrated strong performance, positioning it to soon join Netflix’s exclusive list of most popular English-language TV titles of all time. The season will become eligible for this prestigious list once the December 31 finale triggers the 91-day viewership accrual period.

The first four episodes of Season 5, designated “Stranger Things 5: Volume 1,” premiered on Thanksgiving Day, followed by the subsequent three episodes as “Volume 2” on Christmas. Volume 2 concluded with a critical moment where Max (Sadie Sink), having regained consciousness, unveiled the archvillain Vecna’s intricate plan to merge the world with the Abyss, a parallel dimension situated on the other side of the Upside Down. The characters then meticulously devise a plan to infiltrate the Abyss, liberate Vecna’s kidnapped children, and eradicate the threat with a bomb. The final scene ominously depicts Vecna, still in his human guise as Henry Creel, orchestrating a spellbinding séance where his brainwashed victims unite hands as they are transported into the Abyss.

Created by Matt and Ross Duffer nearly a decade ago, “Stranger Things” first launched on Netflix in July 2016, rapidly becoming a paranormal mystery phenomenon. Subsequent seasons were released in 2017 and 2019, with Season 4, similar to Season 5, also released in two separate volumes in May and July of 2022. The series has expanded its universe with a stageplay, “Stranger Things: First Shadow,” which premiered in London’s West End in 2023 and is currently playing on Broadway. The series has already surpassed 1.2 billion total views on the streamer.

In a recent interview, the Duffer Brothers addressed one of the central questions for the finale: how can Eleven achieve a “happy ending” given the persistent threat of the military, even if she successfully saves the world? They explained that Eleven’s thematic arc throughout the season navigates the contrasting idealist outlook of Mike and the cynical, yet perhaps realistic, worldview of Kali. Ross Duffer emphasized the dual threat: “There is the supernatural threat, which is represented by Vecna this season. But the military has always posed a threat, from Season 1 on. Even when Brenner is gone, he gets continually replaced by someone else. In this case, in Season 5, by Kay.” He added that Kali represents a more pragmatic perspective compared to Mike’s optimistic vision, forcing Eleven to confront what a normal life truly entails.

Beyond “Stranger Things,” Netflix’s Top 10 for December 22-28 saw “The Great Flood,” a South Korean film, leading the non-English-language movies chart. “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” topped the English-language movies chart with 16.5 million views. On the English-language TV chart, Season 5 of “Emily in Paris” secured the No. 2 spot with 13.3 million views in its second week, followed by the Dave Chappelle special “The Unstoppable…” with 9.2 million views. “Man Vs. Baby” took No. 4 with 7.8 million views. Previous seasons of “Stranger Things” also continued to dominate, with Season 1 at No. 5 (4.8 million views), Season 4 at No. 6 (4.1 million), and Seasons 3 and 2 at No. 8 and No. 9 respectively (3.6 million each). “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” placed between the “Stranger Things” seasons at No. 7 with 3.7 million views, while “Fireplace for Your Home: Crackling Birchwood Fireplace” rounded out the chart at No. 10 with 3.2 million views.