Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2019-06-30/Traffic report
Traffic report
Juneteenth, Beauty Revealed, and more nuclear disasters
- This traffic report is adapted from the Top 25 Report, prepared with commentary by Igordebraga (May 19 to 25, June 2 to 8, June 16 to 22) and Stormy clouds (May 26 to June 1, June 9 to 15).
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Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (May 19 to 25, 2019)
Ukraine melts, Westeros ends, India votes (May 19 to 25, 2019)
The top spot is taken by a nuclear disaster whose story is currently being told by HBO, who in the meantime contrasted the atomic plant going out with a bang by finishing their biggest hit show with whimper (#4, #5). On television there is also Netflix providing material on a serial killer (#8). From TV to movies, Disney getting heaps of money (#3) out of superheroes (#2) and cartoon remakes (#10), and lesser studios also making profits out of a killer (#7, #9). Closing it off, India went en masse to elect their parliament (#8).
For the week of May 19 to 25, 2019, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:
Rank Article Class Views Image About 1 Chernobyl disaster 
2,063,994 In 1986, a Soviet nuclear plant had one of its reactors explode, spreading radiation all over Europe and creating enough of a disaster that only the 2011 post-tsunami meltdown in Japan managed to match it. Both the accident at Chernobyl and the contamination cleanup efforts are currently dramatized in an eponymous HBO miniseries (#14). 2 Avengers: Endgame
2,022,223 
The culmination of the previous 21 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies finally leaves the top slot after a month in the lead. Viewer interest is still pretty high, which should be clear by both the high position and how much money Endgame is making, as it's behind only Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the US and Avatar worldwide. Speaking of that... 3 List of highest-grossing films 
1,746,719 
The above entry continues to move closer and closer to finally ending the reign of Avatar (just to show much a phenomenon a movie must be to earn $2.7 billion, no matter if tickets are more expensive now). And maybe our #10 will soon join this list, given there are three of those Disney remakes in the top 50? 4 Game of Thrones (season 8)
1,717,867 
"And now my watch is ended." The series finale became the most seen HBO telecast ever. Most of whom were certainly frustrated at what D. B. Weiss and David Benioff (pictured) gave them: on the good side, it wasn't a bleak and depressing gut punch like quite a few GoT episodes; on the bad side, it was a succession of anti-climactic moments that basically felt like a filmed book epilogue. Previous television sensation Lost, whose conclusion was also a point of contention, at least moved me when I watched it. And so Game of Thrones, along with being the biggest show of the decade, also joins fellow 2010s productions Dexter and How I Met Your Mother in the "are you seriously ending with that?" category. 5 Game of Thrones 
1,600,763 6 2019 Indian general election
1,399,845 
The biggest election ever, given a 67% voter turnout translates into 600 million people casting their ballots. No wonder India managed the seemingly impossible: kicked the Deaths in 2019 page out of the report, given six of the involved political parties entered the Top 25. 7 John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum 
1,054,267 
The franchise where seemingly everyone either has connections to a secret guild of assassins or doesn't care at the people being slaughtered next to them returns, and seeing Keanu Reeves (#9) killing people left and right is still fun as hell. Critics and viewers agree. 8 Ted Bundy
1,010,258 
In-between entries regarding a fictional assassin, a very real serial killer who has both a non-fiction miniseries and a dramatized biopic on him on Netflix. 9 Keanu Reeves
961,787 
The star of our #7, who will also have a voice acting gig this June in Toy Story 4, and whose slow aging probably means there is a painting of a decayed Keanu hidden in his house. 10 Aladdin (2019 film)
911,300 
Ever since Alice in Wonderland made a billion in the box office (it's still 36th in the list on #3!), Disney has decided to not hold back on taking their animated classics and remaking them with actors. The latest one is Guy Ritchie's Aladdin, based on a film released the same 1992 where lead actor Mena Massoud was born and new Genie Will Smith was still just the Fresh Prince (his first movie came out one year later). Reviews were mixed - and as someone who likes the original enough to make a Good Article out of it, this here writer was entertained but had objections to many of the additions\changes to make the movie longer - yet audiences didn't care as the movie already opened atop the box office with a $95 million gross.
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Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (May 26 to June 1, 2019)
Chernobyl 2: Fukushima Boogaloo (May 26 to June 1, 2019)
Liverpool won the Champions League. This is not on the report (I suppose it is old news when you have done something six times), but I'll be damned if I don't mention it. You're honestly lucky that every entry is not just me talking about the squad, to be frank. Anyway, apparently some other stuff happened in the past week, and some of it is below. Enjoy.
Without further ado, for the week of May 26 to June 1, 2019 the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:
Rank Article Class Views Image Notes 1 Chernobyl disaster
2,903,001 
As documented in #3, on 26 April 1986, during a supposedly routine test on reactor no. 4, the worst nuclear meltdown in the history of mankind occurred at the Chernobyl power plant, with a simulated power outage (and related lack of circulating coolant) leading to an uncontrolled chain reaction and explosion. Radioactive material was released and precipitated over much of the Soviet Union and Europe, leading to thousands of deaths, the establishment of an exclusion zone, and the complete abandonment of a city. 2 Avengers: Endgame
1,529,550 
You know what this is, even if you are one of the few who haven't witnessed the follow-up to the Snappening. The culmination of eleven years of movies has utterly dominated the pop culture of the past few weeks, and will likely persevere on the report for some more weeks to come. 3 Chernobyl (miniseries)
1,293,067 
Following the disappointing conclusion to Game of Thrones, many at HBO likely feared for their subscription numbers. Luckily, while their fantasy flagship was hitting every script-writing iceberg, it was also airing a fascinating and intricate miniseries investigating the nuclear meltdown of reactor 4 some 33 years ago. The series has evidently captivated Wikipedians and other internet denizens alike, as it now sits atop IMDb's list of highest rated TV shows. 4 Aladdin (2019 film)
1,253,745 
Unless your genie can do this, I am not interested. 5 List of highest-grossing films
1,124,486 
Ever since the gargantuan opening weekend of #2, hordes of people have clamoured to watch the progression of the Earth's Mightiest Heroes up the list, with many hoping the film could best the box office exploits of Avatar a decade ago. It seems now that this is unlikely to happen, owing to the large amount of competition faced by Endgame, and that Jimmy C will continue to rule the list, as he has done for twenty-two years. 6 Naomi Scott
1,108,131 
Previously best known as the Pink Power Ranger, Naomi Scott may just have found her breakthrough role following in the footsteps of Lea Salonga and introducing audiences to a whole new world as Princess Jasmine in the rebooted Aladdin, where she steals the show. 7 Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019 film)
1,086,049 
Critics have largely lambasted Legendary's second swing at Japan's beloved radioactive lizard. Apparently, it focuses too much on spectacle, and on the various battles of the monsters. Not entirely sure what the critics were expecting, to be perfectly honest, but the film is supposedly visually stunning, and has appeased those in the fanbase who wanted to see monstrous mayhem following the distinct lack of Godzilla in the previous entry to the series. Next on the titan's menu is a certain ape. 8 Kawhi Leonard
872,214 
I don't particularly follow the NBA, but even I have heard about the tale of Toronto's hero, who scored a buzzer beater to triumph over the 76ers en route to the Finals, and has continued a resurgence of form, accumulating scores of points both against the Bucks and the Warriors as the Raptors charge towards an illustrious title. 9 Beauty Revealed
801,549 
An unexpected (and perhaps slightly NSFW) entry into the report comes courtesy of the fine people of r/todayilearned. The 1828 painting (pictured) by Sarah Goodridge and given to her friend Daniel Webster was considered by TIL to be one of the first cases of sending nudes, hitherto erroneously thought by many to be a modern phenomenon. 10 Keanu Reeves
752,428 
One of the internet's favourite actors, Keanu's incredibly personable nature and devotion to his roles has endeared him to the masses. Recently, his career has been rejuvenated by his starting turn as John Wick, where he has justifiably received ample plaudits for his expert execution of the gun fu ballet vision of Chad Stahelski.
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Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (June 2 to 8, 2019)
Everything Old Is New Again (June 2 to 8)
The report might be about new events that are bringing in reader interest, but the subjects are mostly very old. The most represented decade are the 1980s: a nuclear disaster from 1986 (#1, #6); a crime from 1989 (#2, #7), plus a boxer from that year (#3); and a movie adapting a comic from 1980 (#5). Also on movies, there's an action star already into his fifties (#10), and superheroes that can go as far back as 1941 (#8) while making loads of cash (#9). And there's an historical event from 1944 (#4)!
Without further ado, for the week of June 2 to 8, 2019 the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:
Rank Article Class Views Image Notes 1 Chernobyl disaster
3,194,812 HBO just finished a miniseries (#6) about the worst nuclear incident ever, where a simulated power outage instead lead to an explosion in the Chernobyl power plant, spreading radiation across Europe and killing thousands. And yet the show has turned the Exclusion Zone into a hot tourist attraction. 2 Central Park jogger case 
2,641,123 
From a continental tragedy to a localized one, as back in 1989 Trisha Meili (pictured) ran some laps in Central Park before being assaulted and raped to the point of being left in a coma for 12 days. The lives of the five men accused of the crime, all of whom had to spend time in prison without actually being guilty, were documented in a Netflix miniseries (#7). 3 Andy Ruiz Jr.
1,605,524 
The new unified boxing heavyweight champion, having just defeated Anthony Joshua (#11) in an upset many compared to Mike Tyson's first loss. 4 Normandy landings
1,440,387 
How long, on this longest day, 'Till we finally make it through?
June 6 marked 75 years since D-Day, which helped the Allies turn the tides over in World War II and has been eternized by two movies, The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan (the latter of whom is my favorite movie and could be counted among the victims of Harvey Weinstein).5 Dark Phoenix (film)
1,437,421 
In 2006, The Dark Phoenix Saga was partially adapted in the contentious but financially successful X-Men: The Last Stand. 13 years later, the X-Men films have another go at it, with Sophie Turner's Jean Grey getting cosmic-level powers through the Phoenix Force in the franchise's last salvo - aside from an already delayed movie that got pushed to next year - before the Mutants are engulfed into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Critics didn't like it (this here writer thought it was OK, no matter if it wasn't anywhere as good as Logan), and box office is slow, with Dark Phoenix being topped at the weekend ranking by The Secret Life of Pets 2 (though international numbers were better). 6 Chernobyl (miniseries)
1,293,067 The miniseries telling the story of the 1980s incidents topping this list, one for HBO by Craig Mazin (who knew the guy behind dumb comedies such as Superhero Movie had a more serious interest?) and a Netflix one by Ava DuVernay (a quick rebound following the mess that was A Wrinkle in Time). 7 When They See Us
1,277,071 
8 Avengers: Endgame
1,273,295 
It's been nearly two months since Marvel Studios took the world by storm with the epic conclusion to 11 years of superhero movies, making $1 billion in one weekend and two by the following week. And yet what seemed to be poised to finally take down Avatar as the highest-grossing movie ever might need to settle for second place, given blockbuster season is slowing down the money made by Endgame to the point the $50-60 million necessary seem like a tall order. Not that distributor Disney is complaining, specially as the previous Marvel movie also broke a billion, and the studio is bound to release many other potential candidates in amassing revenues with ten digits. 9 List of highest-grossing films
1,002,125 10 Keanu Reeves
947,092 Born in Lebanon, raised in Canada, with a name out of Hawaii... and in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, Keanu also goes international in his stylish slaughter of people.
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Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (June 9 to 15, 2019)
We've got a city to burn (June 9 to 15)
The technophilic early adopters of society promised that, in the age of social media and YouTube, television would decline in influence. This report, along with several of its immediate predecessors, goes some ways towards dispelling this idea, instead demonstrating that millions of television aficionados are using Wikipedia on a second screen to research their favourite shows and the events that inspired them while absorbing the content, leaving the real life tragedies behind HBO and Netflix's latest hits atop the report. Outside television, we have entries arriving directly from the cinema, from various sporting disciplines, and from video games. It is far from the most diverse report ever produced, with an abnormal number of holdover entries, but it was nonetheless a joy to compile, curate, and comment upon. Enjoy.
Without further ado, for the week of June 9 to 15, 2019, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:
Rank Article Class Views Image Notes 1 Chernobyl disaster
2,623,668 
The 1986 nuclear disaster that has captured the attention of millions of Wikipedians for several weeks continues to preserve its exclusionary grip at the apex of the report. As you are doubtless aware, #7 has restored the catastrophic meltdown to the zenith of the zeitgeist, with millions investigating the accuracy of the excellent miniseries, and discovering, as the Soviets did, that RBMK reactors do explode, to the detriment of Eastern Europe. 2 Keanu Reeves
1,828,525 
You're breathtaking. 3 Central Park jogger case 
1,485,634 
Another real life tragedy that has been propelled back into the spotlight by an acclaimed miniseries, albeit a vastly more localised one than fatal fission mistakes at Pripyat. In 1989, Trisha Meili was raped while jogging through the famed New York park, and five teenagers with minority backgrounds were infamously wrongly convicted of the heinous assault, amidst a campaign proposing capital punishment orchestrated by (sigh) You Know Who. The imprisonment of the Central Park Five, and there subsequent exoneration, is explored in-depth by Ava DuVernay in #8. 4 Kawhi Leonard
1,464,897 
A certified memelord, Kawhi Leonard has become a surprising hero as he led the Raptors to the NBA Finals, scoring a vital buzzer beater against The Process and the Sixers, aiding in the hunting of the Bucks, and then racking up vital points against the Golden State Warriors to become MVP for the second time in his career, joining the ranks of LeBron, Kareem, and #21. 5 Avengers: Endgame
1,046,535 
When Captain America throws his mighty shield,
All those who oppose his shield must yield.
If he's led to a box office fight, and a Na'vi duel is due,
Then the red and the white and the blue will fall $40 million short of coming through.
So if you are fond of the ocean, then you may need to yield.6 Dark Phoenix (film)
1,031,137 
Sophie Turner has developed quite a knack for delivering abject, abominable endings to beloved series in recent weeks, hasn't she? In fairness to Mrs. Jonas, she does her best in the latest, and final, installment of the X-Men series as the eponymous fallen hero, but unfortunately cannot redeem a fundamental atrocious film. Kudos to Simon Kinberg for butchering the storyline again - he at least ensured, by scorching the series irredeemably, that fans won't object to the inevitable MCU reboot. 7 Chernobyl (miniseries)
857,950 
Two acclaimed miniseries by the current powerhouses of television programming dominate the report (again), reigniting public interest in horrific incidents of the Eighties (so, reverse nostalgia?). This recent spare of incredibly gripping miniseries, coupled with the prior release of the engrossing Sharp Objects, means that the Emmy race for Limited Series will be hotly contested, to a much greater extent than other categories. 8 When They See Us
851,319 9 List of highest grossing films
816,874 
Take down the bunting and throw out the cake, box office enthusiasts, as, barring some freakishly late resurgence in ticket sales, the top spot on this list will remain unobtainable, even for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, as it appears the aftermath of the annihilation of half the universe is a less enticing cinematic experience than Ferngully, but with aliens and borderline bestiality (gotta say James, that hair connection thing is suspect) 10 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
774,642 
The women's version of FIFA's premiere international tournament is underway en France currently, with the foremost nations in women's football doing battle on the pitch for the eternal glory that triumph will provide. The defending champions, the US, got their campaign underway with a 13-0 trashing of minnows Thailand, where they courted controversy for goal celebrations which many deemed to be excessive.
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Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (June 16 to 22, 2019)
A nuclear error, but I have no fear (June 16 to 22)
Wikipedia Calling to the faraway towns
Now movies (#3, #5, #7, #11, #20, #24) and the dead (#2 - who brought along #14 - #15, #25), are plenty when you come down
London calling, in the political world (#22, #23)
Come out to play in the grass, you boys (#9, #10, #13) and girls (#4)
Wikipedia calling, Chernobyl (#1, #17) and When They See Us (#6, #17)
Their stay up on the list hasn't yet bit the dust
Wikipedia calling, we got some assorted things
Google (#19), holidays (#8), nudes (#12), and people in the court (#16) and ring (#18)
I never felt so much alike alike alike. For the week of June 16 to 22, 2019, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:
Rank Article Class Views Image Notes 1 Chernobyl disaster
1,728,190 For the fifth week in a row, the top article is the nuclear power plant explosion that happened back in 1986, currently documented by an HBO\Sky miniseries (#17). 2 Gloria Vanderbilt
1,492,191 
A socialite who accomplished much in life - even before things such as becoming a fashion model and then designer and being the mother of Anderson Cooper, she was subject of a high-profile child custody trial - Mrs. Vanderbilt ("What's the use of worrying? What's the use of hurrying? What's the use of anything?") died at the age of 95. 3 Toy Story 4
1,464,897 
The living toys that launched off Pixar's feature career return for another go at a grand finale: part three had them moving onto another owner (their lives there earned some fun shorts), and now there's another go at "feeling useless" as Sheriff Woody starts getting neglected. It's the same emotional entertainment that Pixar (almost) never fails to deliver, scored glowing reviews and scored a massive $118 million to open atop the box office (followed by the revival of another franchise based around a living doll, but one much less family friendly). 4 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup
993,457 
Doesn't matter if the biggest winner of this tournament calls it "soccer", here we refer to it as football! And unfortunately the championship's all time top scorer Marta again fell short given that her team just got eliminated to France in a goal by Henry (oh no, not again). For all its love of the sport, Brazil has a tendency to neglect the females who play it, and the national team suffers as a result. 5 Keanu Reeves
979,420 
It's been quite the summer for Keanu, who is killing people in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, showed up at E3 to reveal he's starring in a video game, and now voices a funny Evel Knievel-esque doll in our #3. 6 Central Park jogger case
970,560 If the 1986 tragedy told by HBO at #1 hasn't left the list, why shouldn't the 1989 one told by Netflix remain for another week as well? 7 Avengers: Endgame
890,592 
Kevin Feige won't settle for second place in the list of highest-grossing films and just announced that the conclusion of the first 22 Marvel Studios productions will return to theaters with added scenes (extended cuts used to be something reserved for the Blu-Ray, but when it's about taking down Avatar, getting them earlier seems fair). 8 Juneteenth
823,109 
On June nineteenth, 1865, Texas abolished slavery, two and a half years after they were supposed to. 46 states celebrate this late liberation as a holiday, also known as Emancipation Day. 9 Gary Woodland
816,782 
After more than a decade as a professional, this golfer won his first major at the U.S. Open. 10 2019 Cricket World Cup
795,890 
India's favorite sport (also beloved in England, who is hosting, and many of its former colonies) continues to have its quadrennial tournament pretty high on our list.
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Exclusions
- These lists exclude the Wikipedia main page, non-article pages (such as redlinks), and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Since mobile view data became available to the Report in October 2014, we exclude articles that have almost no mobile views (5–6% or less) or almost all mobile views (94–95% or more) because they are very likely to be automated views based on our experience and research of the issue. Please feel free to discuss any removal on the Top 25 Report talk page if you wish.
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