Wikipedia:2024 Top 50 Report
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Annual Top 50
[edit]2024 marked the return of death to the top spot of this list, but it certainly didn't happen because things were uneventful. Nothing was more inescapable than the American election and sure enough, it got half of the top 10 and double of that on the rest of the list. Hollywood has a strong showing as some of 2023's movies (one that started 2024 high on Prime Video's charts and two of the big winners of award season, plus the subject of one of them) are joined by a successful sci-fi adaptation and its predecessor, the obligatory superhero movie entry, a well-received thriller, an actress earning attention for both her film roles and her sex appeal, and the second coming of Barbenheimer in an historical epic and a big-budget musical that opened next to each other. For things watched at home, two sets of criminals chronicled on Netflix, two epic shows - one historical fiction, and another plain fantasy - and the streaming adaptation of a video game series. Across the world, India contributes an election and movie-related entries of their own, along with an entry for the country itself. Sports are present through the Olympics and a gymnast who shined there, two football tournaments and players apiece, and a boxer way past his prime who went out of retirement for a well-publicized fight with a YouTuber. Closing it off, three female singers, a war that was remembered and another that can't end soon enough, a rapper turned convict, a billionaire that's always on the news, the chatbot that topped last year's list, the country where most of the list's subjects originated, and returning to death, two of the year's deceased.
Prepared with commentary by:
- AndrewPeterT (4)
- Benmite (3)
- Bucket of sulfuric acid (2)
- CAWylie (3)
- I am RedoStone (1)
- Igordebraga (9)
- Ollieisanerd (3)
- Rahcmander (3)
- Serendipodous (4)
- Shuipzv3 (3)
- Soulbust (3)
- TheJoebro64 (4)
- Vestrian24Bio (8)
| # | Article | Class | Views | Image | Notes/about | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deaths in 2024 |  |
50,119,053 |  |
Averaging monthly views of around 4 million, this perennial death list was rarely out of weekly top-ten viewings. It only took a dip during the run leading up to #2 and nearly bottomed out of the top 25 the first week of November. Its daily peak (189,300 views) also came late with the announced death of actor John Amos, whose actual death was in August. | Oct. 1 (John Amos announced dead) |
| 2 | 2024 United States presidential election |  |
31,017,620 |  |
For the 60th time since the ratification of the Constitution of the United States in 1788, the American people decided who their next joint head of state and head of government would be. In 2024, voters were presented with multiple candidates, including two politicians representing major parties. These options included:
In the end, #4 and #6 won this election, earning approximately 77 million votes from the American people and a projected 312 (out of 538) votes from the Electoral College. Trump and Vance are the first Republicans to win the popular vote since George W. Bush and Dick Cheney in 2004, the first politicians since Barack Obama and #17 in 2012 to be projected to win at least 312 Electoral College votes, and the first Republicans since George H. W. Bush and Dan Quayle in 1988 to be projected to earn at least that many Electoral College votes. (As I state below in my entry for #45, psephology is a big personal interest.) As an aside, I would like to mention that Oliver/ter Maat, Stein/Ware, and none of the other third-party candidates are projected to earn any Electoral College votes. If this holds, George Wallace will remain the last non-Democrat and non-Republican to win any non-faithless Electoral College vote (which happened back in 1968), and Robert M. La Follette, who hails from this user's home state, will remain the last non-Democrat and non-Republican to win such a vote outside of the American South (which happened exactly a century ago!). (To the rest of the world: From this American, believe me when I say that Democrats and Republicans are not the only current political parties!) |
Nov. 6 (results announced) |
| 3 | Kamala Harris | |
29,477,367 |  |
One of the two major-party candidates for #2, endorsed by #11 and running on a ticket with #31 (acknowledging that Chase Oliver, Jill Stein, and multiple other individuals also ran presidential campaigns this year). The silver finalist of that election had a two-decade career in public service before launching the presidential campaign that helped her become the bronze finalist of 2024 Wikipedia page views. A graduate of Howard University and Hastings Law School, Harris's career can be defined with multiple firsts. These include:
|
Jul. 22 (day after announcing presidential campaign) |
| 4 | Donald Trump | |
27,503,458 | _(cropped).jpg) |
He did it. Somehow. I still haven't figured out how. But he did it—Donald Trump, one way or another, defeated #3 in #2 to become only the second US president re-elected to a nonconsecutive second term. (Grover Cleveland was the first, 132 years ago.)
After January 6th, an FBI search of his residence, losses in civil proceedings, and multiple indictments, Trump seemed unelectable, but he bulldozed his competition in the Republican primaries to become the GOP's nominee for the third election cycle in a row. Along the way, he continued his trademark blend of the firehose of falsehood with incendiary rhetoric (often to the point of absurdity—for instance, claiming that migrants in Springfield were eating cats and dogs during his debate with Harris). Along the way, he narrowly survived an assassination attempt in July, the photos of which are likely to feature in history books far in the future. Although polls generally leaned narrowly towards Harris, Trump managed to sweep every swing state and decisively defeated Harris in the Electoral College, in addition to achieving his first popular vote victory. Whether you like him or not, it's impossible to deny that Trump pulled off one of the most stunning comebacks in the history of US politics. He returns to office in a more dangerous world, as wars rage in Africa, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe; only time will tell whether he'll defuse hostilities or fan the flames. |
Nov. 6 (announced as election winner) |
| 5 | Lyle and Erik Menendez | |
27,015,032 | .png) |
And here is our annual dose (along with #21) of random criminals being heavily boosted by Netflix shows. I'm not quite sure what causes these kinds of shows to send so many people to Wikipedia compared to everything else, but they do, and here the Menendez brothers are as this site's fifth most visited article of 2024, behind only the death list and election-related stuff. Do you really think that Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story was a bigger cultural event this year than the two biggest sporting events (#15 and #16) and any new film (including the highest-grossing live action film at #7) that released this year? I suppose that at least they didn't outright top the list like Jeffrey Dahmer (who was actually the subject of the Menendez brothers show's predecessor) did two years ago...
I suppose that I should talk about what these two actually did that made them notorious in the first place. Born in 1968 and 1970, they shot their parents José and Kitty dead in 1989. After two trials, they were sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole in 1996. Unlike Dahmer and 2019's bronze medallist Ted Bundy, these guys are still alive, although don't expect to ever meet these two in person unless you are planning to be incarcerated at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. |
Sept. 21 (2 days after Netflix show) |
| 6 | JD Vance | |
23,985,531 | _(cropped).jpg) |
In 2020, a shameful piece of Oscar bait named Hillbilly Elegy adapted the memoirs of this guy who overcame a poor childhood in rural Ohio to join the Marine Corps and attend Yale Law School. His life ever since has gone seemingly even more as a movie, as in 2023 Vance became a Senator, and now with #4's election he's set to be the vice-president for the next four years. Like previous Trump running mate Mike Pence, Vance is controversial for conservative bordering on retrograde views, and during the campaign he caused fuss with quotes on Haitian illegal immigrants and the Democrats being ran by "childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made". | Jul. 15 (announced as Trump's running mate) |
| 7 | Deadpool & Wolverine | |
23,388,922 |  |
This year, Marvel Studios released only one film (the 34th film in the MCU and the 73rd Marvel film overall) for the first time since 2012, when the first Avengers film came out. Deadpool & Wolverine can be compared to Avengers not only because of high expectations, but also because it made approx.US$1.3 billion at the global box office, emerging as the second highest-grossing film of 2024, the 20th highest-grossing film of all-time, the seventh highest-grossing film in the MCU and the seventh highest-grossing Marvel film of all-time.
Ever since the conclusion of the Infinity Saga, the MCU has been off-track. Aside from three gooood films, all of its other movies have split opinions, lost money, or both, with netizens noticing a "post-Endgame curse". The firing of Jonathan Majors, who was already cast and introduced as the new big bad of the Multiverse Saga, really put the MCU's future at question. Meanwhile, Fox's X-Men Universe, which ended with two not so successful films, had its future questioned as well when its star player (and its "anchor being") Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman in eight films across 18 years, was killed off (in what was more like a send-off) in the 2017 film Logan. Other than the Deadpool films, every film after Logan hasn't been a commercial success. Most importantly, Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox resulted in the X-Men character rights being returned to Marvel Studios. All of this has kept long-time X-Men fans asking, "What's next...?" This film didn't just answer all those questions, it definitely delivered the pinnacle of entertainment, brought back classic portrayals, and showed that the MCU is back in delivering consistent hits! Kevin Feige definitely made the right choice to bring back beloved classic actors instead of recasting them to canonize the X-Men Universe as an alternate universe (Earth-10005), with the main MCU remaining as Earth-616. Furthermore, the MCU's adjacent X-Men universe, introduced in the post-credits scene of The Marvels, is expected to feature the cast of the original X-Men trilogy and to be introduced in the upcoming film The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Following the film, the MCU series Agatha All Along and What If...? were also critical successes, as opposed to some previous not-so good series. As for the future, Robert Downey Jr. is returning as Doctor Doom (most likely a variant of Tony Stark) and Chris Evans is returning as yet unknown role (most likely a variant of old Steve Rogers from Endgame in an earlier timeline). This means that most of the OG cast will be back in Avengers: Doomsday except Scarlett Johansson for now. MCU may have had only one film this year, but it wasn't the only Marvel film this year as Sony's cash grab attempts using Spider-Man Characters continued with three new films in the so-called Sony's Spider-Man Universe although it doesn't have a Spider-Man. These films were so bad, that no one even wanted to see them or even consider them as Marvel movies. Especially their third film this year, it was called "the worst comic book adaption of all-time" and it even got this so-called universe canceled. Now hopefully Sony returns these character rights back to Marvel Studios for them to be properly incorporated into the MCU as Sony is already eyeing other once-successful franchises to make cash grab attempts... |
Jul. 28 (2 days after release) |
| 8 | Project 2025 | |
20,215,406 |  |
The race to #2 led to the discussion of a variety of different subjects regarding policies from both presidential candidates, #3 and #4, and the general future of the United States, but no topic held such significance in people's minds than this 900-page document published by the Heritage Foundation outlining a plan for a Republican win in this election that would include the President seizing complete power over the executive branch, the replacement of appointed politicians with people loyal to the President, and the introduction of laws, mandates and values aligning with Christian conservatism.
The documents and the propositions written within it have been subject to dispute across several forms of shared media, with fears of the nation becoming an evangelical autocracy as a result of a Republican win surfacing among large parts of the voterbase, and opposition to the document becoming one of the largest driving forces behind votes for the Democrats. With #5 now having been re-elected as president, and with several of the authors and individuals behind the document having been appointed to major positions within the new administration, it seems likely that at least parts of the manifesto might see attempts to get officially implemented - however, it is ultimately a matter of time until it becomes evident how much of an impact the manifesto will actually have on future rulings of the government. |
Nov. 6 (Republicans win election) |
| 9 | ChatGPT | |
18,869,283 |  |
This AI chatbot topped last year’s report by getting over 52 million views in 2023, more than any article this year. Its page has seen a lot less attention in 2024. By all accounts, it’s only gotten better. New AI tech is being implemented all the time, making its responses more humanlike. It’s developer OpenAI released Sora, a similar tool for turning text prompts into videos. It has seen many competitors created as a direct result of its success, including those by large tech companies like Google and Microsoft, and even one for the man right below this entry.
Despite all of this movement and improvement, ChatGPT's page has seen an almost 2/3 loss in views. A lot of this is due to just how normalized AI has become over the span of just one year. In 2023, it was novel that a computer program could have conversations with you. It was seen as an amazing and terrifying advancement in technology. Just one year later, it’s completely normalized. Humanity has managed to make pretty good artificial intelligence and we’ve already grown bored of it. Only time will tell if this trend continues and AI becomes ingrained in society, or some massive advancement shakes things up. When asked for its take, the bot itself says that "in 2025, chatbots will evolve from novelties to indispensable tools", so I guess we should expect to see this page even further down in next year's report. |
Jun. 11 (ChatGPT and OpenAI announced their partnership) |
| 10 | Elon Musk |  |
18,719,390 | .jpg) |
Well, I guess my wish won't be coming true any time soon. | Nov. 13 (confirmed on Trump's cabinet) |
| 11 | 2024 Indian general election | |
18,499,431 |  |
Great logistics were necessary so even the most remote places of the world's second biggest population could take part in the largest election ever, with 642 million voters choosing the 543 representatives of the Lok Sabha, one of India's two Parliament chambers. The number of political parties in India is also quite big, with 6 national parties and 58 state ones (along with thousands of unrecognized ones), that in the election were mostly split into the incumbent National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (yes, INDIA). The problems with the the government that has been up for a decade have been thoroughly discussed, particularly the religious intolerance and democratic backsliding to stifle criticism (which even manifested in the election itself with hate speech and arresting opposing politicians in the months preceding the voting), yet the NDA still won the election with 293 seats, 240 specifically from the party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi (a slight fall from the 303 in 2019), so maybe we shouldn't expect many changes to the country's political landscape. | Jun. 4 (3 days after the end of the election) |
| 12 | Taylor Swift |  |
18,338,133 | _2.jpg) |
In many ways, 2024 saw a continuation of Swift's unprecedented level of popularity and media attention that began in 2023. Regrettably, the year did not start on a positive note for Swift, as AI-generated deepfakes of her were proliferated on social media, particularly #10's X (formerly known as Twitter). Right-wing political commentators also accused Swift and her boyfriend Travis Kelce of being part of a US government psy-op to re-elect #17.
In February, at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, Swift became the first artist in history to win Album of the Year four times. She also announced her next album, The Tortured Poets Department, and headed to Asia to resume The Eras Tour, in which #26 served as opening act for the Australian and Singaporean shows. She also managed to attend Super Bowl LVIII to see her boyfriend win his third Super Bowl; the match was the most-watched program in American television history. TTPD was released on April 19, but Swift surprised her loyal Swifties yet again when she released a second volume of songs after two hours. The album was an immediate smash in terms of sales and streaming in dozens of countries, though critical reception was polarized. The European leg of The Eras Tour began in May, with TTPD incorporated into the setlist. Unfortunately, more tragic news would follow. On July 29, a 17-year old carried out a mass stabbing at a Swift-themed dance workshop in Southport, UK; misinformation about the attacker became a catalyst for the 2024 United Kingdom riots. In August, an Islamic State-connected terrorism plot forced the cancellation of three Eras Tour concerts in Vienna, Austria. Also in August, #4 posted AI-generated images asserting that Swift is supporting him for #2. After countless thinkpieces about Swift's silence on the election, on September 10, after the second presidential debate, Swift threw her support behind #3 and #31, in a statement signed "childless cat lady" that was perhaps a swipe at #6. In response, #10 "offered" to "give (Swift) a child". #4 also did not take her endorsement for the Democrats well, posting on social media in all caps "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!". The Eras Tour wrapped up in Canada in early December, with a limited-edition photobook about the tour published around the same time. The tour set the record for the highest-grossing tour of all-time at more than US$2 billion. Swift gave $197 million in bonuses to the crew. (If anyone from Taylor Swift Inc. is reading this, are y'all hiring? Not asking for a friend.) |
Feb. 12 (day after Super Bowl LVIII, which she attended) |
| 13 | 2020 United States presidential election | |
17,413,241 |  |
Donald Trump's (#4) presidency was as eventful as expected, as seemingly every week he had a controversial statement or decision (even if some were unsuccessful, like trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act or build the border wall). And during the election year, a pandemic hit and the federal administration's response was widely criticized, best illustrated by how at first Trump was dismissing COVID-19 as "like a flu" only to be infected by it in October. All of this led many of his voters to turn on him, and after seemingly endless 5 days of vote counting, former vice-president Joe Biden (#17) had been elected with a record number of votes. Trump was a sore loser and repeatedly tried to claim fraud and overturn the election, which only resulted in him getting an impeachment and two indictments — plus that deplorable scene of his supporters raiding the Capitol. Biden still moved to the White House in 2021, and both the decisions of his presidency and the posture of vice-president turned presidential candidate Kamala Harris (#3) led to the defeat of the Democrats this year (#2). | Nov. 6 (2024 election results) |
| 14 | United States | |
17,402,734 | .svg) |
With so many articles on this list being composed of individuals from and events revolving around the US (21 articles to be exact, if also counting people and media from the States in general) as well as a massive part of the Wikipedia userbase being from the US, it's no wonder the country itself has made it onto the list this year as well. 2024 was an especially eventful year for the star-spangled nation, with #2 occurring in its entirety from the lead-up and everything around the candidates (#5 and #17, with #3 later taking on the latter's place) to the election itself, along with general political turbulence and heated discussions on societal and cultural issues. | Jul. 15 (2024 Republican National Convention) |
| 15 | 2024 Summer Olympics | |
16,258,961 |  |
Paris was host to the 33rd Olympiad from July 26 to August 11. It was the third time the city has hosted the Games (1900 and 1924, previously) and the second city after London (4) to host as many. Paris was awarded the host honors in 2017 and was ultimately only in contention with Los Angeles, following numerous withdrawals from other cities. The opening ceremony broke tradition by parading the entrants by boat along the Seine, rather than being held in a stadium. The programme had mixed reviews. Paris broke all-time records for ticket sales, with more than 9.5 million tickets sold.
As for the Games, the U.S. won the most medals (126), but was tied with China in gold medals (40), a first in Olympic history. Chinese swimmer Zhang Yufei won the most medals with six (one silver, five bronze), while French swimmer Léon Marchand had the most gold medals with four. American gymnast Simone Biles (#38) won four medals; three of them, gold. The Games were rife with concerns and controversies, all the while occurring amidst the Israel–Hamas war (#32) and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as Olympic officials allowed athletes from both Israel and "neutral" Russian and Belarusian participants to compete. |
Jul. 27 (first day of medal events) |
| 16 | UEFA Euro 2024 |  |
15,817,710 |  |
Germany received 24 European national teams for the 17th edition of the continental tournament. The usual array of disappointments (Croatia followed two World Cup semifinals with crashing on the group stage) and surprises (first-timers Georgia beat Portugal to qualify for the playoffs, Switzerland eliminated defending champions Italy and gave a scare to England) rolled on before a final between the ever-unlucky English Team hoping to get their first title and "La Fúria" of Spain aiming for a record fourth. Young Lamine Yamal (who turned 17 the day before the game!) served Nico Williams to open the score for Spain, Cole Palmer tied, but in the final minutes Mikel Oyarzabal put Spain ahead again, and two saves right in the goal line afterwards guaranteed the championship, while not breaking the massive jinx put upon Harry Kane that makes him score so many goals but never lift a trophy. And two of the Spaniards even followed European glory with the Olympic one (#15), as one month after the final Álex Baena and Fermín López were in Spain's under-23 team that won gold in Paris. The next edition in 2028 will be another chance for England to finally go through, given they're one of five co-hosts with the three other Home Nations and Ireland. | Jun. 26 (final day of Groups E and F) |
| 17 | Joe Biden | |
15,467,504 | .jpg) |
This octagenarian, who is, believe it or not, still the President of the United States, has had a bumpy year, both in his career and in his Wikipedia viewership. Last year, he saw his views eclipsed by Donald Trump, despite his being the US President and Trump's no longer being so. This year, as he ran for re-election, his views increased by 35 percent, and he was still beaten in views by Donald Trump. His annointed successor, Kamala Harris, beat both handily, which suggests that, sadly, Wikipedia is no substitute for equally inaccurate polls. | Nov. 6 (Trump becomes his successor) |
| 18 | Kalki 2898 AD | |
15,082,514 |  |
Two biggest Indian films of the year, #21 and this, both from Tollywood has made it onto the Top 50 list, as these two films definitely shattered multiple box office records to emerge as the 2nd and 4th highest-grossing Telugu films of all-time and as the 3rd and 7th highest-grossing Indian films of all-time (#27) respectively.
This epic science-fiction action film directed by Nag Ashwin (pictured) and produced by Vyjayanthi Movies, starring an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan, Prabhas, Deepika Padukone and Disha Patani was released in the last week of June and opened to positive reviews. Inspired by Hindu scriptures, it is the first instalment in a planned Kalki Cinematic Universe with a second film titled Kalki 2898 AD: Part 2 to enter production in February 2025. Set in a post-apocalyptic world in the year 2898 AD, this film follows a select group who are on a mission to save lab subject SUM-80's unborn child, Kalki. |
Jun. 28 (day after release) |
| 19 | Cristiano Ronaldo | |
15,073,701 |  |
Regarded as one of the best football players of all time, CR7 began his second year with the Saudi club Al Nassr. He soon became the first footballer to finish as top scorer in four different leagues (English, Spanish, Italian and Saudi) and equalled Rogério Ceni's record for most top-level matches by a male professional footballer (1,225). At the UEFA Euro 2024 (#16) in July, he became the first player to feature in six European Championships, surpassing his own record of five. In September at the UEFA Nations League tournament, he scored his 900th career goal. | Jul. 5 (eliminated from Euros) |
| 20 | Sean Combs | |
14,146,031 |  |
2024 was not a good year for the American rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs. In February, his Grammy nomination for his intended comeback album was overshadowed by the multiple sexual assault lawsuits being filed against him, many of which assaults were alleged to have taken place at the notorious Diddy parties. This culminated in March when Homeland Security raided his properties on a search warrant for an investigation, and his former associate Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones accused (P.) Diddy of sexual assault, keeping sex workers, and having a drug mule. In May, CCTV footage emerged of Diddy beating his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura in a hotel in 2016. In September, "Puff Daddy" was indicted by a federal grand jury, being charged with sex trafficking along with racketeering, with judge Arun Subramanian setting the trial start date for May 5, and Combs was denied bail three times.
It was also revealed that 784 dildos and over 1,000 bottles of baby oil were discovered at Diddy's homes when they were raided, which of course led to many amusing internet memes revolving around how does one acquire such a preposterous quantity of baby oil. In December, P. Diddy was sued along with Jay-Z for allegedly raping a 13-year old girl at an MTV Video Music Awards party in 2004. By the end of the year, Diddy was being held at the same Brooklyn detention center as the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter and the crypto scam man, leading to memes comparing the prison with Arkham Asylum. At least we now know for certain that there's "Ain't no party like a Diddy party". |
Mar. 26 (Homeland Security raids his properties) |
| 21 | Pushpa 2: The Rule | |
13,742,110 |  |
Two biggest Indian films of the year, this and #18, both from Tollywood has made it onto the Top 50 list, as these two films definitely shattered multiple box office records to emerge as the 2nd and 4th highest-grossing Telugu films of all-time and as the 3rd and 7th highest-grossing Indian films of all-time (#27) respectively.
This action-drama film directed by Sukumar and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, starring Allu Arjun (pictured) in the titular role, alongside Rashmika Mandanna, and Fahadh Faasil was released in the first week of December and opened to positive reviews. It is the second instalment in the Pushpa film series with a third film in the series titled Pushpa 3: The Rampage set to be released in 2028 or early 2029. This film follows Pushpa Raj, a small-time daily wagerer risen to the ranks of sandalwood smuggler, who struggles to sustain his business as he faces tough opposition from the police led by Shekhawat. |
Dec. 6 (release) |
| 22 | Griselda Blanco | |
13,675,099 |  |
Netflix already spent quite some time telling the story of notable drug dealers on Narcos and Narcos: Mexico. So earlier this year the subject returned with Griselda, where Sofía Vergara played the ex-wife of a former Colombian drug lord who became a "Godmother" of the cocaine business in Florida, and even caused many of the deaths in the Miami drug war. The DEA arrested her in 1985, and Blanco only left prison due to a compassionate release for frail health in 2004, returning to Colombia and being murdered execution-style 8 years later, at the age of 69. | Jan. 28 (3 days after Griselda) |
| 23 | Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | |
13,390,576 | _(cropped).jpg) |
Last year, this member of the most famous family in US politics ran for the Democratic nomination for presidents, following in the footsteps of his father and both of his uncles. Unlike those three, RFK Jr. has since abandoned the Democrats, running as an independent before eventually endorsing Trump's campaign. It was rumored that this endorsement was offered to whichever candidate would give him a cabinet post, and that seems to have come true with Trump announcing him his nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Considering the fact that RFK Jr. is an antivaxxer conspiracy theorist who has a history of unscientific medical claims, this has caused a lot of controversy. His ascendancy to the post isn't guaranteed, with some Republican opposition to his rhetoric against the polio vaccine coming from the senator so old he actually had polio at one point. | Aug. 24 (day after withdrawing presidential campaign) |
| 24 | Dune: Part Two | |
13,311,020 |  |
When David Lynch made the first attempt at a Dune adaptation to reach theatres in 1984, he requested that it be split into two parts. But it was the 80s, and unless you were George Lucas, you couldn't do that. The result was a box office bomb. While it was just as likely the pustules on the face of the Baron or the drinking live crushed frogs that turned off audiences (Lynch is a man with very particular artistic vision, whether it applies to the source material or not) one cannot deny that had he had his wish, the project would likely have been superior. 40 years later, even Bollywood is splitting movies into two parts, and so the correct artistic decision finally made economic sense. Dune: Part Two became the 5th highest grosser of the year worldwide, and with a third chapter currently in development, and a TV series just renewed for a second season, it seems Dune has hit the zeitgeist like at no point since the 60s. | Mar. 3 (ends opening weekend atop box office) |
| 25 | Liam Payne | |
13,183,505 |  |
In 2008 and 2010, English pop singer Payne appeared on The X Factor. Following his second appearance, he was asked to join the boy band One Direction. The group became one of the best sellers of all time, before taking a lengthy hiatus in 2016. Payne went solo, releasing instant multi-platinum and gold records. Despite all the success, Payne struggled with substance abuse and mental illness, and, on October 16, he fell from a third-floor hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. His newly released song, "Teardrops", reached No. 3 on the downloaded singles charts, and public interest in his music was rekindled. | Oct. 17 (announcement of death) |
| 26 | Sabrina Carpenter | |
12,658,850 | .jpg) |
She made her acting debut with a guest role on one of the longest running TV series in 2011. In January 2013, she got cast in a Disney series as a tomboyish, social and street-smart girl, which kick-started her acting career along with her singing career. But it wasn't until 2015, when she released her debut studio album, a teen-pop album with elements of pop folk, that her her musical career got kick-started.
Nearly nine years after the release of her debut album—along the way, she had four more albums, a few films, and some TV appearances—her sixth studio album, Short n' Sweet, came this year. Sabrina even served as the opening act on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour to promote the then-upcoming album. Its first single "Espresso" was released on April 11 and peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She followed it up with a second single, "Please Please Please", on June 6, which became her first number one single on the Hot 100. With these songs, she became the first female artist to hold the number one and two positions on the UK singles chart for three weeks in a row. She was featured as musical guest on Saturday Night Live's season 49 finale, where she performed "Espresso" along with a medley of two other songs and portrayed Daphne Blake in a pre-recorded sketch. Short n' Sweet was released on August 23 and debuted atop the Billboard 200. Every song from the album charted within the top-50 of the Hot 100. The third single, "Taste" was released alongside the album and debuted at number two on the chart. The three singles have remained simultaneously in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks, a record for any female artist in history. Sabrina also became the first artist in 71 years to spend 20 weeks atop the UK singles chart in a calendar year, with "Taste" becoming the longest-running UK number one of 2024. In September, Sabrina embarked on the Short n' Sweet Tour, her first arena tour, and teased a Netflix holiday special, A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter, for which she served as a producer. The special was released on December 6, and featured duets with Chappell Roan (#41) and Tyla, among others. On December 10, it was reported that "Espresso" garnered the most streams globally on Spotify during 2024, hitting 1.6 billion streams. She also won and got nominated for a handful of awards this year, but it would require at least two paragraphs to list them here at this rate, so just head over to her awards page and see them if you wanted. Just know there were a total of 38 nominations this year alone. |
Aug. 23 (Short n' Sweet released) |
| 27 | List of highest-grossing Indian films | |
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They don't say "Indian cinema is the second biggest film industry in the world after Hollywood" for nothing... or is it?
Two biggest Indian films of the year, Pushpa 2 (#21) and Kalki 2898 AD (#18), both from Tollywood has made it onto the Top 50 list, as these two films definitely shattered multiple box office records to emerge as the 2nd and 4th highest-grossing Telugu films of all-time and as the 3rd and 7th highest-grossing Indian films of all-time respectively. On an overall look, out of the top 10 grossing films 4 has came from Tollywood, with 5 from Bollywood but, out of the top 5, 3 from Tollywood and only one from Bollywood. Although Kollywood has actors with international fandom unlike others it couldn't make it past 15th place. At the end of 2024, the top 3 highest-grossing Indian films are Dangal (2016 – Bollywood film), Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017 – Tollywood film) and Pushpa 2. Now considering the numbers as of 2024, compared to the 50th (Alice in Wonderland, US$1.025 billion) and 1st (Avatar, US$2.924 billion) highest-grossing films...
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Dec. 14 (Pushpa 2 becomes third overall) |
| 28 | Shōgun (2024 TV series) | |
12,516,863 |  |
An adaptation of a 1975 novel that had been previously made into a miniseries in 1980, Shōgun is set in 1600 as English maritime pilot John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) is shipwrecked in Japan, whose only European visitors back then were Portuguese missionaries and merchants, and gets closer to Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), one of the country's five regents, eventually becoming one of his samurai as Toranaga decides to reunite the nation as its sole ruler. No matter if it's made by American channel FX, given most of the cast and spoken dialogue is Japanese, hard not to consider the show another case of viewers overcoming cultural and language barriers, helped by Hulu offering an English dub, to enjoy an epic story told with lavish production values. Shōgun was the top-streamed show of the year in North America, well-received in Japan for its respectful and faithful depiction of the country, and its critical acclaim was extended to setting a record at the Emmy Awards, where by winning 18 categories (including Outstanding Drama Series) it became the most awarded single season of television. Such a runaway success made what was a miniseries to get extra seasons greenlit, though probably with original stories rather than adapting the other books of the Asian Saga which go through varied time periods and countries. | Feb. 28 (day after episode 2) |
| 29 | World War II | |
12,515,618 |  |
Public interest on this conflict always remains strong, as this page gets at least 8 million views every year and was present in the inaugural edition of the Annual Report. A multitude of things helped WWII get back, such as having two movies set in it during the Academy Awards (the big winner down there at #46, and The Zone of Interest); the 80th anniversary of one of its turning points, D-Day, also the subject of two movies; and the waves of conservatism bringing up bad memories of fascism per Godwin's law - on one hand, Kanye West declared his admiration for Hitler; on the other, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle offers the possibility of burning all Nazi posters the player can find. | Jun. 6 (80th anniversary of D-Day) |
| 30 | Jimmy Carter | |
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The 39th president of the United States finally celebrated his 100th birthday on October 1, becoming the first former American president to become a centenarian. He had already been the longest-lived ex-U.S. president since 2019, surpassing George H. W. Bush, and the president with the longest post-presidency since 2012, surpassing Herbert Hoover. Carter, a Democrat, narrowly defeated the incumbent Republican president Gerald Ford to become the U.S. president in the 1976 election. His presidency was marked by: the establishment of the U.S. departments of Energy and Education, Proclamation 4483, imposing a grain embargo against the Soviets, along with the infamous rabbit incident. After being defeated by the Republican nominee Ronald Reagan in the landslide 1980 election, Carter founded the Carter Center, a non-profit charity with the intent of expanding human rights. His work with the Carter Center lead to him being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter died aged 100 on December 29 in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, he had been receiving hospice care for almost two years, and his First Lady whom he had been married to for 77 years, Rosalynn, died in November 2023. | Dec. 30 (day after death) |
| 31 | Tim Walz | |
11,777,623 |  |
Tim Walz is a famous Dreamcast enthusiast known for his enjoyment of Crazy Taxi. Oh, and he was also #3's running mate. | Aug. 6 (announced as #3's running mate) |
| 32 | Israel–Hamas war | |
11,623,251 |  |
The war between Israel and the Hamas-led network of Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip raged for the year as no progress was made on a ceasefire. Israel's campaign to destroy Hamas, which initiated the war with last year's deadly October 7th attacks, attracted international condemnation and inspired countless protests as the conflict became the deadliest in the entire history of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.
Many of the international community's worst fears were realized as Israel's cold war with Iran escalated into a direct confrontation between the nations, including the first Iranian attack on Israeli soil. The war also instigated a broader regional crisis that included a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, attacks on shipping in the Red Sea by the Houthis (with assistance from Iran and Russia), the assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah's leaders by Israel, and the Syrian civil war flaring up again with a series of opposition offenses that led to the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's Ba'athist regime. As the year ends, Iran's Axis of Resistance has been decimated, leading to fears that Iran will weaponize its nuclear program in an act of desperation. Back in Gaza, Israel and Hamas both stand accused of war crimes, including the use of human shields, using starvation as a weapon of war, and—perhaps most severely—genocide. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli and Hamas leaders, and allegations of genocide by Israel are under review by the International Court of Justice. US support for Israel emerged as a major issue in #2. The war has also distracted the international community from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which didn't make the top 50 this year despite continuing for a third year with an intervention by North Korea and seemingly no ending in sight. |
Apr. 14 (Iranian missiles hit Israel) |
| 33 | India | |
11,572,485 |  |
Like my home country (#14), India was once part of the British Empire, with George VI serving as their last emperor. Now, 77 years after their independence in 1947, the most powerful economy in the Commonwealth of Nations by nominal GDP has a coalition government led by Narendra Modi, thanks to the say of voters in #10.
More tangentially, various political figures in #14 whose ancestors hail from India have made headlines in 2024, including:
Finally, current events aside, as a user interested in linguistics, I have been fascinated by the number of languages of India. Contrary to assumptions in my social circle, English and Hindi are far from the only tongues spoken in the country! |
Aug. 22 (opposition protests) |
| 34 | J. Robert Oppenheimer | |
11,536,746 | 
|
The life of the "father of the atomic bomb" was dramatized in #46, covering his studies, his direction of the Los Alamos Laboratory under the Manhattan Project which built and tested the first nuclear weapons, and the 1954 hearing which resulted in the revocation of his security clearance. "Oppie" was portrayed by the Irish actor Cillian Murphy, who won an Oscar, a BAFTA, a SAG and a Golden Globe. | Feb. 18 (Oppenheimer wins BAFTAs) |
| 35 | House of the Dragon | |
11,455,980 |  |
A Song of Ice and Fire franchise started out as a series of high fantasy novels by the American author George R. R. Martin. The first volume, A Game of Thrones, was published in 1996 and five out of seven planned volumes has been released so far. The fifth entry in the series, A Dance with Dragons, was published in 2011, with the sixth novel, titled The Winds of Winter, and the seventh novel, titled A Dream of Spring, under works. In 2006, D. B. Weiss and David Benioff decided to adapt the novels into an HBO series which initially adapted the first novel and went on to adapt all 5 then released novels and outline from the forthcoming 6th and 7th novels along with original content as well through 73 episodes across 8 seasons from 2011 to 2019. Throughout its 8-years run it dominated viewership charts and topped leaderboards and accolades, thus sequels were imminent.
This prequel series adapting Martin's 2018 fantasy novel, Fire & Blood was green lit a few months after the GoT finale. This series begins about 100 years after the Seven Kingdoms are united by the Targaryen conquest, nearly 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, and 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen. It portrays the events leading up to the decline of House Targaryen, a devastating war of succession known as the "Dance of the Dragons". The series premiere in 2022 was watched by over 10 million viewers across the linear channels and HBO Max on the first day, the biggest in HBO's history. The first season ended with things set-up for the forthcoming war keeping audiences waiting for the second season which premiered this year. However, the showrunners decided to move the war to third season while, using the entire second season as a filler season which viewer didn't like but that didn't affect the interest at all and throughout the season's run the series appeared in the Top 25 reports every week (except one due to the political stuffs). Now the show has been renewed for a third season and hopefully they'll do the war, but don't over-expect it because a fourth season is also in the works so who knows... Another treat being cooked for the GoT fans is the second prequel series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms which will be based on Martin's fantasy novellas, Tales of Dunk and Egg which is taking place 90 years before Game of Thrones meaning it's set right between Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. It will follow the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall (who would become the future Lord Commander of the Kingsguard) and then prince Aegon Targaryen (who would become the future King Aegon V Targaryen). The filming for the first season is wrapped and is set to premiere in 2025. |
Aug. 5 (day after season finale) |
| 36 | Poor Things (film) | |
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Mar. 11 (day after winning 4 Oscars) | |
| 37 | Sydney Sweeney | |
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Poor Sydney Sweeney. A talented young actress, who got star turns in the production hell-bound teen drama Euphoria as the controversially chest-baring Cassie and in the stripped-down biopic Reality about an NSA whistleblower whose real name is really Reality Winner in real life, Sweeney has become a straight male punching bag for her own Thankfully, 2024 put us further on the path toward treating Sydney Sweeney as more than just a poorly-rendered AI fantasy girl. She and co-star Glen Powell managed to convince everyone to go see last year’s romcom romp Anyone but You, their loose Shakespeare retelling that inexplicably does not feature that Moldy Peaches song from Juno, by also convincing everyone that they were involved in a behind-the-scenes affair. Sweeney getting bit by a spider on set I guess made her think Madame Web, arguably this year's biggest flop, was a good idea, but all's well that ends well: it was apparently what allowed Anyone But You, which she also executive produced and which became a veritable hit, to even get made in the first place. Immaculate followed, a horror movie about nuns that she produced and starred in, and even if it didn't exactly reach the biblical box office heights of ABY, it was a divine reminder of Sweeney's potential as a leading lady. Most exciting, however, is her upcoming role in a yet-untitled biopic about boxer Christy Martin, for which she's made herself look appropriately butch, buff, and badass. Maybe by next year's list, we'll see Sweeney's name and all forget why we ever associated it with her boobs. Though that might be asking a bit much from the Internet... |
Mar. 3 (hosted Saturday Night Live) |
| 38 | Saltburn (film) | |
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It was the bathwater slurped 'round the world.
There were the scented candles. There were the semen-themed soundtrack vinyls. Oh, and there was also the film's star choking a journalist—perhaps inspired by a certain Icelandic someone? Indeed, one scene from this slightly homoerotic, highly satirical take on the unfathomably wealthy—in which Barry Keoghan's Oliver, who has wormed his way into the life and namesake mansion of Oxford golden boy Felix (played by Jacob Elordi), watches as Felix masturbates in a bathtub and then drinks up his leftover jism—left enough of a taste in just about everyone's mouths that it hardened itself into of the most memorable films of the year. This Emerald Fennell project's big moment may have come at the top of this year, but it actually came out theatrically in November of last year and then on Prime Video the following month. It's filled with scenes reverse engineered to be iconic, so much so that many of its touchstones seemed to outlast the film's own legacy: Sophie Ellis-Bextor's 2001 hit "Murder on the Dancefloor" was revitalized (on the dancefloor) after showing up in the movie and then, of course, all over TikTok, where people who didn't pick up on who the movie was making fun of showed off their own bewilderingly humongous homes. Another deliberately disturbing scene toward the end of the film, wherein a character has sex with another character's grave, brought the shock factor to a fever pitch. Most importantly, Princess Superstar made her triumphant return to the public eye. So, is it any good? I won't state my own feelings on the matter (and can't—I didn't manage to finish the movie!) but reviewers seemed a bit too salty and burned out by the film's narrative choices, dialogue, and ending for me to see this one making The Criterion Collection any time soon. |
Jan. 8 (TikToks by owner of filming location become viral) |
| 39 | Gladiator II | |
11,103,817 |  |
That this movie finished above Inside Out 2 is a bit perplexing. That Deadpool and Wolverine and Dune Part Two top this list, despite having grossed far less than Inside Out 2, is not surprising, given that Wikipedia users tend to skew towards the 18-29 demographic, the target audience for said films. But this film, despite a 24-year buildup, has had relatively little buzz and, in the US at least, has been completely overshadowed by Wicked, which even beat it in its opening weekend. Gladiator's strong international showing does suggest that the American dominion of the English Wikipedia may be waning. | Nov. 24 (2 days after US release) |
| 40 | Mike Tyson | |
11,010,279 |  |
Active from 1985 to 2005, Iron Mike was considered one of the greatest and most famous boxers alive. He accomplished many feats over those two decades, including being the first and longest serving undisputed heavyweight champ of his era. One well-known moment from his career is when, during a fight, he bit off the ear of his opponent, fellow legendary boxer Evander Holyfield.
Over 19 years after his last sanctioned fight, early this year Tyson decided to cash in on this fame by boxing against controversal Youtuber turned boxer Jake Paul. Tyson, who at age 58 is 31 years older than Paul, got the fight delayed by a few months due to an ulcer flare up. Shockingly enough, Paul won the fight by unanimous decision. It was probably a bit humiliating for this all-time great to lose to one of the stars of Bizaardvark, but that blow was probably softed by his $20 million payout. |
Nov. 16 (day after Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson) |
| 41 | Chappell Roan | |
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What an exciting year for pop fans. Of course, Taylor Swift (#12) and Sabrina Carpenter (#26) released hit albums this year, but the genre also saw huge releases from stars who likewise garnered millions of pageviews such as Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, and Charli xcx. Then of course, there the Midwest Princess herself, Chappell Roan. Like Sabrina Carpenter, she had an incredibly successful year that was capped off with a nomination in all of the "Big Four" award categories at the upcoming Grammys (and six total). Indeed, her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was nominated for Best Album (and Best Pop Vocal Album) and although she's been releasing music for a while now, her 2024 breakthrough saw her nominated for Best New Artist. That breakthrough was mostly propelled by "Good Luck, Babe!", which earned noms for both Best Record and Best Song of the Year, as well as Best Pop Solo Performance. Chappell's pageviews had nearly identical peaks in September and November, following her appearances at the MTV VMAs and as the musical guest on SNL, respectively, truly solidfying her in American and music pop culture. Though Taylor Swift is likely to remain ubiqutious in that lane, the genre's other biggest stars of the 2010s and early 2020s seem to be busy exploring other genres (Beyoncé), spending some of their time with other mediums (Ariana Grande), or downright flopping (Katy Perry). As such, 2024 might prove to be the year that pop's newest mainstays truly emerged and etched out the beginning of a new era with Sabrina and Chappell breaking through, Billie reminding listeners she's one of this era's biggest, and Charli providing pop fans an electro/dance sound at the clubs. And yes, of course, for the Olivia stans out there, she did also have herself a year. |
Nov. 3 (musical guest on Saturday Night Live) |
| 42 | Simone Biles | |
10,319,557 |  |
Rio 2016 saw this American dominating the Olympic gymnastics. The following years had her becoming the most decorated gymnast ever, so expectations for a repeat in Tokyo 2020 (held in 2021) were so high Biles had a goat in her leotard to back the claim she was the Greatest Of All Time... and then she started feeling unwell and doing basic mistakes, and withdrew from most events fearing she could injure herself doing some elaborate acrobatics, leaving with only a silver and a bronze. After a sabbatical year to recover, Biles wrecked the competition at the 2023 World Championships and thus was set to redeem herself in Paris 2024 (#15), with the preparations even covered by Netflix on Simone Biles Rising. And indeed, right away came three golds, turning Biles into the second most successful female gymnast ever at the Olympics. Having done enough, Biles was overtaken in the final events by her South American equivalent Rebeca Andrade, and showed she was a graceful loser by bowing before the Brazilian in the floor podium. And given the next Olympics are in her home turf, maybe Biles will only retire after Los Angeles 2028. | Jul. 31 (won first gold the day before) |
| 43 | Dune (2021 film) | |
10,304,041 |  |
The arrival of #23 led to a surge in inquiries about its predecessor. | Mar. 2 (sequel in theaters) |
| 44 | Civil War (film) | |
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A24 Films might not be box office magnets just yet; but they definitely have defined their genre, earning their own special place at the Hollywood for their unparalleled films from a supernatural horror, a psychological horror, a crime thriller, to a coming-of-age drama film, a coming-of-age comedy drama film, to an absurdist comedy film and now a dystopian action thriller.
The studio ("A24 Films" until 2016; just "A24" since 2016) initially began in 2012 as a distributor with a comedy film which only recovered 1.75% of its budget and became a box-office bomb. It was their 3rd film, a crime comedy film that gained them recognition by grossing more than six times of its budget. In 2016, A24 made their debut production (42nd film overall), a coming-of-age drama film which was released as the first LGBTQ-themed mass-marketed feature film with an all-black cast and made more than 16 times of its budget. It won three out of eight nominations at the 89th Academy Awards and has been cited as one of the best films of the 21st century. Now coming back to this film, a dystopian action thriller written and directed by Alex Garland (pictured), it was made on a budget of US$50 million, it is the most expensive film of the studio as of this report. The film's plot follows a team of war journalists traveling from New York City to Washington, D.C. during a civil war fought across the United States between a despotic federal government and secessionist movements to interview the president before rebels take the capital city. The film went on to gross US$126 million worldwide with over US$68 million from the North American market and became one of the two films of A24 to gross more than US$100 million becoming the second highest grossing film of the studio in both global and North American markets only after a 2022 absurdist comedy film (which also received 11 nominations at the 95th Academy Awards). |
Apr. 12 (US & UK release) |
| 45 | 2016 United States presidential election | |
10,127,049 |  |
Eight years before #2 occurred (as this user still vividly remembers), the United States Republican Party nominated #4 as their presidential candidate for the first time, albeit with Mike Pence instead of #6 as the running mate. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party nominated Hillary Clinton, the first woman to be a major-party presidential candidate in #14. Furthermore, among even more contenders, the United States Libertarian Party nominated Gary Johnson, and just like in #2, the United States Green Party nominated Jill Stein as their candidate. As someone with a keen interest in psephology, here are two other trivial facts about this election:
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Nov. 6 (2024 results) |
| 46 | Oppenheimer (film) | |
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This half of the Barbenheimer phenomenon was the biggest winner in the year's Oscars and BAFTAs, winning seven awards for both. They included Best Picture/Best Film, Best Director/Best Direction for Christopher Nolan, Best Actor/Best Actor in a Leading Role for Cillian Murphy (pictured), and Best Supporting Actor/Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Robert Downey Jr. | Mar. 11 (day after winning 7 Oscars) |
| 47 | Wicked (2024 film) | |
10,123,320 | .jpg) |
It all began in 1900 when L. Frank Baum decided to take his readers Over the Rainbow to the Land of Oz, but little did he know that he was creating a franchise that would spawn across books, novels, musicals, films and TV series, comics, games and more... The Oz books include, 14 books by Baum himself (1900–1920), followed by 26 books (written bẏ Ruth Plumly Thompson (19; 1921–1939), John R. Neill (3; 1940–1942), Jack Snow (2; 1946–1949), Rachel Cosgrove Payes (1; 1951), Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren Lynn McGraw (1; 1963)) published by Reilly & Lee to make up the "Famous Forty"; 8 additional books published by the International Wizard of Oz Club (1958–2006); 11 other books by various writers and publishers (1985–2015). Then there were the alternate Oz books, 9 by Gregory Maguire (1995–present), 6 by Alexander Volkov (1939–1982), 16 by the Baum family (1 by Frank Joslyn Baum (1934), 1 by Kenneth Gage Baum (1941), 14 by Roger S. Baum (1989–2013)), 17 others by various writers (1980–2020). These stories have had many on-screen adaptions and musicals as well, most notably the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz which went on to become a cultural phenomenon.
The Gregory Maguire alternate books started with the 1995 parallel novel, Wicked which was the first of four novels in "The Wicked Years" followed by a collection of five short stories, titled Tales Told in Oz, a sequel trilogy of novels, titled Another Day, and an upcoming prequel, titled Elphie: A Wicked Childhood in 2025. The novel Wicked was adapted into a musical of the same name in 2003 by Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. Universal Pictures and Marc Platt, who both produced the 2003 musical, announced a film adaptation in 2012. After a long development and multiple delays, partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well, Jon M. Chu was hired to direct, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera being cast as Elphaba (who would become the Wicked Witch of the West) and Galinda (who would become Glinda the Good Witch) in 2021. The adaptation was split into two parts to avoid missing any plot points while also expanding the characters' journeys and relationships. Filming began in England in December 2022, was interrupted by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, and was resumed and completed in January 2024. The film premiered at the State Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on 3 November, and was theatrically released in the United States on 22 November. It received positive reviews from critics and was named one of the best films of 2024 by the American Film Institute. It debuted with US$112.5 million in the US and Canada and US$162.9 million worldwide, topping both box offices. It was the largest opening ever for a film based on a Broadway musical. The following Thursday, it made US$16.9 million, the second-best Thanksgiving Day total ever behind Moana 2 (US$28 million), released the day prior. It grossed US$32 million on Black Friday. It has grossed US$643 million worldwide against a US$150 million budget, becoming the highest-grossing Oz-related film, the highest-grossing musical film adaptation of all time, and the sixth highest-grossing film of 2024. The second part, titled Wicked: For Good which would adapt the musical's second act, is scheduled for release in November 2025. |
Nov. 24 (finishes opening weekend atop box office) |
| 48 | Lionel Messi | |
10,118,044 |  |
The GOAT (🐐) is back on! It's his fourth year in a row on the list, fifth overall (2018) since these annual reports began in 2017, sixth counting the 2016 dry-run. Also made three of our retroactive Top 50s in 2012, 2014 and 2015. I'm listing all those to just show how long Messi's been both dazzling viewers on the pitch and captivating their interest here on Wikipedia.
As for what he's done this year to generate all those views... well, he found the back of the net 6 times in 11 appearances for his country, including one in the semi-finals of the 2024 Copa América – which Argentina won (again and for a record 16 total Copa wins). That caps not one, not two, not three, but four international trophies for La Albiceleste in these four consecutive years Messi's been on the Top 50 Report. Club wise: in his second, though first full, season with Inter Miami, he scored 23 goals in 25 appearances to become the club's all-time leading scorer. He also helped the club clinch the Supporters' Shield while leading Miami to its first MLS Cup playoff appearance. Adding a couple individual MLS records (most assists in a single game, most goal contributions in a single game) and an MLS club record for Miami (most points in a season), one can really see that even at 37, Messi's still got it. |
Jul. 15 (day after 2024 Copa América final) |
| 49 | Premier League | |
10,055,698 |  |
2024 marked one more year of proeminence for England's football league, the richest in the world and that provided the most players at the European championship (#16) with 104, including 3 of the victorious Spanish. The 2023-24 edition had Manchester City becoming the first team with four straight titles, while Arsenal F.C. again choked away an opportunity to break a drought that completed 20 years, back to the undefeated 2003-04 squad. And here on Wikipedia, a sizeable portion of the Premier League's pageviews come from cricket fans who were searching for the Indian Premier League (which is excluded from this Report for excessive mobile views) and arrived on another continent and sport. | Apr. 14 (round 33, Arsenal misses chance... plus 2 IPL matches) |
| 50 | Fallout (American TV series) | |
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As I wrote last year, video game adaptations have been on an upward trend as of late, and leading the charge this time around was Prime Video's Fallout, based on the post-apocalyptic role-playing series currently maintained by Bethesda Softworks. Developed by Westworld's creators, the husband-and-wife duo of Jonathan Nolan (brother of #46's director) and Lisa Joy, the series follows a young woman (Ella Purnell) as she searches for her father (Kyle MacLachlan). The eight-episode first season premiered in April to acclaim. It won the Game Award for Best Adaptation, received 17 nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards, and has been renewed for a second season. | Apr. 12 (2 days after release) |
Exclusions
[edit]Toolforge's list, along with not including redirect views (for instance, Shōgun got half its views as Shōgun (2024 miniseries), back when it seemed to have no further seasons) and excluding the pages we eliminate for suspicious numbers or activities:
- Cleopatra – Google Assistant suggests people to visit this page. Well, even if people go there out of their own volition, it's not a good enough reason for inclusion.
- Pages with over 94% or under 10% (including everything with "XXX" or "XXXX") of mobile views. This threshold excludes 2024 Indian Premier League and Indian Premier League, but even if Internet in India is mostly through mobile devices, we need to be pragmatic.
- Websites such as YouTube, Google and even Wikipedia tend to have a high number of automated views.