If you’ve spent any time on the internet in the past month, you’ll know that Netflix’s sci-fi thriller
Stranger Things has become a critical and cultural favorite. However, it’s difficult to know just how well the eight-episode first season of the show performed for the streaming service since Netflix does not release viewership numbers for its original programming. However, there is a startup company that claims to have cracked the Netflix code, and if they’re to be believed,
Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s biggest hits to date.
SymphonyAM is a startup that has quickly become a go-to reference for outlets like NBC to gather information on Netflix’s programming. In SymphonyAM’s latest report, the company tells
Business Insider that 8.2 million people watched
Stranger Things in its first 16 days of release. That number outshines
Marvel’s Daredevil and
Marvel’s Jessica Jones, as well as other Netflix staples like
House of Cards and
Narcos.
Fuller House and
Orange is the New Black were the only Netflix original to outperform
Stranger Things.
Netflix has, in the past, disputed the numbers provided by SymphonyAM as inaccurate, so you can take this news with a grain of salt. Still,
Stranger Things co-creator Matt Duffer has said that the show was rejected 15-20 times by other networks before Netflix gave it a shot. Now it’s got glowing reviews from both critics and audiences (Rotten Tomatoes lists it at 94% and 96% from each of those demographics, respectively), a (possibly) huge audience, and there’s already talk of a second season (
for better or worse). That’s a TV success story that should warm your heart.
