Two years after ChatGPT was the most viewed article, it appears the rise of artificial intelligence has affected Wikipedia's viewership numbers. Whether inputting research queries on that chatbot (which mind you, is reappearing on this list but will be excluded from now on) or just accepting what shows up throughGoogle AI Mode, people deciding to get their information from machines rather than our legion of contributors – which at least tries to erase absurd content, notattempt to present it as a valid answer – led to lower pageviews, if only because it took until the finishing days of December to get 50 articles with over 9 million hits (and to thinktwoyears had all with at least 11 million!).
With that out of the way, 2025 was far from normal, best demonstrated by the presence of the most subscribed YouTuber and a nonsensical meme. A sport event that is in the future and a war from 80 years ago – but notcurrentones – are also surprising. Yet we kick off with a constant presence, the death list, and the year's deceased also get eight entries of their own, seven showcasing three topics that tend to shape the annual report – a right-wing activist was assassinated (wrecking Wikipedia viewership records and leading to Wikipedia articles about both his widow and his death), part of a Republican deluge where Trump returning to the White House brought in much of his cabinet, the First Lady, the president list, the election, and a billionaire who bothhelped andfought the government, though politics unfavorable to the government are here with a Democrat elected mayor and how Trump's reputation is "haunted" by a dead friend of his; four dead actors and an actor-director (two of whom were found dead with their wives) complement movies (three superhero films, two popular horror projects, the latest in two big franchises, two Indian box office smashes along with the country's all-time list, a cartoon that became a streaming phenomenon, the acclaimed latest from a revered director, and the big winner of the Oscars), series (mostly Netflix aside from one from Apple TV) and an actress that generated much discussion; and a deceased rock legend paired with another iconic performer chronicled in a biopic – along with the Pope and his successor. Sports had a dominating tennis player and an aging but still productive footballer. And of course, the country that originated most subjects of the list, including the new pontiff!
Prepared with commentary by:
| # | Article | Class | Views | Image | Notes/about | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deaths in 2025 |  | 49,670,489 |  | Between the link on the main page and being one of the certainties in life –along with taxes, which get much less attention on Wikipedia – readers are always checking the recently deceased. And in this weird year, there was evena week that the death list was the most viewed article. Normally this only happens with the departed themselves, with 13 people topping their weeks, whether young and unexpected (Diogo Jota crashing his car at 28, our #32 having health issues at 39, and the murder of a 31 year old right below this entry, which was so surprising that it led to15 million views in a single day) or older with much legacy (mostly artists in #10, #17, #42,David Lynch,Brian Wilson,Graham Greene,Robert Redford,Dharmendra andBrigitte Bardot, but also the prominent world figure at #12), a category which also includes two more entries of our list in the actors at #30 (which only didn't reach number one because of people seeking the real life horror story at #4) and #36 (who was found dead the same day as #32). Rather than just list more of the people who left us in 2025, to keep the Top 25 Report's tradition of just discussing this through song lyrics: "It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right. I hope you had the time of your life." | Jul. 24(Hulk Hogan dies) |
| 2 | Charlie Kirk |  | 46,493,112 | _(cropped)_2.jpg) | Kirk was an American conservative political activist, author and media personality, who co-foundedTurning Point USA. He was one of the most prominent voices of theMAGA movement and a key ally of US presidentDonald Trump. Some of Kirk's opinions have garnered criticism and controversy, such as his comments on Black Americans andMartin Luther King Jr., opposition toabortion andgun control, and promotion ofCOVID-19 misinformation, theGreat Replacement conspiracy theory, andclimate change denial. On September 10, Kirk was addressing an audience at an outdoor event atUtah State University when he was killed by a single rifle shot to the neck. A 22-year-old suspect was arrested on September 12, having been convinced to turn himself in by his father. At the time of writing, the motive remains unknown. The killing triggered widespread bipartisan condemnation and international messages of condolences. Multiple high-ranking officials in the US government vowed topunish people who celebrated Kirk's death or otherwise disparaged his legacy. Most prominently,Matthew Dowd, an analyst forMSNBC, was fired after he commented on-air that Kirk was "one of the most divisive [...] younger figures [...] hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions", andJimmy Kimmel hadhis show suspended for a week for a monologue commenting about Trump and his supporters' reaction to the murder. | Sep. 10(died) |
| 3 | ChatGPT | | 43,040,152 |  | Two years ago, ChatGPT was the most viewed article of the year, with over 52 million pageviews in 2023.The year after that, it fell dramatically to a bit less than 19 million views. When I wrote the ChatGPT entry for last year, I speculated on what had caused this drop. I came to the conclusion that, while ChatGPT had started as a fascinating novelty, in the space of one year it had become normalized, the type of thing people aren’t reading up on. This year, however, the page received over 43 million views; less than 2023 but a lot more than 2024. Why could this be? In a way, this increase in views may be due to an even greater amount of normalization. So many people are now using AI that a significant number of people are typing "ChatGPT" into a browser and accidentally clicking on the Wikipedia page instead of the chatbot itself. This has happened before. The Wikipedia page forFacebook, formerly the dominant social media platform, featured on the annual Top 50 report every year from 2008 to 2018. Next year, the views could go up again, as even more people use AI for every question that comes to mind. Those views could decrease if ChatGPT loses popularity to another AI brand. Its current popularity is mostly due to it being the first widely available chatbot, so if something comes out in 2026 with more features it might take over the market. When asked for its thoughts, ChatGPT predicted 32,047,182 views next year. | Jun. 4(outage) |
| 4 | Ed Gein | | 33,000,749 |  | If you go entirely by the classic horror icons his crimes inspired (Norman Bates inPsycho,Leatherface inThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre andBuffalo Bill inThe Silence of the Lambs) you will come away with three notions about Ed Gein: first, that he was aserial killer; second, that he liked to wear women's clothing, and third, that he liked to wear human skin. The first is debatable, given that he is only known to have killed two people; the second is false, a distortion of Gein's confession, and the third is probably true. Valid or not, Gein's reputation as a depraved transsexual has coloured views oftransgender people across decades, and it is a reputationRyan Murphy'sNetflix seriesMonster: The Ed Gein Story revels in, even as it attempts to distance itself by imagining an utterly fictional debate between Gein andChristine Jorgensen, one of the first people in the US to undergosex reassignment surgery, in which she pointedly claims he is not transgender butgynophilic. Truth is he was very likely neither, andMonster's historical distortions don't end there. It not only significantly ups Gein's body count, including his own brother among them, grants him a relationship with one of his victims, and accuses his girlfriend Adeline Watkins of being his accomplice (an assertion for which there is no evidence) but also grants him aHannibal Lecter-style consulting role in the aprehension ofTed Bundy, which he never had. It also needlessly draws inAnthony Perkins and the making ofPsycho, which happened when Ed Gein was already in a mental institution, a fact which drew withering criticism from Perkins's son, horror directorOsgood Perkins. Still, the show became Netflix's third to pass a billion viewing hours. Legend is always more impactful than history. | Oct. 5(2 days afterNetflix show) |
| 5 | Donald Trump | | 27,489,965 | .jpg) | Can you believe we're only a fourth of the way throughTrump's second presidency? He's already signed more than200 executive orders, attempted to unilaterallydismantle andrename government agencies, initiated massICE deportations,deployed federal forces to at least five cities, causeda stock market crash due to hissweeping international tariffs (that may or may not be legal), ended "eight wars" (but didn't get the Nobel Peace Prize), razed theEast Wing of the White House complex for a larger East Wing containinga ginormous ballroom, and, at long last, (sort of) released theEpstein Files. "And we're just gettin' started." | Jan. 20(inauguration) |
| 6 | Pope Leo XIV | | 22,884,665 | .jpg) | Leo XIV.Leone XIV.León XIV. Those are three alternative ways to refer to Robert Francis Provost, who assumed the papacy (i.e. leadership of theCatholic Church) and became ruler of sovereignVatican City upon the death of #12 as Leo XIV. Among other facts, Leo is the first Bishop of Rome (i.e.pope) with citizenship in either #14 orPeru. More tangentially, Leo XIV's ascension to the Vatican "throne" marks one of five times this decade, and the first of three times in 2025alone, a European monarchy has seen a change in leadership. (Contrary to some perceptions, amonarchy is simply a country where a head of state governs for life. This ruler need not be a member of aroyal family.) In chronological order, the other instances were:
| May 8(elected) |
| 7 | Zohran Mamdani | | 21,805,460 | _(cropped).jpg) | He was born in 1991 inUganda. He lived inSouth Africa. He went tocollege inMaine. He has rapped andproduced a film soundtrack. He started his political career in theNew York State Assembly.His mother is a filmmaker.His father is a university professor.His wife is a professional artist. He speaksArabic, English,French,Hindi,Luganda,Spanish, andSwahili. And above all, on January 1, 2026, he will become the first (Shia)Muslim andAsian American to serve asMayor of New York City. Who is he? Zohran Kwame Mamdani! As an aside, despite identifying as ademocratic socialist, not allsocialists are pleased with Mamdani. For example,see this article by theWorld Socialist Web Site, of theTrotskyist variety. | Nov. 5(wins election) |
| 8 | Elon Musk | | 21,462,898 | _(cropped).jpg) | So, this guy. The last four Annual Reports had his entry going "I don't wanna talk about Elon Musk anymore!", and this year didn't help matters. He started the year being hired by the government as a Special Advisor, and right away didn't endear himself by greeting an inauguration celebratory rallyextending his arm, as if the current administration didn't get compared to the Third Reich enough. Musk created theDepartment of Government Efficiency (named afterthe memecoin Musk is known to champion) to supposedly cut government expenditures and raise productivity, although all the dismissals caused by DOGE might actually cost the taxpayers a lot of money. Once his special government employee's 130 day deadline expired, Musk departed the administration amicably only tospend over a week throwing insults and accusations at Trump, including that he was on theEpstein list. And continuing his documented grudge against Wikipedia he startedGrokipedia, which is mostly our content only with AI rewriting some pages to align with Musk's political views. In the meantime, people show their discontent with Musk taking on Tesla, whetherselling their cars and stock ordownright vandalizing their dealerships – and that's not counting everyone who continues to depart The Website Formerly Known AsTwitter. We definitely need a break from this sort of Musk news in 2026. | Jan. 21(defendshis salute) |
| 9 | Sinners (2025 film) | | 19,072,494 |  | Gamey as a grouse and almost as subtle as a hammer to the head,Ryan Coogler's gorgeous, woke and omnistic take onFrom Dusk Till Dawn managed not only to astonish audiences (making $367 million on a $90 million budget) but also thrum a melodious riff on the complex interplay of racial tensions that underlie the history not only of America, but of American folk music. It did not, however, perform as well internationally, suggesting its impact may be limited to the English-speaking world. If so, it is a mark of just how strong that impact was that it remains the most Wiki-ed film of the year, while the highest-grossing English language movie of the year, Disney'sLilo and Stitch remake, did not break the top 80. That impact was especially felt by critics; with 97% onRotten Tomatoes and 84 onMetacritic,Sinners is the most acclaimed big-budget American film this year, but has become almost as renowned for its backstory, in which Coogler, post-Creed andBlack Panther, was able to secure avery favorable deal from the studio prior to release. The Hollywood trades were notably silent on the film's subsequent success, leading many to suspect they were downplaying it in case anyone else tried to follow in Coogler's immensely profitable footsteps. | Apr. 20(finishes opening weekend with $108 million) |
| 10 | Ozzy Osbourne | | 18,490,296 |  | I'm just a rock 'n' roll rebel I'll tell you no lies They say I worship the devil They must be stupid or blind I'm just a rock 'n' roll rebel John Michael Osbourne helped createheavy metal music as the singer ofBlack Sabbath and followed that with an equally successful solo career and all sorts of endeavours, including showcasing the peculiarities of his family in the reality showThe Osbournes. It was a downright miracle that he survived for decades taking every drug in existence (scientists even analyzed his genome andfound mutations that allowed him to process substances easier!), but eventuallyParkinson's disease and various injuries slowed him down, to the point he decided to call his retirement througha massive charity concert in his native Birmingham that had all sorts of rock stars playing before it closed on an Ozzy set and then one with a reunited Sabbath, with him in a throne to show the Prince of Darkness hadn't lost his majesty even if he could no longer walk. Ozzy's goodbye from stages turned out to be very timely, as 17 days later he died at 76, leaving behind an extensive body of work (counting just studio albums, 7 with Sabbath and 13 solo!), 6 children and many grandchildren. | Jul. 22(died) |
| 11 | Superman (2025 film) | | 17,703,390 | .jpg) | It's been a long, strange trip, butJames Gunn is now in charge of DC's live action universe. And with Marvel winding down in popularity, it may be just the right time. Just likelast time, they started withtheir best-known property, and struck gold, with a 5x return on a $125 million budget. With an 83% onRotten Tomatoes and a 68 onMetacritic, it's clear critics found the film overwhelmingly OK. But at least this movie remembered that Superman is a: fun and b: impossible withoutJohn Williams. | Jul. 13(day after release) |
| 12 | Pope Francis | | 15,610,627 | _FXD.jpg) | In 2013, Jorge Mario Bergoglio waselected Pope following theresignation of Benedict XVI. He was the first Pope to be aJesuit, as well as the first from the Americas and first from outside of Europe in over 1200 years. He was also the first Pope since the 900s to choose a completely new papal name, choosing Francis to honorSaint Francis of Assisi’s treatment of the poor. Over the course of his papacy, Francis was often considered more liberal than his predecessors. He approached the position with less formality, often wearing simpler clothes than was typical of prior Popes, and promoted a higher degree of inclusivity to women and people in same-sex relationships. He was also a firm opponent of the death penalty in all cases, and promoted safe practices and vaccinations during theCOVID-19 pandemic. When he was elected Pope at the age of 76, he was seen to be in relatively good health. Over the last few years of his life, he suffered from respiratory infections, leading to hospital stays in March 2023 and February 2025. His last public appearance was to give hisEaster Sunday address at St. Peter’s Square before passing away in the morning ofEaster Monday. He appointed 163 new cardinals from 76 countries, including 25 countries that had never previously had a cardinal. The 110 of these cardinals under the age of 80 made up over 75% of the voters at the2025 conclave where they electedRobert Francis Prevost, who had been appointed cardinal by Francis in 2023. Prevost, who took the name Leo XIV (#6), has been seen as having broadly similar views to Francis. | Apr. 21(died) |
| 13 | Jeffrey Epstein | | 15,214,143 |  | The deceased child sex offender and"New York financier Jeff Epstein" continues to be a major influence on American politics from beyond the grave, withhis friendship with current presidentDonald Trump and other high-profile figures continuing to attract widespread public scrutiny. Epstein, a well-known investor, had an elite social circle comprising many prominent public figures who often frequented hisprivate island in the Caribbean. That island has now become a symbol of Epstein's activities there after he was arrested on suspicion ofsex trafficking minors by law enforcement in July 2019. After over a month in custody, Epsteindied in his prison cell under suspicious circumstances, with authorities later ruling it a suicide. Public interest in the case has persisted, with 2025 bringing in newimages and files released by the government in response to public protests and dissatisfaction of Trump's handling of the case, with critics arguing that his administration has not followed through on previous commitments. TheEpstein Files Transparency Act was eventually passed in November, becoming widely criticised due to extensiveredactions in the documents. Epstein’s connections also continued to have repercussions abroad. Hisfriendship with the BritishPrince Andrew led to Andrew being stripped of his royal styles in October, renewing public discussions about the former Prince's status within the royal family. TheBritish Ambassador to the United StatesPeter Mandelson was also removed from his position following new information onhis association with Epstein. Together, these new developments in the deeper controversy surrounding Epstein illustrate his continued shadow over Western political discourse well into the 2020s. | Dec. 20(afterfirst release ofEpstein files) |
| 14 | United States | | 14,851,017 | .svg) | The number one contributor to theEnglish Wikipedia, and its most linked-to article, has maintained a consistent ranking in views over the years, despite almost never appearing in the weekly chart. This position, much like theDeaths in... articles, appears unaffected by outside affairs, changes in technology, or the US's current reputation (which, according to an annual survey ofG7 nations, took a nosedive this year,falling 18 slots on a list of 60).Important does not have to meanliked. | Jan. 20(Trump inauguration) |
| 15 | Severance (TV series) | | 14,457,583 |  | The tech giant'sstreaming service released another acclaimed season as it competes withthe streaming giant. Thisscience fictionpsychological thriller series created byDan Erickson; and executive produced and primarily directed byBen Stiller; follows employees at Lumon Industries, abiotechnology corporation, that have undergone "severance"—a procedure that splits a person's memories between work and their personal life. This creates two separate identities for employees: the "innie", who has no knowledge of the outside world, and the "outie", who lives their life outside without any knowledge of their job. Main cast headed byAdam Scott andBritt Lower returned for the second season along with some new character additions. Thesecond season consisting of 10 episodes, aired an episode every Thursdays from mid-January to mid-March 2025. It received positive reception and acclamation as well as10 Primetime Emmy nods and17 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy nods, from which it won 8 awards as of this report. A third season has been confirmed and announced it won't take as long as the second season which was delayed due to theWGA strike andSAG-AFTRA strike. | Feb. 21(afterepisode 6) |
| 16 | 2026 FIFA World Cup | | 14,037,618 | _04.jpg) | Whether you refer tothis popular sport assoccer orfootball, I presume that you know what FIFA World Cups are. However, what you maynot know is thatCanada (where #8 holds citizenship), #14, andMexico (on whose goods #5 and #21 have imposedtariffs) will be jointly hosting the 2026 edition of this event. This is the first trio of FIFA World Cup host countries. To avoid repeating more information in the article, I present you with the tallest completed buildings in each host country, ranked from tallest to shortest:
| Dec. 5(groups drawn) |
| 17 | Rob Reiner | | 13,955,892 | .jpg) | The son of director and comedianCarl Reiner carved out a name for himself in Hollywood in the 80s and early 90s, when, over the course of nine years, he directed some of the most beloved films of all time:This Is Spinal Tap,The Sure Thing,Stand By Me,The Princess Bride,When Harry Met Sally...,Misery andA Few Good Men, which provided breakthroughs forJohn Cusack,Robin Wright,Aaron Sorkin,Billy Crystal,Meg Ryan,River Phoenix,Kiefer Sutherland andKathy Bates. Then he madeNorth, a childhood fantasy so monumentally misguided thatRoger Ebert's review of it became legendary: "I hated this movie. Hated hated hated hated hated this movie. Hated it. Hated every simpering stupid vacant audience-insulting moment of it. Hated the sensibility that thought anyone would like it. Hated the implied insult to the audience by its belief that anyone would be entertained by it." Those words apparently, became something of a curse because, aside from the success ofThe American President (which Sorkin, who wrote the screenplay, has described as essentially the pilot forThe West Wing) andThe Bucket List, Reiner never attained his prior level of respectablility again. Admittedly, his decline must have been at least partially due to his troubles with his son,Nick, whose struggles with mental health and drug addiction became the subject of his filmBeing Charlie, which Nick co-wrote. Unfortunately, it seems his son's demons finally won, as, on the 14th of December, 2025, he was arrested for the murder of both of his parents, for reasons currently unknown. | Dec. 15(day afterdeath) |
| 18 | Dhurandhar |  | 13,525,394 |  | Just like last year'sPushpa 2; this film also released in the year-end managed to storm its way through to both the Top 50 Report and all-time Box Office rankings bringing the list together (#47) as well. This film is the first of a two-part film series with the second film which was shot together is titledDhurandhar: Part 2 – Revenge and is set to release on 19 March 2026. Now the events of this film follows an Indian intelligence mission unfolding over ten years as an undercover agent enters Karachi's criminal and political world to dismantle dangerous cross-border terror networks. The story draws inspiration from real-life events involving geopolitical tensions: the1999 Indian plane hijack,2001 Indian Parliament attack,2008 Mumbai attacks, andOperation Lyari conducted by Pakistan's authorities to crack down on gangs and criminal syndicates. The main cast includes:Ranveer Singh as Hamza Ali Mazari (which is revealed as an undercover alias of Jaskirat Singh Rangi);Akshaye Khanna asRehman Dakait, leader of theBaloch Gang and founder of thePeople's Aman Committee;R. Madhavan as Ajay Sanyal,Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) (based onAjit Doval);Sanjay Dutt asSuperintendentChaudhary Aslam of Lyari Task Force,Sindh Police; Arjun Rampal asMajor Iqbal ofInter Services Intelligence (ISI) (based onIlyas Kashmiri);Sara Arjun as Yalina Jamali, Jameel's daughter and Hamza's love interest;Rakesh Bedi as Jameel Jamali, a senior politician fromPakistan Awami Party (PAP) and aMember of the National Assembly of Pakistan (based onNabil Gabol); along with Naveen Kaushik as Donga, Rehman's right-hand-man;Manav Gohil as Sushant Bansal, Deputy Director of IB;Danish Pandor asUzair Baloch, Rehman's cousin and second-in-command of Baloch Gang;Gaurav Gera as Mohammad Aalam, IB agent in Lyari;Raj Zutshi asGeneral Shamshad Hassan; andSaumya Tandon as Ulfat Hasin, Rehman's wife, Uzair's sister-in-law and Babu's daughter-in-law. As of 2026, the film has grossed over has grossed₹1,143 crore (US$140 million) becoming only the9th Indian film to cross the₹1,000 crore (US$120 million) mark and currently ranks as thehighest grossing Indian film of 2025,3rd highest grossing Hindi film of all time, and 7th highest grossing Indian film of all time (#47). This commercial success has set high bars of hope for itsdirect sequel set to be released in March 2026. Also another interesting fact, the film was banned inGulf Cooperation Council countries due to its anti-Pakistani theme, but it reportedly received 2 million pirated digital downloads in Pakistan alone, where all Indian films have been banned since 2019. | Dec. 14(completes 2 weeks atop box office) |
| 19 | Thunderbolts* | | 13,203,209 |  | That asterisk was meant to indicate that they're really theAvengers, but seeing it hanging there can't help but put an "allegedly", or "for now" in one's mind. Marvel are not what they used to be. The buzz is long gone; too many underwhelming streaming shows. Too much toxic discourse. Plus there's the simple fact that the story they've been telling since 2008 ended definitively withAvengers: Endgame six years ago. A combination of the pandemic, shifts in viewing habits and at least onearrest for assault left Marvel scrambling to rebuild, with little to show for it so far. The odd thing is, wereThunderbolts* in any other franchise, it would be considered a success: A $390 million gross on a $180 million budget is, more or less. a 2.5x return, the definition of a hit. ButThunderbolts* isn't in another franchise. And the franchise it is in needs to get its mojo back beforeAvengers: Doomsday serves as its epitaph. | May 5(new title revealed) |
| 20 | Weapons (2025 film) | | 12,684,066 |  | Among a rising crop of hungry horror directors (Ti West,Robert Eggers,Ari Aster,Osgood Perkins),Zach Cregger seems to have established an early lead (at least as far as profitability is concerned) with the same combination of disjointed narrative and genre mashing he displayed in his previous filmBarbarian, only at a much higher level, with an emotionally yanking mix of horror, comedy and psychological drama, backed by superb performances. With a global box office of $270 million, a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and and 81 on Metacritic,Weapons struck more of a chord with both audiences and critics than any horror movie this year not namedSinners. | Aug. 8(released) |
| 21 | JD Vance | | 12,339,381 | _(cropped).jpg) | The new Vice President of the United States has done a lot in his first year in office: he went to Greenland andrepeated Trump's interests in purchasing the island, gavea controversial speech at theMunich Security Conference that was considered a declaration of "ideological war" against the United States' European allies, antagonizedVolodymyr Zelenskyy asthe Ukrainian president visited the White House, and most notably if only forthe jokes, visited #12 hours before the Pope died. | Jan. 20(inaugurated) |
| 22 | Cristiano Ronaldo | | 12,290,689 |  | Ronaldo is one of those people who makes it into the Top 50 Report without having done anything special (he's only missed out once in the last twelve editions). But let's take a look at some of the bigger news stories around Ronaldo from this year. By far the biggest story was when he helpedPortugal claim their secondUEFA Nations League. Ronaldo scored the most goals (8) throughout the tournament, including in the quarter final, semi final and final. Other key events in Ronaldo's year included: winning the2024–25 Saudi Pro League golden boot, a three-month ban and one-year probation for elbowing a player in the back, and confirmation that he will play in hissixth FIFA World Cup, but will retire within the next two years. | Jun. 8(won Nations League) |
| 23 | MrBeast | | 12,012,142 |  | In June of last year, Jimmy Donaldson surpassed the Indian record labelT-Series as the owner of themost subscribed YouTube channel in the world with 267 million subscribers. Later that year, he became the first to pass 300 million, and this year he passed 400 million, currently sitting at 458 million subscribers. When MrBeast became the most subscribed channel, it was seen by many as emblematic of a new era of YouTube. T-Series, a massive corporation, had been surpassed by a 26-year old from North Carolina. However, as his reign has continued, his public image has shifted. At MrBeast headquarters, over 300 employees work to perfect every aspect of videos and other endeavors to maximize viewership and retention. At the beginning of his tenure as most subscribed, Wikipedia considered MrBeast an individual channel. It is now classified as a brand channel: a brand built around one person, but a brand nonetheless. As for those other endeavors, the MrBeast team has been very busy over the past year. Filmed last year and airing at the beginning of this year, he collaborated with Amazon to put onBeast Games, the largest reality show ever, featuring 1000 contestants and a $10 million grand prize, with another $15 million going to other contestants. Despite the scale, it received mostly negative reviews from critics, and production was marred with allegations of poor treatment of contestants, resulting in a currentlyongoing lawsuit. Late in the year, he created a temporary amusement park in Saudi Arabia, a country known forusing flashy events to distract from its human rights record. Despite these controversies, the MrBeast brand continues to grow. The YouTube channel is likely to hit half a billion subscribers next year, and Beast Games has already filmed its second season, with a third on the way. | Jan. 20(expresses interest in buyingTikTok) |
| 24 | World War II |  | 11,913,039 |  | This article needs no introduction. This is another article with multiple appearances in the Top 50 Report. This article appeared in the first nine additions of this report. Since then its appearance are less frequent, but it returns for a second consecutive year. This year, viewership figures were boosted with it being the 80th anniversary since the war ended, with many events held around the world to remember this tragic moment in our recent history. | May 8(80th anniversary ofVE Day) |
| 25 | Adolescence (TV series) | | 11,884,240 |  | One of the bigger TV series this year. The series is about a 13-year-old boy, Jamie, who is accused of murdering a girl from his school. The first episode explores his initial arrest, ending with CCTV footage of him committing the crime. Episode 2 explores the motives behind the murder through talking to some of the other students at the school. Episode 3 explores Jamie's own psychology, with episode 4 focussed on the effect of the murder on Jaime's immediate family. The series received high praise both for its excellent story telling, acting and direction but also for how it tackled the themes of knife crime, violence against girls by boys and, more broadly, the effect of themanosphere, withAndrew Tate being explicitly named by characters. | Mar. 23(10 days after release) |
| 26 | KPop Demon Hunters |  | 11,856,384 |  | Whileone anticipated Netflix showdidn't live up to its expectations, andanother one smashed it, this unprecedented release set off anotherworldwide Netflix phenomenon. Produced bySony Pictures Animation forNetflix, this animated musicalurban fantasy made-for-streaming film was released to Netflix on June 20, while asing-along version of the film receivedlimited theatrical releases from August 23–24 and October 31 – November 2. It became themost-watched original title in Netflix history with 325 million views, and its sing-along theatrical release became the Netflix film first to top the box office in the US and went on to become eliglble for theOscars but couldn't get toBAFTAs. Thefilm's soundtrack achieved similar success as well: highest debut on theBillboard 200 chart for 2025 soundtracks at 8th, highest-charting animated film's soundtrack album on the chart sinceSpider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and first Netflix soundtrack to reach number one on theTop Soundtracks sinceStranger Things 4. The fictional in-film K-pop groups Huntrix and the Saja Boys – with "Golden" and "Your Idol" respectively – topped the USSpotify chart with Huntrix becoming the highest-charting female K-pop group surpassingBlackpink, and the Saja Boys becoming the highest charting male K-pop group surpassingBTS. The soundtrack went on to getGRAMMY nods as wells asVMA nods. So in a nutshell, Netflix delivered yet another pop culture phenomenon, and Sony continues its animation victories, but live-actionnotexactly—will itchange? | Jun. 22(2 days after release) |
| 27 | Karoline Leavitt | | 11,813,280 |  | Karoline Leavitt worked for the White House during the last years of Trump's presidency, followed that with a failed campaign to be elected as a representative for New Hampshire and more work for Trump, first in hisSuper PACMAGA Inc. and then his 2024 campaign. With the re-election, Leavitt was appointed as the youngestWhite House Press Secretary ever at the age of 27, so she served as a spokesperson for the administration across the year, with a few bad moments (her very first press conference had Leavitt falsely say that $50 million in taxpayer dollars had been intended for use in funding condoms in theGaza Strip), serving as a defendant inthe lawsuit regarding theAssociated Press having its journalists barred simply because they don't call theGulf of Mexico "Gulf of America", and having to juggle work with newfound motherhood, being photographed working while feeding her son and ending the year announcing she was pregnant again. | Jan. 28(first press conference) |
| 28 | Sydney Sweeney | | 11,484,277 |  | With the formidable curves and glimmering locks of an 80s teen movie bombshell and a penchant for shedding her clothing, Sydney Sweeney singlehandedly kickstarted Gen-Z's collective sexual awakening. She even managed to obtain critical acclaim, earningEmmy nominations for her work onEuphoria andThe White Lotus, and box office clout in the 2023 hitAnyone But You. She showed admirable moxie by producing the modest horror hitImmaculate, and artistic ambition by playing whistleblowerReality Winner in the dramaReality. Not sinceAngelina Jolie have Hollywood's doors opened so wide and so soon for one so young. In a sane world, Sweeney would be following Jolie on the path to enduring stardom. But this not a sane world and, unlike Jolie, who rode initial horror at her BDSM admissions and repeated homewrecking scandals all the way to the top, Sweeney's offscreen actions may yet derail a promising career. It all began with, of all things, an ad forAmerican Eagle Outfitters. There are many who would decry the current state of "woke culture": that people are oversensitive and make a fuss about nothing. But I grew up in the 80s. I have an entire mental library of jokes I can't tell anymore. And speaking as an ambassador from that time, I can say with certainty that a commercial stating that a blonde, blue-eyed registered Republican has "great jeans" (har har) would have caused commotion even then. Perhaps more so. Remember, my littleBack to the Future cultists: the 80s were as far from theHolocaust as they are from now. And as far from segregation as you are fromIron Man. That said, advertisers do stupid things all the time. It could have blown over. But again, insane world, and the right-wing media ecosystem exploded in response, far more intensely than the initial outcry had been, turning what had been a minor cultural blip into a political firestorm, to the point that the President of the United States commented on it, calling it "the HOTTEST ad out there", because apparently we live in a simulation crafted by a toking frat lounger. Subsequently, some would argue as a result, her two next films, the boxing dramaChristy and the crime dramaAmericana, bombed. Still, her latest film, the domestic thrillerThe Housemaid, opened to a respectable $19 million, so perhaps the madness has passed. | Aug. 4(Trump comments on ad) |
| 29 | The Fantastic Four: First Steps | | 11,460,518 | .jpg) | In 1986, Marvel sold the rights to their most iconic team as they teetered on the brink of bankruptcy, leading to four (apropos) underwhelming if not downright terrible screen adaptations. And one good one if you countThe Incredibles. Only in 2019 did Marvel regain the rights, though it cost Disney $70 billion. To be fair, they got a rash of other IP with it; though given that the performances of former Fox propterties since the deal, such asAlien andPredator, have proven just OK, a lot was riding on the success of Marvel's first family once they finally returned home. And again, it proved... OK. With a budget of $200 million and a final gross of just over $500 million,Fantastic Four: First Steps broke even in theatres. But that clearly wasn't what Disney were expecting, given that they used the movie to set the stage forAvengers Doomsday. With a Rotten Tomatoes score of 86% and a Metacritic score of 65, this film appears to have a similar critical consensus toSuperman, that is, OK. But DC can take OK. Marvel can't. | Jul. 25(released) |
| 30 | Diane Keaton | | 10,913,909 | _(cropped).jpg) | When your second film role is a lead inThe Godfather, it's fair to say you will be remembered. And if that and her even more intense turn inThe Godfather, Part II were all Diane Keaton ever did, her legacy would be secure. But she also secured a longstanding working (and occasionally more-than-working) relationship withWoody Allen, with whom she made eight films, including the title role in the Oscar-winningAnnie Hall. Beyond Allen, in the 80s she starred in underrated films likeGillian Armstrong'sMrs. Soffel andAlan Parker'sShoot the Moon, and had a modest hit to call her own in the working comedyBaby Boom. But it was in the 90s and 2000s that her career really blossomed. At an age when many actresses of previous generations would have retired, Keaton saw a string of hits withFather of the Bride,The First Wives Club,Something's Gotta Give andThe Family Stone. And when she finally died this year, at the age of 79, she still had three projects in the pipeline. | Oct. 11(died) |
| 31 | Bob Dylan | | 10,733,399 |  | Robert John Zimmerman has had a truly impressive oeuvre over his long (andstillongoing!) career, but what propelled him into this list was not any work of his own, but the Oscar-nominated biographical filmA Complete Unknown starring the nigh-omnipresentTimothée Chalamet. It covers his life from 1961 to 1965, including his rise in the folk scene, his interactions with other prominent musicians such asWoody Guthrie,Pete Seeger, andJoan Baez, and his exploration with electric instruments and rock music—much to the dismay of some. Of course, it's a biopic, not a documentary; people and events are added, removed, changed, and composited throughout. DirectorJames Mangold fully states that the film is "not a Wikipedia entry". Perhaps that's a good thing; his Wikipedia entry is alreadyone of the best. Dylan's artistic process was actually quite wiki-ish itself: he ravenously listened to and took (often heavy) inspiration from many other folk musicians during his rise, and conversely was awed and inspired by covers of his songs such asthe Byrds' "Mr. Tamborine Man" orJimi Hendrix's "All Along the Watchtower", and this attitude cemented him not only as a great musician, but as a great contributor to the musical canon. And in this turbulent world (see... most of the other entries), his poetic verse still finds resonance with us. | Mar. 3(day afterOscars) |
| 32 | Michelle Trachtenberg | | 10,715,729 |  | There is frustratingly little known about the sudden and tragic death of this former child star at the age of just 39. Despite her having acted since the age of three, her death appears unconnected to the standard child star meltdowns or excesses. It just... happened. Last year, she required a liver transplant, and it seemed that diabetes formed as a result, which played a role in her death. Due to their Jewish faith, her family refused an autopsy. Though she starred in films, including modest hits likeIce Princess andInspector Gadget, Trachtenberg was primarily known for her television roles. She made her breakthrough at the age of nine in the surrealNickelodeon sitcomThe Adventures of Pete & Pete, which likely led to her starring role in the Nickelodeon-produced filmHarriet the Spy, and had a recurring role onGossip Girl, but is likely best known asDawn, the magically created sister ofBuffy Summers in the final seasons ofBuffy the Vampire Slayer. | Feb. 26(died) |
| 33 | 6-7 meme | | 10,703,152 |  | One of the most prominent so-called "brain rot" memes to emerge since the unfortunate rise ofSkibidi Toilet in 2023, the latest internet craze left many parents and teachers confused as children began sniggering when the seemingly innocent numbers 6 and 7 were mentioned together. This phenomenon originates from the song "Doot Doot (6 7)" bydrill rap artistSkrilla, released in February, and gained further notoriety whena YouTube video by creator Cam Wilder depicted a teenager yelling the phrase while watching a basketball game, leading to ironic (and later unironic) memes which only increased in popularity throughout the year. The boy, whose real name is Maverick Trevillian, has capitalised on his newfound fame (much like the "Hawk Tuah Girl" in 2024) by hosting fan meetups with the so-called "67 Kid". With memes beginning to remain popular for longer than a week again, the meme's rise is shown by the vast viewership to this article, which has made it into the Top 50 despite only being created in August. The meme's unprecedented invasion into every corner of the internet has probably caused irreparable damage to 6 and 7's reputation, with those two unlucky numbers likely to become nostalgic to theGen Alphas as they reminisce about the good ol' days of the big '25. | Oct. 22(CNNarticle) |
| 34 | Jannik Sinner | | 10,600,212 | .jpg) | At the beginning of 2024, Sinner won his first major title at theAustralian Open, beating world number oneNovak Djokovic along the way. He ended the year as the new number one, having won many more tournaments. Early in 2025, he defended his Australian Open title, but only came runner-up at theFrench Open, losing to his rivalCarlos Alcaraz in the final. He rebounded less than a month later when he defeated Alcaraz in the finals ofWimbledon. A month later, Alcaraz struck back by beating Sinner in the finals of theUS Open, putting him at first in the standings where he still remains. Despite his current number one status in tennis andcompetitive rivalry throughout the year, Alcaraz did not get a spot in the Top 50 of this report. | Jul. 13(won Wimbledon) |
| 35 | Assassination of Charlie Kirk | | 10,575,676 |  | The American conversative political activist Charlie Kirk, best known for co-foundingTurning Point USA and being one of the leading figures of theMAGA movement, was assassinated while speaking at a debate event atUtah Valley University on September 10. The event was the first of a planned tour of several campus debates organised by TPUSA, and was attended by a crowd of around 3,000 people. Kirk was debating a student on the subject ofmass shootings in the United States when he was shot once in the neck from a sniper on the roof of a university building. He was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after aged 31. A 33-hour manhunt resulted in authorities capturing the suspected gunman, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson fromWashington, Utah, whose parents reportedly recognised him from CCTV footage of the alleged assassin. Robinson faces 10 charges in court, including one count ofaggravated murder and one count of felony discharge of a firearm, with a preliminary hearing scheduled to begin on May 18. Prosecutors have announced that they will seek thedeath penalty for Robinson, citing aggravating factors alleging Robinson targeted Kirk based on his political beliefs and committed the crime in the presence of children. The assassination has been generally condemned by American politicians and other figures worldwide, with the public reaction's being much more polarised due to Kirk's controversial views. | Sep. 10(occurred) |
| 36 | Gene Hackman | | 10,375,917 |  | Another acting death emerged on the same day as #32, Gene Hackman, who moved away from the public eye to live in New Mexico after a health-related retirement in 2004 (thus his acting career ended in a forgettable if not shameful note,Welcome to Mooseport), and passed away in odd circumstances: Hackman's wife died suddenly ofhantavirus pulmonary syndrome, advancedAlzheimer's made him not notice she died or that their dog was in a nearby closet (leading him to starve to death), and six days later Hackman perished at 95 to a heart attack, but only 8 days later authorities broke into their home and found the bodies. An unusual end to a life that included a stay in the Marines (he even narrated two documentaries on the Corps after retiring) before working a lot across five decades, with 101 credited acting roles! Highlights included two Academy Awards forThe French Connection andUnforgiven and three more nominations, #11's archenemyLex Luthor in threeSuperman films, techno-thrillersThe Conversation andEnemy of the State, a brief and hilarious appearance inYoung Frankenstein, and even voicing a villainous ant inAntz. | Feb. 27(found dead the day before) |
| 37 | Jurassic World Rebirth | | 10,191,595 |  | In 1983Michael Crichton conceived a screenplay about apterosaur being cloned fromfossil DNA, which he eventually developed into anovel which would release in 1990. Before the novel's release,Universal Pictures outbidWarner Bros.,Columbia Pictures and20th Century Fox for the rights to the novel. Thus the novel was adapted into a film directed bySteven Spielberg andreleased in 1993 which would set off a new cinematic era and becomeits own franchise. The film spawned a trilogy withThe Lost World andJurassic Park III. Then in 2015,Jurassic World introduced a new theme park built upon the ruins of the original park, and went on to spawn its own trilogy as well withFallen Kingdom andDominion. AlthoughDominion was marketed as "The End of the Jurassic Era", following theJurassic World trilogy's success, a seventh film in the franchise was confirmed. Initially rumored to be a reboot of the franchise, it was revealed to be a continuation but with the subtitle "Rebirth" and a new cast includingMCU alumnusScarlett Johansson,to-be-MCU actorMahershala Ali andWicked starJonathan Bailey. The film received mixed reviews from critics, though some deemed it an improvement over previous entries. But, it grossedless than the previousJurassic World films with $868 million worldwide against a budget of $180–$225 million while, all three previous films (including the worst received film in the franchise,Dominion) grossed over a billion dollars. This shows that critics are very different from the real audience, or that those who didn't like the previous movies wouldn't give the franchise another shot. Meantime as of this report, there has been no official information about future installments in the franchise but, there are rumours and speculations that a sequel to the film is in development with the cast returning and is expected to be released in June 2028...! | Jul. 6(finishes opening weekend with $318 million) |
| 38 | Pete Hegseth | | 10,148,750 | .jpg) | As a South American who hates politics, this here writer wouldn't be writing so much about the U.S. government if he didn't want to complete this page. A Princeton graduate andArmy National Guard veteran, Pete Hegseth worked for a decade onFox News, mostly as a host ofFox & Friends Weekend, where his opinions often influenced Trump's policymaking during his presidency. So upon re-election he brought in Hegseth to become the Secretary of Defense, the second youngest afterDonald Rumsfeld underGerald Ford, even if there was questioning regarding his lack of experience, stories about alcoholism, and even a sexual assault allegation. And a few months into the government he already was criticized once a journalist was mistakenly added to a privateSignal group chat where Hegseth discusseda pending airstrike on Yemen,and promptly made what he saw public. He was also accused of war crimes as the military startedattacking vessels in the Caribbean Sea that were supposedly used for drug trafficking, which precededa land strike on their country of origin just after the year turned. | Jan. 20(assumed office) |
| 39 | List of presidents of the United States | | 10,062,502 | .png) | The 47th presidency started early on in 2025. Many of you will think I phrased that weirdly. And I did, but deliberately so. Donald Trump is the 45th and 47th president of the United States, because non consecutive terms are given different numbers. Trump became just the 2nd president to have two presidencies, afterGrover Cleveland (22nd president from 1885 to 1889 and 24th president from 1893 to 1897). Historically, presidents were not term limited, but afterFranklin D. Roosevelt was president for four terms (the first and only president to have more than two), theTwenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution limited presidents to just two terms. Among the many controversial things Trump has said that he intends to be president beyond two terms. Although considered unlikely, there are two possible legal routes to achieve this. One: have the 22nd amendment repealed (that would require aTwenty-eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution). Two: Became a vice-president, have the actual "president" resign, promoting the "vice president" (Trump) to the presidency. Could Trump be the first president with three numbers? | Jan. 20(Trump's inauguration) |
| 40 | One Battle After Another | | 9,929,720 |  | Paul Thomas Anderson has one of the most acclaimed filmographies out there, soWarner Bros. gave him a blank check once he decided to take a stab at the action genre, filming with oldVistaVision cameras many firefights and chases alongside the character work andblack comedy that built Anderson's career.Leonardo DiCaprio is a retired revolutionary trying to raise the teenage daughter he had with a partner-in-arms (in a dynamic inspired byThomas Pynchon'sVineland), only for her to be kidnapped by a colonel played bySean Penn, who in previous brushes with the revolutionaries developed an obsession with the girl's mother, so he's forced to take up weapons again to rescue her.One Battle After Another opened at number one, but did not have legs at the box office (for instance, the following week had it fall to second behindTaylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl — ironically, for all her success Ms. Swift is not in this list...) and the highest earnings of Anderson's career at $200 million were ultimately not profitable given it barely surpassed a big budget estimated at $130–175 million. But the important part is that the movie was one of the best reviewed of the year, so Anderson, DiCaprio, Penn and everyone involved will start many battles during the awards season. | Sep. 28(finishes opening weekend with $48.5 million) |
| 41 | 2024 United States presidential election | | 9,868,808 | .jpg) | The Most Important Election of Our Lifetimes has come and gone yet again, though the 60th edition has proven itself to be more deserving of the title as #5's term continues. Some new light has been shed on the chaotic campaign since its conclusion, including from Democratic nomineeKamala Harris, who published anew memoir in which she vents her frustrations withJoe Biden and his costly decision to run for re-election, despiteconcerns about his age. A few key players in the election have also continued relevancy into the second Trump era: Democrat-turned-independentRobert F. Kennedy Jr. is now spearheading the infamous "Make America Healthy Again" movement as Trump's newHealth Secretary; former VP candidateTim Walz became a target of scrutiny from the MAGA crowd overreignited allegations of fraud; and Harris herself briefly flirted with the idea of running forgovernor of California, though ultimately decided against it. Don't be surprised if we end up seeing the same faces pop up in2028 (if there evenis a 2028...). | Feb. 8 |
| 42 | Val Kilmer | | 9,851,675 |  | Few people start their careers with leading roles, and Val Kilmer got two already in the comediesTop Secret! andReal Genius. Afterwards he was propelled to stardom when he played the rival inTop Gun, leading to many hits (Batman Forever,Heat,The Prince of Egypt) and acclaimed performances (The Doors,Tombstone,Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). His career would stumble withsomeflops, getting out of shape, and a reputation of being difficult to work with. (While Kilmer made the infamousThe Island of Dr. Moreau stressed by a divorce, his on-set behavior led directorJohn Frankenheimer to declare "There are two things I will never do in my life. I will never climb Mount Everest, and I will never work with Val Kilmer again. There is not enough money in the world.") Kilmer would ultimately stop working due to a throat cancer in the 2010s that took away his voice, as shown in his last two film releases: the 2021 documentaryVal, where Kilmer told about his life and career through home movies and narration spoken by his sonJack Kilmer; and a heart-wrenching scene returning to his breakout role in 2022'sTop Gun: Maverick. Respiratory problems would also be what took Kilmer's life at the age of 65. | Apr. 2(died) |
| 43 | Anora | | 9,768,633 |  | Writer-directorSean Baker told once again the story of a sex worker – in this case a stripper played byMikey Madison who marries the son of aRussian oligarch, and once he runs away with the arrival of daddy's henchmen, she is forced to help them find him. The result got glowing reviews and recouped its modest budget many times over. ThoughAnora never managed to get the attention of the world at large until it emerged as the big winner of the Academy Awards, missing only Best Supporting Actor while scoring four major categories (Best Picture, Director, Actress and Original Screenplay) and Best Editing. Especially as, unlike previous Best Picture winnersEverything Everywhere All At Once andOppenheimer, it wasn't going that well against heavy competition in other awards (The Substance,The Brutalist,Wicked,Conclave,Dune, etc.), having won none out of 5 nods at the Golden Globes, and 2 out of 7 at the BAFTAs. So, soon the netizens were asking "DidAnora deserve all those Oscars?", and those who disagreed tended to say "This is justsoft porn/a rehash ofPretty Woman!" or "Passing overDemi Moore for a younger actress just proves the point ofThe Substance!". Or that it's just another case of the Oscars being irrelevant, as – even if the nominations aren't mostly blatantOscar bait with hollow storylines –AMPAS still has a big disconnect with actual filmgoers, not recognizing box office hits and giving Best Picture to movies the audience barely heard of, and it's reflected by the low viewership numbers of the ceremony. But it could be worse, as at least before voting, the Academy realized their mistake in nominatingEmilia Pérez so much, and it's better to see debates on whetherAnora was worthy thanthis getting all the awards... | Mar. 3(day after Oscars) |
| 44 | Erika Kirk | | 9,726,927 | .jpg) | Uniquely for this list, her article was created on September 10, meaning it got all of its views in a bit under four months, ⅓ the time any other article got. This demonstrates the speed of Erika Kirk’s rise to prominence. On September 9, she was almost entirely unknown, but since the assassination of her husband, she has become a nationally recognizable political figure. She has taken over his role as CEO ofTurning Point USA, and has spent the last several months promoting Republican politicians. Her most high-profile appearance was at the massivememorial service, which had over 90,000 in attendance. Appearing on stage to fireworks and accompanied by Donald Trump, she gave a speech saying she forgave the shooter, immediately before Trump’s speech where he blamed the shooting on the left and stated that he hates his opponents. | Sep. 10(husband died) |
| 45 | Stranger Things | | 9,720,440 |  | The Duffer Brothers were rejected by 15 cable networks pitching their idea of a show that would revisit the 1980s with a combination of bothSteven Spielberg-esque adventure films such asE.T. andThe Goonies andStephen King-esque horror of the decade. Netflix took a chance on it, and in 2016 we were introduced to a group of kids that stumbles upona telekinetic girl and a monster from another dimension.Stranger Things quickly became one of the biggest streaming originals ever, so more horrors were inflicted upon the small town of Hawkins, Indiana in further seasons, albeit with an sporadic nature as it took 9 years for the show to get 5 seasons, leading many to mock how the teen cast grew up too much yet supposedly only 4 years passed in the story. In a way the journey ofStranger Things was parallel to our Top 50 Report, as the show was in bothour first official edition in 2017 andthe 2016 test run, the third season wasfour positions short of the2019 list, only to double-down in2022 as both the series and the fourth season entered, and this repeated with the final season down there at #50, making clear it's a show that resonates with Wikipedia readers. | Nov. 25(day after season 5 starts) |
| 46 | Chhaava | | 9,646,152 |  | Bollywoodepichistoricalaction film; an adaptation of theMarathi novelChhava byShivaji Sawant, directed byLaxman Utekar and produced byDinesh Vijan underMaddock Films. The film follows life ofChhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj (who is played byVicky Kaushal), the second ruler of theMaratha Empire, after his fatherChhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's death in the final period ofMughal Empire. The cast also includes:Akshaye Khanna (who is also playing the main antagonist in #18) as Mughal EmperorAurangzeb;Rashmika Mandanna asYesubai Bhonsale, Sambhaji's wife, Maratha queen;Ashutosh Rana asHambirrao Mohite, Soyarabai's brother and Sambhaji's loyal general;Divya Dutta asSoyarabai, Sambhaji's stepmother plotting to overthrow him from throne;Vineet Kumar Singh asKavi Kalash, Sambhaji's friend and advisor;Neil Bhoopalam asMughal Prince Muhammad Akbar, Aurangzeb's son; andDiana Penty asZinat-un-Nissa Begum. The film received mixed-to-negative reception and faced controversies and was threatened with a₹100 crore (US$12 million) lawsuit for allegedly depicting historical inaccuracies and misrepresentation. The film also fueled religious hostility of the long-strainedIslamic–Hindu relations in India. Right-wing Hindu groups condemned the glorification and threatened to demolish theTomb of Aurangzeb, as they claimed it as "a reminder of centuries of oppression, atrocities, and slavery of Hindus during his [Muslim] rule", which even led to the2025 Nagpur violence. Despite all this, the film managed to gross over₹809 crore (US$96 million) to emerge as the2nd highest grossing Indian film of 2025,9th highest grossing Hindi film of all time, and 15th highest grossing Indian film of all time (#47). | Feb. 16(finishes opening weekend with ₹157 crore) |
| 47 | List of highest-grossing Indian films | | 9,463,733 |  | Two biggest Indian films of the year,Dhurandhar (#18) andChhaava (#46), both fromBollywood have made it onto the Top 50 list, as these two films went onto emerge as the3rd and 9th highest-grossing Hindi films of all-time and as the 7th and 15th highest-grossing Indian films of all-time respectively. On an overall look, out of the top 10 grossing films, four came fromTollywood, with five fromBollywood but, out of the top five, three from Tollywood and only one from Bollywood. AlthoughKollywood has actors with international fandom, unlike the others, it couldn't make it past 17th place. At the end of 2025, the top three highest-grossing Indian films areDangal (2016 – Bollywood film),Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017 – Tollywood film) andPushpa 2: The Rule (2024 – Tollywood film). Now there is a saying (inSouth Asia at least) that, "Indian cinema is the second biggestfilm industry in the world afterHollywood"; but is it true..? These are the only three non-US, non-UK cinema-related entries this year as was last year (but withPushpa 2 andKalki) so, maybe, in terms of that. But in terms of box office, not yet; not even close. Another interesting coincidence I must add: 2025 had three billion-dollar Hollywood movies (Zootopia 2,Avatar: Fire and Ash andLilo & Stitch – none of which made the report), all from Disney! Meanwhile, thehighest grossing Indian film of 2025,Dhurandhar (#18), was co-produced and distributed byJio Studios whose parent companyReliance Industries co-ownsJioStar – which was formed by theirViacom18 merging withDisney Star and is co-owned byDisney India as well. So, Disney everywhere...! | Dec. 26(#18 passes₹1000 crore) |
| 48 | Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning | | 9,434,191 |  | Other entries here discuss how hard it is to define "box office success" lately, specially when film fans go around trying to paint everything as a failure as if they were studio shareholders. Case in point, the eighth installment ofMission: Impossible, which ends the story of spyEthan Hunt, as even ifTom Cruise is quite spry for 63, he deserves a break from life-threatening stunts. The movie was very expensive, estimated in the $300–400 million range, as along with the usual epic scope (the climactic scene involves abiplane chase with Cruise dangerously holding onto the aircraft), there were many problems that led to five release date changes, most prominently the pandemic that started during the production of predecessorDead Reckoning andthe strikes that halted production for months. And unlike howDead Reckoning underperformed becauseBarbenheimer opened right afterwards,The Final Reckoning was one half of a quite disparate opening weekend against theLilo & Stitch remake (coincidentally,the original opened againstanother Tom Cruise movie), and in spite of the best opening of the franchise, it didn't beat its family-friendly competitor and finished its theatrical run just short of $600 million. Thus, it didn't double its budget and was labeled as a flop, but good video-on-demand numbers and the fact both critics and audiences had a positive response shows this is one movie that shouldn't be reduced to box office data. | Mar. 23(finishes opening weekend with $204 million) |
| 49 | Melania Trump | | 9,425,271 |  | As mentioned above, Trump is the second U.S. president to serve non-consecutive terms, and this also means his wife followsFrances Cleveland in being a non-consecutive First Lady. Melania has kept a low profile since returning to the White House, withrare public appearances and barely using theOffice of the First Lady of the United States that was demolished to build a ballroom, instead spending time in the Trumps'New York andFlorida residences. She also decided to follow the footsteps ofMichelle Obama in audiovisual production, producinga documentary on her last 20 days before the 2025 inauguration. And all the discussion regarding #13 ended up hitting her as well, with claims that Epstein introduced Melania to Trump, prompting her to threaten legal action against those who said so, andHarperCollins even removed offending passages ina biography ofthe former Duke of York to avoid problems with Melania. | Jan. 20(husband's inauguration) |
| 50 | Stranger Things season 5 | | 9,339,392 |  | As already mentioned, Netflix released the final season of one of its most popular shows, and to do so chose quite an unusual scheme across the holiday season: 4 episodes the day before (American) Thanksgiving, 3 more on Christmas, and the extra long 2-hour finale on New Year's Eve. The season starts 19 months after the previous one, in 1987, with the city of Hawkins quarantined so the military can investigate the "Upside Down" attached to it, while the protagonists seek the villainousVecna, who in turn orders the kidnapping of children, including the sister ofMike Wheeler, to empower himself and cause a merger of the dark dimension with Earth. It all culminates in an assault on the Upside Down, andEleven thinking she should sacrifice herself instead of letting the army experiment on her again. Preceded by a marketing and merchandise barrage, the new episodes had huge viewership numbers (the first volume had Netflix's third most viewed debut, after seasons 2 and 3 ofSquid Game – which were contentious enough to make that show drop from an astonishing 4th inour 2021 list to far from entering this year... – and both it and the final episode crashed the platform) that included over a million tickets sold for theatrical screenings of the series finale. While mostly positive, responses were all over the place, not helped by some review-bombing from those who disliked seeingWill Byerscoming out (if only to match the sexuality ofhis actor). In any case, even as the show ended, Netflix had already expanded it witha play on Vecna's origins performed on West End and Broadway, and they don't seem ready to let this world go, as this year comes animated spin-offStranger Things: Tales from '85. | Nov. 17(day after Volume 1) |
Toolforge's list, along with not including redirect views (for instance, Pope Leo XIV got many views under the pontiff's birth nameRobert Francis Prevost,Mission: Impossible had over 100k fromits various working titles, and the last season ofStranger Things got60k fromStranger Things (season 5), with parenthesis) and excluding the pages we eliminate for suspicious numbers or activities:
Impressive work and a fun read! ~Maplestrip/Mable (chat)07:41, 29 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
I'm always interested in this list which shows how out of touch I am with the real world. Not that I care. To my regret, I saw the movie "Sinners." It's a fucking vampire movie! The other movie I saw this year was "Marty Supreme." It was worse. Thanks for the Signpost.Smallchief (talk)— Precedingundated comment added08:25, 29 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
I wonder if we know how readers are getting to some of these articles (especially things like the deaths list, which isn't an intuitive search term, and United States, because surely most people know what the US is)? A list of most common search terms might make an interesting comparison.HJ Mitchell |Penny for your thoughts?14:03, 29 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
Do the listed pageviews separate out bot views in any way?Guz13 (talk)16:16, 29 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
inspiring his violent demise and his widow to get in. I'm sure this was a reference to the inclusion of the Kirks on the top 50 list, i.e. "getting in" the list by virtue of readership. But another reading could have seen that they inspired the assassination somehow which I agree is ugly and should not have been left that way. ☆Bri (talk)17:37, 29 January 2026 (UTC)[reply]
DOGE has claimed to have saved hundreds of billions, although other government entities have estimated it to have cost the government $21.7 billion. Another independent analysis estimated that DOGE cuts will cost taxpayers $135 billion; the Internal Revenue Service predicted more than $500 billion in revenue loss due to "DOGE-driven" cuts. ... budget experts said DOGE cuts were driven more by political ideology than frugality. Musk, DOGE, and the Trump administration have made multiple claims of having discovered significant fraud, many of which have not held up under scrutiny. According to the estimates of Professor Brooke Nichols, DOGE cuts to foreign aid programs had led to some 300,000 deaths by May 2025, mostly of children. As of January 1, 2026, her counter that estimates the number of deaths exceeds 720,200.
