Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/February 18 to 24, 2024
Appearance
Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (February 18 to 24, 2024)
[edit]Prepared with commentary by Rajan51, Igordebraga, I am RedoStone, Rahcmander, Shuipzv3, and CAWylie.
2 years after Ukraine was invaded, Russian controversies again get the top spot. Thankfully the rest of the list is the usual escapism.
Rank Article Class Views Image Notes/about 1 Alexei Navalny 1,165,437 Though the imprisoned Russian opposition figure died on February 16, ostensibly of natural causes as said by the authorities, it wasn't until February 24 that his body was released to his mother, after several attempts were denied, as well as pressure on his family into burying him in secret or within the prison grounds. His wife, Yulia Navalnaya, has vowed to continue his work. The US and UK announced sanctions on officials it said were connected to Navalny's death, as the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine looms. 2 Madame Web (film) 1,138,299 2023 demonstrated the "superhero fatigue", regarding audiences getting tired of so many comic book movies to the point they're not as willing to go to theaters for them, particularly if questionable quality and\or lesser-known characters are involved. And both these boxes are ticked by Madame Web, based on a minor Spider-Man side character and deemed just as bad as Morbius, showing that it takes more than allusions to the Webhead (including one of the final scenes being his mother giving birth to him!) to win over viewers, leading to sluggish box office and ensuring that sequel hook regarding a team of Spider-Women will probably never pay off. At least superheroes will stay away for a while, until Deadpool & Wolverine arrives in July. 3 J. Robert Oppenheimer 1,007,592 Oppenheimer already blew up the box office last year, and now the movie about the physicist who helped build the atomic bomb is wrecking up the awards season, the last one being the 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards, where along with all actors earning Outstanding Performance by a Cast, "Oppie" portrayer Cillian Murphy won Best Actor and Robert Downey Jr. Best Supporting Actor for playing the government official who questioned Oppenheimer's loyalty given his sympathy for Communism. Makes the movie's fans hopeful for its Academy Awards prospects on March 10. (In the meantime, Barbenheimer will become a trashy comedy-horror by Charles Band!) 4 Deaths in 2024 1,001,761 As it was in the beginning (one love)
So shall it be in the end (one heart)...5 Elimination Chamber: Perth 869,248 Australia received the latest WWE extravaganza, which included Rhea Ripley (pictured) defending her Women's World Championship belt. 6 Bob Marley 760,714 Bob Marley: One Love chronicled the reggae legend, particularly the period before and after the album Exodus, which adequate to the title is the source of the song "One Love". Reviews were mixed, praising the soundtrack and Kingsley Ben-Adir as the protagonist, but found director Reinaldo Marcus Green to play too safe into biopic conventions, yet audiences clearly approved as One Love led the box office and has already made over $100 million worldwide. 7 True Detective (season 4) 729,263 The newest season of this anthology crime series, starring Jodie Foster (pictured) this time, concluded on February 18. 8 Avatar: The Last Airbender (2024 TV series) 693,573 Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when M. Night Shyamalan attacked. 14 years passed, and Netflix released a new remake, and although it looks great, it has a lot to learn before it can live up to the original. Netflix's newest fantasy series is a retelling of the beloved animated series that premiered 19 years ago. While, it is certainly an improvement on the movie that does not exist, it is still not as good as the original. Netflix may have hoped for positive reception like their other live-action remake, One Piece series from last year, but that is not the case here, with the reception from both critics and audiences being quite mixed. While many fans want the series to get renewed for a second season, there are some who think that live-action remakes of animated movies and shows are disrespectful to animation as a medium. 9 Pakistan Super League 657,092 This year's edition of this cricket tournament began on February 17, and is set to conclude on March 17. 10 Griselda Blanco 642,260 If you want to hang out, you've gotta take her out, cocaine... Viewers are still intrigued by the late Colombian drug chronicled by Netflix on Griselda. 11 Taylor Swift 635,740 It was time for Australia to experience The Eras Tour, with the Melbourne Cricket Ground hosting 96,000 fans (the biggest crowds of her career) each night for three consecutive nights, before the show moves to Sydney's Accor Stadium for four consecutive nights. 12 Oppenheimer (film) 587,915 The main winner at this year's BAFTAs, Christopher Nolan's twelfth film received the award for Best Film (not "Best Picture" here), along with both the most awards (7) and nominations (13) overall, including #16 winning Best Leading Actor. 13 ChatGPT 572,206 The renowned writing tool powered by artificial intelligence continues to stay relevant even over a year after its initial explosion in popularity. 14 Ilia Topuria 498,311 This professional mixed martial artist who represents Georgia in the UFC became the undefeated Featherweight Champion on February 18. 15 Avatar: The Last Airbender 496,336 While the live action series was a big step up from the live action movie, it's safe to say that the animated original is the best version by far. 16 Cillian Murphy 479,904 The star of #12 won Best Leading Actor at the BAFTAs for his portrayal of #3. 17 Sydney Sweeney 476,087 In late 2023, one of the stars of Euphoria got a sleeper hit in Anyone but You, a raunchy romantic comedy based on Much Ado About Nothing. Yet her second Columbia Pictures movie in two months, #2, is far from the same success and deemed as a waste of her talents. In any case, Ms. Sweeney will soon return to theaters playing a nun in the thriller Immaculate. 18 Premier League 473,480 The latest season of English football rolls on, and three teams are neck-to-neck for the top position (Liverpool, who won the pandemic-hindered 2019-20 edition; Manchester City, who got the three titles ever since; and Arsenal, who are 20 years removed from their last, undefeated championship and choked away last year's title). 19 One Day (TV series) 473,146 This British series follows the 20-year relationship of two graduates from the University of Edinburgh. It stars Leo Woodall (pictured) and Ambika Mod and was the most-watched Netflix series last week. 20 Dune (2021 film) 466,225 Denis Villeneuve took a seminal sci-fi novel, adapted only half of it to ensure it worked properly, and the results earned much praise (including six Academy Awards) and money (over $400 million in spite of a pandemic and a simultaneous streaming release). The other half (#25) is about to reach theaters. 21 Bridgit Mendler 470,674 Following the footsteps of HedleyHedy Lamarr, an artist with an input on technology, as this singer and actress (who was once part of the Disney stable) became CEO of a satellite data startup.22 Robin Windsor 444,568 The professional dancer and choreographer, known for his appearances on Strictly Come Dancing, died on February 20, aged 44. 23 Albert Einstein 442,978 #12 features a brief appearance by the most famous physicist ever, and for those wanting more on the man who discovered the mass–energy equivalence that "fuels" nuclear weapons Netflix had the BBC docudrama Einstein and the Bomb. 24 Kagney Linn Karter 441,673 While the Argentinian Prime Video show Porno y helado had some inexplicable high views and got excluded, the former part of that title still got in for a sad reason, as adult actress Kagney Linn Karter killed herself at the age of 36. 25 Dune: Part Two 439,765 The conclusion to the epic filled with sand and worms at #20 was originally scheduled for November before the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes made Warner Bros. delay it to early 2024 (it will make this here writer's Leap Day very special!). Hype is high not only due to early reviews deeming it a masterpiece, but also AMC Theatres issuing a Sandworm-themed popcorn bucket of questionable design, down to inspiring a Saturday Night Live sketch!