Stranger Things season four breaks Bridgerton record
Bridgerton season two set the record in April
Last updated 1st Jun 2022
Unless you've been living under a rock for the last week, you'll no doubt of heard that Stranger Things season four Volume 1 has officially landed on Netflix - and if, like us, you've binge watched all seven episodes already, it's safe to say you're not alone, with the new season breaking an impressive record - beating period drama Bridgerton off the top spot!
Back in April, following the release of Bridgerton season two, the show became the proud owner of the Netflix record for most-watched English-language TV series in Netflix history, also having the highest ever premiere weekend ratings - however, following the release of Stranger Things latest instalment, they've been knocked off the top spot.
Stranger Things season four Volume 1 was released on Friday 27th May 2022, giving us our first taste of the Hawkins sci-fi drama since 2019. According to Netflix's Top 10 rankings, it was viewed for almost 287 million hours during the week commencing Monday 23rd May - giving them a rather impressive weekend figure!
The new figures compare to Bridgerton's impressive total of 193 million viewing hours on its debut weekend. Following the news, Stranger Things season four Volume 1 has the highest ever premiere weekend ratings for a Netflix English-language series.
And it wasn't just season four of Stranger Things that experienced bumped viewing figures, with ALL four seasons of Stranger Things making their back into Netflix's Top 5 titles that week.
With fans refreshing their memory on all things Stranger Things, season one racked up 28 million hours, with season two gaining 22.2 million hours and season three 24.2 million hours.
The impressive figures may not come as a surprise to fans, as the latest instalment in the series has an array of extended episodes - with episode seven running for a total of 98 minutes.
If you watched the final episode of season four Volume 1, as well as THAT scene featuring Kate Bush's 'Rolling Up That Hill', you'll know that there was a pretty large revelation made, in the form of the real identity of new monster Vecna.
Although we were left with many questions that need answering, we don't have to wait too long, with Volume 2 heading our way on 1st July - and we even have a fifth season in the works.
Check out these facts about Stranger Things you probably didn't know:
1)
To help sell the show, the Duffers edited a mock 'trailer' combining clips from over 25 feature films, including E.T., Nightmare on Elm Street, Super 8 and Halloween.
2)
The composers of the Stranger Things soundtrack (Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon) were two members of an Austin synth band called SURVIVE; their music was featured in the soundtrack of the film The Guest.
3)
Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon have written over 13 hours of music for the show.
4)
Winona Ryder wanted her hairstyle modeled after Meryl Streep's hair in Silkwood.
5)
The title sequence was inspired by the work of Richard Greenberg, who designed a number of classic 80s title sequences including Alien, Altered States, Superman and The Goonies - which starred a young Sean Astin, who later appeared in Stranger Things as Joyce's boyfriend Bob Newby.
6)
Winona Ryder and Matthew Modine (Dr. Martin Brenner) have appeared together once before, in the music video for Roy Orbison's 'A Love So Beautiful'.
7)
Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) have both acted on Broadway. Gaten played Gavroche in Les Miserables and Caleb played Young Simba in The Lion King. The two boys knew each other but they didn't become close friends until after working on Stranger Things.
8)
Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers) and Millie Brown (Eleven) are both from the UK. Charlie is from Bridlington, East Yorkshire, and Millie is from Bournemouth, Dorset.
9)
To help sell the show, the Duffers created a 'look book' which was designed in the style of a vintage Stephen King novel.
10)
Gaten's voice changed so much by the time production ended that the sound team were unable to use him for additional dialogue recording.
11)
Although the show was shot digitally on the RED Dragon, a layer of real film grain was applied to help achieve a more vintage look.
12)
It was Caleb's request to wear a camouflage bandana in the show; he wears it for the final three episodes.
13)
The monster was achieved through a combination of prosthetics, animatronics, performance and CG.
14)
The toddlers on set were very scared by the 'monster', but they were calmed when told that he was just like the monsters in Monsters Inc.
15)
Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler, is a film buff and wants to be a director when he grows up. He is a particular fan of Sam Raimi's early work.
16)
The gang really did create a salt bath, and Millie Bobby Brown actually floated - there were no effects used! To get Millie to float in a kiddie pool, twelve hundred pounds of epsom salt were dissolved into the water.
17)
Before starting the show, the writers all watched (or rewatched) a large list of films, including E.T., Stand By Me, The Goonies, The Thing and A Nightmare on Elm Street.
18)
Millie had to shave most of her hair off for the show and as can be expected of any 11-year-old girl this was a terrifying prospect. The Duffers showed her how cool Charlize Theron looked in Mad Max: Fury Road after which Millie agreed to it.
19)
The Duffers had all the boys audition with scenes from Stand By Me.
20)
Hopper's trailer was purchased by the art department for $1.
21)
For some of the laboratory scenes, Millie (Eleven) was fully submerged in an underwater immersion tank. She was able to breathe by wearing a Sea Trek helmet, which weighs approximately 70 lbs above water; it weighs 15 lbs beneath the surface of the water. The helmet was designed for shallow 'underwater walking'.
22)
To direct Millie while she was underwater, the Duffers communicated with her through a small radio in her ear.
Seasons one to three and Volume 1 of season four, are available to stream now on Netflix.
Season four Volume 2 will be released on 1st July 2022.
Now read:
Everything you need to know about the Stranger Things soundtrack
Stranger Things: A recap of the first three seasons
Stranger Things fans notice a heartbreaking reason Will is so upset in Season 4 Volume 1