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Traffic report

Queens and aliens, exactly alike, once upon a December

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By Hugsyrup and Igordebraga
This traffic report is adapted from the Top 25 Report, prepared with commentary by Igordebraga (November 24 to 30, December 8 to 14); Hugsyrup and Igordebraga (December 1 to 7).

Kingpins and queens and alien thieves, taking lives denied (November 24 to 30, 2019)

Most viewed articles of November 24 to 30, 2019

The Disney+ show that led for the past two weeks has been ousted by a release in the bigger streaming service, as Netflix got Martin Scorsese's latest crime epic The Irishman, and the historical figures there also get entries, including the top one. Netflix also brought in recent history from across the pond, with all the views for British royal family members who come along with The Crown. Movies in actual theaters also have royals (Anna and Elsa of Arendelle in #5) and re-enactments of real events (#6, #9). Thanksgiving (#10) and wrestling (#8) close off the list.

Rank Article Class Views Image About
1 Jimmy Hoffa 2,238,665
Martin Scorsese makes yet another Mafia epic, only this time with a limited theatrical release before it hit Netflix. The movie itself is sandwiched between two of the main characters, the famed labor union leader who mysteriously vanished, Jimmy Hoffa (played by Al Pacino), and the protagonist, a truck driver turned hitman, Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro, who was a guarantee in a Scorsese movie in the old days).
2 The Irishman (2019 film) 2,139,328
3 Frank Sheeran 1,658,531
4 The Mandalorian 1,550,932
The Star Wars streaming sensation, making all of us foreigners who can't get Disney+ the more jealous that is not possible to legally watch it yet.
5 Frozen II[1] 1,353,343
You only see what your eyes want to see / How can life be what you want it to be... Sorry. It's not like I can discuss Elsa and Anna's return, my country only gets this movie in January!
6 Richard Jewell 1,151,435
The film about how the hero of the Centennial Olympic Park bombing was then vilified by the media only comes out in December, but had its festival premiere and good reviews.
7 Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon 1,071,519
The Crown is back, and so are a lot of British royals to our report. The biggest views aren't for the show's main star, but her deceased younger sister.
8 Survivor Series (2019) 1,040,807
From crowns to belts, as the latest WWE pantomime was held and had the main card won by Shayna Baszler.
9 Elizabeth II 905,531
Back to the monarchs with the Queen of the United Kingdom (and many more places), now played in The Crown by Oscar winner Olivia Colman.
10 Thanksgiving 855,382
The annual holiday that reunites families for feasting. Hopefully there are very few cases of turkeys thrown out windows.

Every week is exactly the same (December 1 to 7, 2019)

Most viewed articles of December 1 to 7, 2019

I believe I can see the future, 'cause I repeat the same routine. Or at least readers do, given half the subjects of last week have returned, including the whole top 4 and most of the top 10, including two entries that had been #13 and #16 in the extended list. The only thing that is brand new is an Asian multisport events (#5), showing the sizeable amount of English-speaking Filipinos can push an entry here.

I can't remember how this got started, but I can tell you exactly how it will end.

Rank Article Class Views Image About
1 Jimmy Hoffa 2,289,492
The top three spots this week are dominated by one film, and the two main characters in that film; played by Al Pacino and Robert de Niro respectively. Notable for using CGI technology to both age and de-age the two leads to portray them at different times in their lives, it's also notable for being based almost entirely on the questionable account of one of those two individuals. The one that didn't famously disappear, obviously.
2 The Irishman (2019 film) 1,835,586
3 Frank Sheeran 1,752,309
4 The Mandalorian 1,406,893
The first ever live-action Star Wars TV series has received mixed reviews so far, but it's a bold experiment and probably the only good reason to sign up for yet another streaming subscription, since it's exclusive to Disney+. Featuring Pedro Pascal in the title role, alongside an eclectic cast that includes Werner Herzog and Carl Weathers, it's now up to episode five with three more to come.
5 2019 Southeast Asian Games 877,811
The 30th Southeast Asian Games took place from the 30th November to 11th December, in the Philippines, which took over as host last minute (well, in 2015) after Brunei withdrew from the role.
6 Richard Jewell 804,072
This entry's story is one that will make you both sad and angry. A genuine hero whose actions at the Centennial Olympic Park bombing saved lives, he was then hounded by press and law enforcement and treated as a suspect on the flimsiest evidence. What brings him back into the public consciousness this week is the release, on 13th December, of Richard Jewell the film about his story.
7 Elizabeth II 747,579
Like the other royals on this list, it's a little hard to tell how much of the UK Head of State's appearance in Wikipedia's searches is down to her reappearance in Netflix's The Crown (this time played by Olivia Colman), how much is down to the amusing moment when she appeared to tell off her daughter for refusing to meet Donald Trump, and how much is down to her position as mother of the man now best known for coming up with some of the world's least convincing alibis.
8 Deaths in 2019 726,230
It'll never stop being interesting, will it. And, with only a handful more weeks for late additions to this article, perhaps it's more interesting than ever.
9 Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon 721,341
Another The Crown-based appearance on the list. Princess Margaret, recast for season 3 along with the rest of the cast, was portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter. And at least we can be sure she's mainly here due to the popular Netflix show and not for how she dealt with either Donald Trump or Jeffrey Epstein.
10 Knives Out (film) 633,007
After a dark sci-fi actioner and the bleakest Star Wars ever, Rian Johnson went for a lighter route with Knives Out, a comedic murder mystery starring Ana de Armas (pictured) as the caretaker of the victim, Christopher Plummer, among stars such as Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis and Toni Collette. Following much critical praise to the writing and acting, Knives Out is also keeping itself strong at the box office, with two straight weeks as runner-up to a certain Disney behemoth.

And a report someone writes, Once upon a December (December 8 to 14)

Most viewed articles of December 8 to 14, 2019

The year is ending, and in some good news the topics here are renewing. Even if the ever-present death list (#10) is responsible for the top entry with a dead rapper. There is also a TV event (#3), a British election (#5), a beauty pageant (#9), and people finding a way to escape religious persecution (#7) to counter the return of a biopic subject (#2), a streaming series (#4) and film (#6, #8).

Rank Article Class Views Image About
1 Juice Wrld 3,659,287
Jarad Anthony Higgins, aka Juice WRLD, who last year broke out with "Lucid Dreams", tragically had a fatal seizure at just 21 due to a pill overdose.
2 Richard Jewell 1,879,643
Clint Eastwood (pictured) is approaching 90, and doesn't seem ready to stop making movies. This time it was a biopic of this security guard who tried to contain the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, which has gathered some criticism for simplification of the events and controversial portrayal of a reporter, and opened at 4th place in the box office (behind two sequels and Knives Out).
3 Crisis on Infinite Earths (Arrowverse) 1,679,639
Every year, those DC Comics shows on The CW do a massive crossover. And 2019 had one inspired by the first DC event comic, bringing all heroes together to prevent the destruction of the multiverse. The event also had the return of two Supermen, Brandon Routh and Tom Welling (pictured).
4 The Mandalorian 1,093,421
The first live-action Star Wars TV series, exclusive to Disney+ and thus widely pirated, if only to see where that adorable Baby Yoda came from.
5 2019 United Kingdom general election 1,019,906
The lack of a Brexit withdrawal agreement led to a snap election, where the Conservative Party again got the majority of Parliament seats.
6 Jimmy Hoffa 952,929
A labor union leader who famously disappeared in 1975, Hoffa had already been the subject of an eponymous biopic starring Jack Nicholson, and now has been portrayed by another acting legend, Al Pacino, in our #8.
7 Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 873,457
India has now made it easier for persecuted religious minorities from the neighboring Muslim majority countries of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to get naturalized, with over 30,000 migrants expected to be immediate beneficiaries. The Act is controversial for its exclusion of Muslims, with the UN describing it as "fundamentally discriminatory", some states refusing to implement it, and protests leading to several deaths, thousands detained, and internet access cut off in several regions.
8 The Irishman[2] 839,331
Film award season has started to recognize Martin Scorsese's crime epic, so viewer interest remains high.
9 Miss Universe 2019 814,087
Even if some people question the relevance of beauty pageants in this day and age, they still gather attention. The winner was South African Zozibini Tunzi, leading to many congratulatory chants of "Wakanda Forever!" (to the disapproval of some).
10 Deaths in 2019 802,040
Cracked eggs, dead birds
Scream as they fight for life
I can feel death
Can see its beady eyes...
  1. ^ Combined views with Frozen 2, as the article got renamed during that week
  2. ^ Combined views with The Irishman (2019 film), as the article got renamed during that week

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Amazed(!) at how dense people are, regarding Tunzi's win on Miss Universe -Gouleg (TalkContribs) 14:32, 27 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you for the report. Your commentary makes the statistics more interesting. As for Elizabeth II, I haven't watched The Crown (yet), but I did read her article recently, out of curiousity. Mainly because I forgot how old she was... then, I ended up reading the whole article. Clovermoss (talk) 02:24, 31 December 2019 (UTC)[reply]

There's an error here. There's been no "Queen of England" title since 1707, it's Queen of the United Kingdom. The C of E God Save the Queen! (talk) 10:21, 4 January 2020 (UTC)[reply]




       

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