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Don't forget to read the 2021 annual top 50 report

Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (January 16 to 22, 2022)

Prepared with commentary by InPursuitOfAMorePerfectUnion, SSSB, Kingsif, Igordebraga

⭠ Last week's report Next week's report → Three weeks into 2022, all the reports have been topped by celebrity deaths.

Rank Article Class Views Image Notes/about
1 Meat Loaf 3,032,358 His name was Michael Aday. Better known by his stage name Meat Loaf, the bat out of hell who once proclaimed he would do anything for love (but wouldn't do that) was gone when the morning of January 21st came. He was best known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. Outside of music, he appeared in several movies from the excellent, to awful, and television shows, typically as himself.
2 Moon Knight 1,284,549 A trailer announced the return of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Oscar Isaac stars as the Egyptian-tinted alter ego of Marc Spector in a Disney+ show (#13) set to debut in March. This rich white man beats up criminals, drawing inevitable comparisons to another vigilante superhero with a flying mouse theme. The death of one of the cast (#9) brought further attention.
3 Eternals (film) 1,172,021 Inspired by the Jack Kirby comics and theories of ancient aliens, the Disney+ release of this film on January 12, continues to draw attention.
4 Deaths in 2022 972,182 In homage to #1:

Thought it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night
I can see paradise by the dashboard light

5 Tonga 895,072 On January 14, an volcanic eruption occurred on one of Tonga's many islands. The blast was reportedly heard as far away as Anchorage, Alaska, 9,700 km (6,000 mi) away (some two hours later, due to the speed of sound), with pressure fluctuations recorded as far away as the United Kingdom (almost literally the other side of the world), the eruption was so large that the there is a global cooling effect of 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) for the next 6 months, and the southern hemi-sphere will experience purple sunsets, due to the volume of ash. At time of writing (12:42 UTC, on January 23) there are 5 deaths, two from a tsunami in Peru. However, with contact with Tonga only established on January 20, with the arrival of aid, expect more news in the days to come.
6 Euphoria (American TV series) 867,667 The second episode of the second season aired on January 16, somehow the Wikipedia entry got three times more views than the episode (officially). I guess this is proof of the power of streaming...
7 Betty White 863,877 Betty White: A Celebration was released on January 17, being forced to change the original subtitle "100 Years Young – A Birthday Celebration" because White died on New Year's Eve, 17 days short of her centennial. The documentary shows well how long her acting career was for featuring friends across generations, from Clint Eastwood to Tina Fey.
8 Pushpa: The Rise 854,160 After making all the crore at the box office, this Tollywood movie is gathering streaming views on Prime Video.
9 Gaspard Ulliel 849,117 January already had three deaths in the acting world, the Frenchman whose career included turns as Hannibal Lecter and Yves Saint Laurent (and will have a posthumous role in #13), a comedian who won Emmys for Life with Louie and Baskets, and the father of Full House who also had a raunchy stand-up act.
10 Louie Anderson 831,044
11 Bob Saget 809,114
12 Spider-Man: No Way Home 780,028 The latest and the next Marvel Cinematic Universe releases. Adequately, in the animated world the two characters have fought together and against each other.
13 Moon Knight (miniseries) 715,144
14 Encanto (film) 689,713 Disney's latest animated film may have underperformed at the box office and is unlikely to break even but the original soundtrack is topping the charts.
15 Martin Luther King Jr. 688,961 The writer of (possibly) the most famous speech of all time would have been 93 on January 15. Whilst this is the day before this report's date range, the viewcount appears to have spilt over.
16 Archive 81 636,607 The latest Netflix scary show to gather attention, a James Wan-produced adaptation of the eponymous podcast where Dina Shihabi (pictured) and Mamoudou Athie research the catalogue of a missing filmmaker.
17 Scream (2022 film) 610,883 Usually, horror films come out in October, when there is most demand. So this is either 3 months late, or 9 early, depending on your outlook. Or maybe this is a clever strategy - no competition from other horror films. Who knows? Though at least Scream was deemed better than the films usually released in January.
18 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption and tsunami 579,762 This is possibly the strong eruption of the century, given all that was discussed in #5. The best-known Tongan, that fighter who appears in Olympic ceremonies half-naked and covered in oil, has revealed his family is among the affected.
19 Peacemaker (TV series) 572,694 You might think you know what you are going to get from this show, based on a DC comics character, starring wrestler-turned-actor John Cena, but the credits open with a big dance number to make you think again.
20 Anne Frank 556,645 Theories about the alleged betrayer of diarist Anne Frank abound. A new book confidently asserted they knew the culprit, others had serious doubts.
21 2021 Africa Cup of Nations 531,384 Playoffs are set for Africa's premier football championship, happening in Cameroon after a six-month delay. Defending champions Algeria embarrassed themselves and crashed in the group stage with no victories ( Ghana, who had one of the continent's best World Cup campaigns, also went nowhere).
22 Hunter Schafer 488,771 Schafer, who plays Jules in #6, had her first big break as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against North Carolina's transphobic Bathroom Bill. While Jules has been a main character in Euphoria since its premiere, this is Schafer's first appearance on the Report.
23 Dhanush 476,438 This Kollywood star, mostly recently seen in Atrangi Re, has announced his split from Aishwarya Rajinikanth, a marriage of 18 years and two children.
24 Black Knight (Dane Whitman) 467,905 #3 has again Kit Harington as a guy who knows nothing. Though the post-credits has Whitman finding the Ebony Blade to enable him to become a hero sometime in the MCU.
25 List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films 465,032 Kevin Feige's license to print money released four movies in the last six months, so it only returns in May. This year has three returns, Doctor Strange (plus the Scarlet Witch), Thor (plus the Guardians of the Galaxy), and Wakanda (sadly without Black Panther).