Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2022-10-31/Traffic report

Traffic report

Mama, they're in love with a criminal

This traffic report is adapted from the Top 25 Report, prepared with commentary by Igordebraga, SSSB and YttriumShrew.

October is hailed as a month for scares due to Halloween. And nowhere it's clearer than readers flocking in record numbers to the article on a cannibal serial killer documented on Netflix.

My innocent victims are slaughtered with wrath and despise (September 25 to October 1)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Jeffrey Dahmer	17,531,816	You know Netflix has too much of a pull on people when a show on a serial killer manages to bring more views than the death of Queen Elizabeth (thankfully Kobe Bryant is still the most viewed...). The Ryan Murphy-produced Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has Evan Peters playing the "Milwaukee Cannibal" who killed seventeen men, indulging in cannibalism and necrophilia with the bodies afterwards, before getting arrested in 1991, and three years later was beaten to death in prison by fellow inmate Christopher Scarver (played in the miniseries by Furly Mac).
2	Christopher Scarver	3,878,592
3	Coolio	2,321,416	Rapper Artis Leon Ivey Jr., who got gangsta rap to the top of the charts with "Gangsta's Paradise", died at the age of 59. Among the celebrities who mourned Coolio's death was "Weird Al" Yankovic, who famously parodied that song with "Amish Paradise".
4	Marilyn Monroe	2,053,648	Back to Netflix, Blonde (#17) chronicled the life of the quintessential sex symbol in the 60th anniversary of her death, with Ana de Armas as Norma Jeane Masterton.
5	Ponniyin Selvan: I	1,622,210	Indian cinema notches up a new entry now, with a Tamil adaptation of a beloved book of the same name. Set in the adolescent Chola empire and extremely complex (as you can tell from this terrifying character chart, left), the film has been received well and opened strongly at the box office.
6	Evan Peters	1,323,957	The best cinematic Quicksilver plays #1 (see above).
7	John Wayne Gacy	1,306,735	The previous serial killer to have been showcased on Netflix has a brief appearance in #1's show, played by Dominic Burgess.
8	House of the Dragon	1,137,206	#5 has been compared to Game of Thrones due to its complex and dramatic plot and medieval setting. How fitting that the Game of Thrones prequel is still here.
9	Giorgia Meloni	1,085,149	Following the 2022 Italian general election, this woman is likely to be the new Italian prime minister. A conservative right-wing nationalist and populist, who is sometimes described as far-right, as well as a homophobe, racist and conspiracy theorist, something I would agree with after reading the political positions listed on her article.
10	Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story	1,048,481	Ryan Murphy already chronicled real life murders in American Crime Story, so now he has expanded to a miniseries on the reprehensible human being at #1. Whose death in prison was partially racially motivated, as nine of Dahmer's victims were Black, and the perpetrator (#2) went on to also bludgeon to death Jesse Anderson (played in the show by Jeff Harms), who killed his wife and tried to frame two African Americans for it.

Distributor of pain, your loss becomes my gain (October 2 to 8)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Jeffrey Dahmer	10,667,069	No article ever had 10 million views in consecutive weeks. And then it happens to this long dead serial killer because of a show on Netflix. And again the follow-up is the guy who murdered the "Milwaukee Cannibal" in prison.
2	Christopher Scarver	2,313,242
3	Ponniyin Selvan: I	2,280,265	The current biggest Indian film is the first part of this Tamil epic, which follows the eponymous son of the Kaveri before he eventually becomes the formidable emperor Rajaraja Chola I.
4	Marilyn Monroe	2,053,648	Just like last week, the first article off the podium is quintessential sex symbol Norma Jeane Mortenson, who in the 60th anniversary of her death got a Netflix movie focusing on her life struggles, Blonde, based on Joyce Carol Oates's novel offering a fictionalized take on Marilyn's life (previously adapted into a 2001 miniseries). Criticisms were raised toward having so much heavy content that it borders on exploitation (this here writer also objected to the director stretching scenes in a way reminiscent of some dull Western he directed once), but nonetheless Ana de Armas under extensive make-up made a perfect fit for Marilyn.
5	Loretta Lynn	1,333,810	One of the biggest names in country music with songs like "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)" (relevant link) and 57 years of touring prior to a stroke in 2017, Loretta Lynn died at the age of 90.
6	John Wayne Gacy	1,233,934	Another serial killer showcased on Netflix, the "Killer Clown" who has a brief appearance in #1's show.
7	Erling Haaland	1,191,106	One of the few high profile footballers who won't get a views spike when the 2022 FIFA World Cup starts next month (his nation failing to qualify), this Norwegian striker who plays for Manchester City became the first player in Premier League history to have hat tricks in three consecutive home games.
8	2022 Brazilian general election	1,142,067	Cracked.com once accurately described this as the only country whose elections managed to be as screwed as the American ones. And the worst part is that it's not over, as the representatives and most state governors were elected but there is a second round for closer races, most importantly for president, currently led by a former ruler whose government had much corruption but at least couldn't be qualified as a total trainwreck like its opposition.
9	House of the Dragon	1,137,206	Still here in its seventh week, presumably because Wikipedia isn't too dark. (nor full of terrors)
10	Empress Elisabeth of Austria	969,751	And now for a less objectionable subject of a Netflix historical drama, the monarch also known as Sissi is the main character of German show The Empress. The show seemingly ends early in her life as Empress, so maybe it will earn more seasons?

A rat runs down the alley, and a chill runs down your spine (October 9 to 15)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Jeffrey Dahmer	5,835,008	This guy again, only the second article with more than 5 million views for four weeks straight after one of the few things as bad as a cannibal serial killer.
2	Robbie Coltrane	2,216,013	This award winning Scottish comedian and actor died this week, aged 72. Perhaps best well known for his role of Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter series, and Valentin Dmitrovich Zukovsky in James Bond, Coltrane has also won the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy and a British Academy Scotland Award for outstanding contribution to film and television.
3	Angela Lansbury	1,875,393	A British actress who died at 96, leaving behind an extensive career (a Tony Award-winning foray in theater, playing Jessica Fletcher in the TV show Murder, She Wrote, and among other movies voicing Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast) that even earned her a Dame title; there's even a posthumous role to be released in the Knives Out sequel.
4	House of the Dragon	1,388,479	The Game of Thrones prequel show remains here, with two episodes left of its inaugural season.
5	Christopher Scarver	1,249,177	As documented on Netflix, #1's life in prison was ended when this fellow inmate beat him to death with a dumbbell bar.
6	Michael J. Fox	1,099,735	It's been 7 years since 2015 turned out not to be that much like Back to the Future Part II. Well, 2022 still offered another opportunity for Marty McFly to reunite with Christopher Lloyd at New York Comic Con (and next month the Academy will give him the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award recognizing the actor's work regarding the disease that pushed him into semi-retirement with the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research).
7	Halloween Ends	1,084,464	One year after the polarizing Halloween Kills, the David Gordon Green-directed trilogy that started by ignoring all previous Halloween sequels in 2018 ended in an equally divisive way, specially because focusing on a Michael Myers copycat (another slasher franchise tried that before...) rather than The Shape himself is a sure way to displease much of your audience, no matter if you finally give a Michael-Laurie Strode confrontation in the ending. No matter what, this will probably take the box office by storm this weekend.
8	Ponniyin Selvan: I	985,737	Kollywood's highest grossing movie of the year, an adaptation of a Tamil five part epic about to be turned into two movies.
9	Deaths in 2022	935,480	No one ever died for my sins in hell As far as I can tell At least the ones I've gotten away with!
10	The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power	903,997	Season 1 ended with the jewelry of the title starting being forged - namely the "Three Rings for the Elven-Kings under the sky" - and the reveal of Sauron, who is bound to make the rest of the rings, including "My Precious". Season 2 is already in production.

You won't believe the things I've done, and the killing is just for fun (October 16 to 22)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Jeffrey Dahmer	3,100,706	Fascination with this serial killer's Netflix show managed to make him both become the first article with five straight #1 appearances since a terrible thing from 2020 and a terrible thing from 1986 (the latter also boosted by a TV show!) and overtake the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine as the most viewed article of the year. (I for one can't wait for The Crown to possibly make the current third place push the Milwaukee Cannibal off the top spot)
2	Black Adam (film)	1,745,481	The DC Extended Universe returns by bringing in Dwayne Johnson as Teth-Adam, who is essentially a darker version of Shazam hard to define morality-wise (as put by DC League of Super-Pets, "Anti-hero. It’s basically exactly like a regular hero, except way cooler. You make up your own rules, and then you break ’em. Also you can ignore most moral and ethical conventions because no one can stop you." "Yeah, that sounds a lot like a villain."). In spite of this transgressive protagonist nature, the movie has enough shortcomings to earn mixed reviews, but audiences - especially those already into superheroes or the larger-than-life star - don't care as Black Adam is set to become one of The Rock's biggest box office openings.
3	Liz Truss	1,742,894	Forty-five days.^[a] That's how long Liz Truss lasted as prime minister of the United Kingdom. Which is especially amazing when you consider that her tenure was only that long because the Queen died and delayed her plans for two weeks. Her shambolic tenure in office was defined by the TRUE TORY BUDGET her government announced, which included large-scale, unfunded tax cuts for people with lots of money. Weirdly, this turned out to be a bad idea, to the point of warranting emergency intervention from the Bank of England and Truss being forced to reverse the entire policy, and then forced to resign. Wonder who's next...
4	Kantara (film)	1,463,934	Sandalwood put out this picture set in the eponymous mystical forest, as a buffalo racer and a forest service officer come up against a long-held curse. Unlike most recent Bollywood releases, many of which have at best been described as anticlimaxes, this one started out small before surging into a hit, spurred by glowing reviews and very positive audience reception. Hombale Films now hold the top three spots on the list of highest-grossing Kannada films.
5	House of the Dragon	1,249,171	Only one episode left for HBO's Game of Thrones prequel, although the suspense was slightly broken after someone leaked the finale ahead of its release.
6	The Watcher (2022 TV series)	1,048,464	Something for those who didn't have enough Ryan Murphy Netflix thrillers with #1's show.
7	Deaths in 2022	899,133	There's no earthly way of knowing What was in your heart when it stopped going...
8	Halloween Ends	799,724	Showing how the final chapter of the Michael Myers story (at least until another attempt at rebooting the franchise...) ended up disappointing too many people, the second weekend box office had such a steep drop (80%!) that the movie went from the top spot to fourth, behind #2, star-studded newcomer Ticket to Paradise, and, most damningly, fellow horror movie Smile, which has been in theaters for a month!
9	2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup	748,064	The latest edition of the Whacky-Cricket World Cup began play this week, most of which was taken up by the pools to decide which of the teams that didn't auto-qualify would make the main pools; SPOILERS: Ireland, Netherlands, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. In a major shock, the West Indies were knocked out early. Then the main pools started on Saturday, and hosts and defending champions Australia got off to a bad start after New Zealand thrashed them in the opening game thanks to Smashy and Half-Century Man.
10	Black Adam	709,911	Interest in the film has many readers wanting to know more about the origins of comic book character. Unlike Dwayne Johnson who portrays Black Adam in the 2022 film the comic book character is depicted with black hair and pointy ears. Even after reading the article, I still no idea why his ears are pointy.

^ Technically slightly longer than that, if you count the few days the Conservatives are taking to elect a new leader.

You broke my will, but what a thrill (October 23 to 29)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Rishi Sunak	7,898,149	The UK has a shiny new Prime Minister, the first of British Asian and Hindu descent, as well as the first appointed by King Charles III. Sunak has also been described by some sources as "the British equivalent of Barack Obama", whose appointment as US President was of a similar nature to Sunak's appointment as UK PM. His party is now Ready for Rishi after realising that wanting Liz for Leader a month ago was a big mistake. Sunak previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer during Boris Johnson's premiership, being best known for the schemes he and the government released during the early days of the goddamned pandemic. Sunak was appointed PM and Leader of the Conservative Party after being elected unopposed (the first PM to be elected unopposed since Gordon Brown) in the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, held after his predecessor Liz Truss was forced out amid a government credibility crisis and was beaten by a lettuce. Sunak takes office during a turbulent time for his party, with the Conservatives way behind Labour in the polls, leaving many to suspect a Labour landslide victory in the next general election is highly likely. Sunak also has a daunting economic downturn and the Ukraine war to deal with. It's not yet known how Sunak exactly plans to turn things around to secure another Conservative election victory, or if he'll even be able to achieve this at all, but we can only hope he at least lasts longer than his predecessor did.
2	Leslie Jordan	2,374,465	The American actor, comedian, writer, and singer died this week after a car crash.
3	Akshata Murty	2,047,488	#1's wife and the daughter of #10.
4	Jeffrey Dahmer	1,990,852	After five weeks, this is finally off the top spot. Nevermind we're still disgusted the most viewed article of the year so far, which should've gone to either the Ukraine war or the late English queen, is instead a dead serial killer due to a Netflix show, and dreading the possibility Dahmer could still be there when 2022 ends. But there's still two months to go before then, so we can only hope one of those two topics ends up winning instead (with the fifth season of The Crown on the way, this is likely to happen)
5	ICC Men's T20 World Cup	1,881,064	Australia's major cricket grounds are busy hosting this tournament, incluing MCG hosting the match.
6	Black Adam (film)	1,556,428	No matter if reviewers were unimpressed with Dwayne Johnson as a villain/anti-hero butting heads with the Justice Society of America before the studio announces his inevitable confrontation with Shazam (and other heroes, if the credits scene is any indication), audiences already made Black Adam earn $250 million in two weeks.
7	Jerry Lee Lewis	1,464,110	The 1950s "goodness gracious, Great Balls of Fire!" rock and roll star died this week at the age of 87, in a career worthy of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, even if his fame never recovered from the controversy of marrying a 13 year old cousin (as documented in a biopic with Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder).
8	House of the Dragon	1,374,790	The first season of the Targaryen show finished, renewing some people's faith in Westeros after that letdown of 3 years ago and the fact The Winds of Winter never seems to be closer to completion.
9	Diwali	1,246,891	Diwali is a festival of lights Let me tell you something Tonight has been one crazy night So put on your saris It's time to celebrate Diwali...
10	N. R. Narayana Murthy	1,214,824	#1's father-in-law, an Indian billionaire who founded Infosys.

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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