Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/November 5 to 11, 2023

Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (November 5 to 11, 2023)[edit]

Prepared with commentary by Igordebraga, Ollieisanerd, Death Editor 2, CAWylie, GeorgeBailey, Rajan51 and a helpful IP.

⭠ Last week's report → Next week's report

November rolls on with India boosting its sports, movies and holiday, Netflix and Hollywood also making themselves present, and sadly the war in the Holy Land still rages on.

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	2023 Cricket World Cup	5,430,721	India hosts the world championship of its most popular sport and are dominating, winning all the games in the recently finished group stage. The semifinals have the Indians against New Zealand's Black Caps in one side, and the Australians facing South Africa's Proteas in the other. (also, even if these articles finally broke the 96% mobile views threshold that would warrant an exclusion, we'll give it a pass, it's only two more weeks anyway)
2	Cricket World Cup	4,193,641
3	The Marvels	1,472,894	As She-Hulk: Attorney at Law mocked, the Marvel Cinematic Universe sadly reached a phase earning much contempt by the manosphere, who were rooting against the return of Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, now joined by Iman Vellani's Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel (star of an eponymous show) and Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau (introduced as a child in Captain Marvel, but her adult form and powers first appeared in WandaVision). Even if analysts are expecting the MCU's lowest opening weekend for the film due to among other things superhero fatigue and promotion being kneecaped by the actors' strike only ending the day before The Marvels would open, critical reception has been mixed to positive, noting that it's a fun, unambitious project that can win audiences that don't go in expecting to hate the movie (how to disapprove a project with a musical number straight out of Bollywood). In any case, at least 2024 will reduce the MCU's overexposure, as the Hollywood strikes may have ensured Deadpool 3 will be the year's only theatrical release, before 2025 hits us with four more entries.
4	Deaths in 2023	918,367	"The world is tired, the year is old, the faded leaves are glad to die." – Sara Teasdale, Love Songs
5	Matthew Perry	911,854	The world continues to mourn the unfortunate and accidental death of Matthew Perry, which has not been given an official cause but is certainly linked to years of substance abuse (his autobiography recalls periods where he took dozens of pills per day, and that he spent millions of dollars trying to stop drinking). Among the tributes, HBO Max added a dedication to Perry at the start of each season of Friends.
6	2023 Israel–Hamas war	888,327	The armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip continues with a global outcry following attacks from Israel on schools filled with families seeking shelter. Embargoes against both sides' war crimes have been sought.
7	Leo (2023 Indian film)	888,124	Co-written and directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj (pictured) and released in mid-October, Leo has become the second-highest grossing Tamil film of 2023. It is the third in the Lokesh Cinematic Universe.
8	Virat Kohli	841,214	Making his fourth appearance in a Cricket World Cup (see #1 and 2), Virat has scored 1,000 runs this year (the eighth time in his career), and, on his birthday (November 5), he broke the record for the fastest 49th century (277 innings).
9	Diana Nyad	750,906	Netflix released Nyad, where Annette Bening plays this author and long distance swimmer who in 2013 decided at the age of 64 to swim from Cuba to Florida.
10	Josh Dobbs	671,189	Since being drafted into the National Football League in 2017, Dobbs has played for seven teams (some twice). On November 5, this perpetual second-string quarterback secured a comeback win for the Minnesota Vikings by throwing a touchdown pass, the first player at that position to do so consecutively for three different teams in one season.
11	All the Light We Cannot See	640,358	This 2014 novel set in World War II, centered around a blind French girl and a teenage German forced to join the Nazi army, was adapted into an eponymous miniseries by Netflix, starring legally blind actress Aria Mia Loberti, as well as Mark Ruffalo as her father.
12	Five Nights at Freddy's (film)	605,702	The Emma Tammi-directed film based on the popular video game series (see #24) continues to do well at the box office, now grossing north of $250,000,000.
13	Killers of the Flower Moon (film)	622,212	Directed by Martin Scorsese (pictured) who adapted the 2017 book of the same name, KotFM was released in theaters in October 20 (and soon will enter Apple TV+). Based on a series of Osage Indian murders that occurred over 20 years in the early 20th century after oil was discovered on the natives' land in Oklahoma, the film has already earned US$137 million and received Oscar buzz for those involved in the film.
14	Loki (season 2)	603,577	Only with its season/series finale the return of Tom Hiddleston as the Asgardian God of Mischief warranted an entry here. It's easy to see why, as Secret Invasion already frustrated those following the Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe shows, and the previous five episodes of Loki mostly focused on complicated time mechanics that would make Doctor Who jealous. The conclusion where Loki had to prevent the Multiverse from collapsing on itself made up for it, and between this and #3 now the MCU fans can take a rest until the return of the animated anthology What If...? by the end of the December.
15	Sage Stallone	595,583	Netflix released Sly, a documentary about action movie legend Sylvester Stallone (pictured), and yet the man himself got less views than his first son, who also acted - including as Rocky Balboa's son in Rocky V - and died at just 36 in 2012 of a heart disease.
16	Diwali	587,235	The Hindu festival of lights is celebrated in various cultures for nearly a week in the lunisolar months from mid-September through mid-November, symbolizing the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance".
17	Sylvester Stallone	568,146	Back to the Stallones, Sly served as a companion piece to the other 80s action legend documentary Arnold, and Stallone was even more ambitious in that he also delved into writing and directing, making him crucial in creating three memorable franchises in Rocky, Rambo and The Expendables. He even helped his brother Frank get some musical jobs.
18	Jawan (film)	553,311	While #7 ranks fifth among India's highest-grossing of 2023 (and it's close to overtaking Jailer as fourth), the first is this production that hit Netflix on the 58th birthday of star Shah Rukh Khan, November 2.
19	The Killer (2023 film)	532,148	Directed by David Fincher and starring Michael Fassbender (pictured), this film is based on the graphic novel of the same name and follows the titular assassin who gets embroiled in an international manhunt after a hit goes wrong. The film had a limited theatrical release worldwide in October and began streaming on Netflix on November 10.
20	Glenn Maxwell	528,937	The Australian cricketer scored a record-breaking double century to save his team from the jaws of defeat in last Tuesday's match in #1 against Afghanistan, leading to the elimination of his opponents from the tournament, and some well deserved recognition.
21	Robbie Williams	503,646	Netflix released Robbie, a documentary miniseries on the English singer that after leaving Take That remained very popular with hits such as "Angels" and "Rock DJ".
22	Taylor Swift	488,457	She began the Argentinian leg of the Eras Tour this week.
23	Suella Braverman	481,346	The former British Home Secretary drew attention by criticising some pro-Palestine protests in London which were planned to take place on the annual Remembrance Day services. Her comments were accused of stirring up a counter-protest in which the far right attacked police. She was then sacked by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on November 13, and was replaced by former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who in turn was replaced by former Prime Minister David Cameron (marking the first time a former prime minister served in a ministerial post in over 50 years).
24	Five Nights at Freddy's	475,026	The popular video game series and media franchise began in August 2014, about a night-time pizza restaurant employee who must defend himself against animatronic characters (Freddy Fazbear cosplay pictured) who become mobile and hostile. The media franchise has maintained a fanbase over the years, finally leading to a movie to be based on it (see #12).
25	Israel	474,151	Preventing a return from ChatGPT is one half of #6. As if bombings and ground invasions weren't enough, Israel earns extra criticism from the international community for cutting off resources from the Gaza Strip to make life even worse for those caught in the crossfire, with the Gazan health system being particularly hindered.