Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/December 16 to 22, 2018

Prepared with commentary by Stormy clouds

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Beyond the Screen

It has been a somewhat subdued week, as the run-in to the festive period often is, dominated by death, cinema, and at the top of the report, their confluence. So, with one eye of the impending annual report, we turn our attention to the articles which captivated Wikipedians this week, from Hollywood movies to Bollywood movies. Of course, other tidbits snuck in, including the implosion of Manchester United F.C. following their humiliation at the hands of a cubist Liverpool (yes, I am enjoying this immensely - what even is bias). We also have entries inspired by wrestling, and by beauty pageants. The report is perhaps the least diverse of the year, but that did not diminish the enjoyment I derived from its compilation, and I hope it will not impact upon your enjoyment of it.

Thus, without further ado, for the week of December 16 to 22, 2018, the 25 most popular articles on Wikipedia, as determined from the WP:5000 report were:

Rank	Article	Class	Views	Image	About
1	Penny Marshall		1,968,460		We begin this week's iteration of the report with a sad death, that of director Penny Marshall. Perhaps best known for bringing America's Dad truly into the zeitgeist, Marshalls massive movies stood out on their own and made a significant impact on the trajectory of Hollywood. She will be missed, particularly given her importance as a pioneering female director.
2	Jason Momoa		1,296,443		Jason Momoa is a man so muscular that he makes rocks look small, and pairs all that protein with an extremely likeable personality. He first appeared on my radar as Khal Drogo, back when it was still niche to like Game of Thrones, but since then his star has shot to new heights, far beyond Vaes Dothrak. He stars as Arthur Curry in #4, where he gives an effortless, enamouring take on the somewhat cringe-inducing character.
3	Catriona Gray		1,199,397		The users of Wikipedia seem to care very deeply indeed about beauty pageants, for reasons that utterly baffle me. Gray, during the week, became the prince(ss) of the universe, driving many to her article to investigate their new supreme leader.
4	Aquaman (film)		1,168,991		Wikipedia has maintained an infatuation with comic book adaptations throughout the year, perhaps best embodied by the dominance of a marvellous team-up earlier in the year. Their rivals, long languishing behind them in cinematic terms, struck back with an aquatic action flick, starring our #2, and becoming an unlikely box office behemoth. Having seen the film, I cannot offer a ringing endorsement, but can see the appeal of an unabashedly ridiculous comic book adaptation, and a film that is not afraid to have fun.
5	Ole Gunnar Solskjær		1,063,027		A true Shakespearean tragedy here, my friends. The tale of a special king, a heroic, innovative figure, and the traitorous leeches who failed to respect him. The tale of an enigmatic cube, who defied the king and humiliatingly demolished his denizens. The long-storied tale of the king's usurpation, and of the arrival of a timely Norwegian heir to replace him. Alas, poor Jose, I loved him well.
6	Miss Universe 2018		1,054,956		I personally cannot comprehend the importance thrust upon beauty pageants by the public, when they usually amount to little more than thinly-veiled sexist judgements of (ultimately subjective) beauty. Anyway, the big one was on this week and won by #3. Why do they crown a winner though, when all the girls have lovely bottoms.
7	Deaths in 2018		754,460		Continuing its relentless consistency, the list of the deceased remains in the report. Wikipedia's perusers continued to journey in droves to see who we lost, a list this week spearheaded by #1.
8	Zero (2018 film)		753,907		It wouldn't truly feel like a Top 25 Report without the presence of a Bollywood hit now, would it? This week, the cinematic marvel raking in the crore is the story of a highly talented scientist with cerebral palsy and her quest for love. The Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma vehicle did not ingratiate critics, but has additional poignancy as the last cinematic appearance of Sridevi.
9	Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse		733,736		Comfortably the best superhero film in cinemas at present, and arguably the best adaptation of Lee and Ditko's iconic character, our ninth spot in the report is Sony's heartfelt, sincere apology for The Emoji Movie. Penned by comedic duo Lord and Miller, the unique cartoon introduces audiences to Miles Morales, Spider-Gwen, and many, many, many, more iterations of the amazing arachnid, weaving an intricate, intriguing plot worthy of the remarkable animation style.
10	2.0 (film)		704,386		Another Bollywood behemoth, and one which has shattered financial records completely. 2.0 has leveraged solid reviews into gargantuan box-office returns, but will need to continue to do so if it is to turn a profit. This is because the film, starring Amy Jackson, is far and away the most expensive Indian production ever.
11	Macaulay Culkin		660,347		It would be somewhat of an understatement to say that, since being left in his house isolated for the final time, Macaulay Culkin's career has faded. However, courtesy of a festive-themed ad for other Alexa, he returned to the public consciousness, inspiring many, like nyself, to check what he has been up to since the 90's.
12	TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2018)		632,781		Wrestling, and the pervasive, all-consuming power of the WWE, joins pageants on the list of things to baffle and confound me. Watching a troupe of actors hit each other with fake tables, fake ladders, and fake chairs. I would rather, and I truly despise Vince McMahon for making me say this, watch Say Yes to the Dress on the real TLC.
13	Bird Box (film)		581,423		Netflix has landed a veritable cornucopia of films on the report throughout the year, though they usually lack both the maturity and star power of this Sandra Bullock hit. The plot revolves around a (somewhat convoluted) post-apocalyptic future, and seems to have been a hit on the platform, given the persistently high views the article has attracted.
14	Lisa Bonet		579,762		Denise Huxtable makes an entrance in the report courtesy of her second marriage to the muscular star (#2) of the fishy flick (#4) that anchors much of the report. Interestingly (at least in the eyes of the many Wikipedians who journey to the actress' BLP), Momoa represents Bonet's second celebrity spouse, following on from her earlier marriage to singer Lenny Kravitz. That relationship spawned the multi-talented Zoë, so any potential child of hers and Momoa's (age permitting) would likely be a shredded triple threat.
15	Freddie Mercury		534,129		Everywhere the broken-hearted, on every lonely avenue. No one could reach them, no one but you.
16	Tracy Reiner		453,879		Tracy Reiner, a celebrated actress in her own right, including a notable appearance in Apollo 13, has seen a large spike in interest in her article owing to the fact that she is the daughter of #1. A classic case of diligent Wikipedia readers clicking every link in the infobox sees Reiner land comfortably on the report.
17	K.G.F: Chapter 1		448,641		Yet another Indian blockbuster in what has been evidently been an extremely busy week for Indian cinemagoers. This film, starring Yash has been particularly successful when you consider that it is a Kannada-language flick, restricting it's audience greatly given the somewhat niche nature of that language. It is already the highest grossing Kannada film, a fact that bodes very well for the impending second chapter.
18	Winter solstice		441,327		No prizes for guessing when most views of this article were accrued. Every 21st of December, the sun stays suspended above us for the shortest length of time (or longest if you enjoy Vegemite), weird light tricks occur at Newgrange, and scores upon scores of Internet dweller check what the hullabaloo is all about.
19	Cardi B		431,964		Cardi B has a busy week, appearing in a musical motorcade with James Corden, and turning down the fabled Super Bowl half-time show in solidarity with Nike's kneeling poster-boy. For more on the brash musician, I would suggest that you tune into our annual report, where she is certain to appear, the ever-present star that she has been throughout 2018.
20	Welcome to Marwen		429,437		Robert Zemeckis has had a difficult few decades as a director. Having come out of the gate with Back to the Future, and subsequently with Forrest Gump, expectations for future films were very high. It is fair to say that they have not been exceeded. Rather, Zemeckis became fascinated with CGI animation, a fascination which children will suffer from for aeons to come, then made an excellent, but underperforming walk, and now has returned to the interesting Marwen. Given the critical drubbing and low box office receipts, I would not anticipate hearing much more from Zemeckis any time soon, as he retreats hopefully back to a more captivating drawing board.
21	Mary, Queen of Scots		414,912		Expect this one to linger in the report for the next while with the upcoming biopic looming on the horizon. The Scottish Stuart, set to be portrayed by Saoirse Ronan, is a controversial figure in British history, having been deposed from the Castle on the Hill and driven south to her regal relative. She then allegedly plotted against the Virgin Queen, a plot that cost her her head.
22	Bumblebee (film)		412,091		The penultimate film in a report crowded by them, the first Transformers spin-off is in a curious place. Starring Hailee Steinfeld, and with Michael Bay away from the director's chair, the film has been well-received, and is easily the best in the series (not exactly a difficult feat). However, it has also made far less money than its predecessors, and may have an uphill battle for profitability. Ergo, it is very difficult to predict the future fortunes of the much maligned franchise. Personally, I would be fine if it ended here. This bee has stung me too many times.
23	José Mourinho		399,402		Farewell, my sweet Portuguese prince.
24	Roma (2018 film)		395,260		Alfonso Cuarón is one of the most talented directors of his era, producing seminal films like Gravity and Children of Men. As a result, any film he gets his hands on will experience hype, especially a gorgeous one inspired by his own life. During the week, it was distributed on Netflix, where the stellar reviews have obviously propelled high viewership, a testament to the director's prestige, given the film is in Spanish.
25	Garry Marshall		391,320		A list which began with a deceased director named Marshall also ends with one, as news of Penny's tragic demise drove droves to the article of her brother, who is best remembered for his creation of Happy Days, an era-defining sitcom (until it literally jumped the shark)

Exclusions

• This list excludes 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 talk page if you wish.
• Exo (band) and BTS (band): the Billboard Social 50 might accept the EXO-Ls and the BTS Army checking the pages of these K-pop groups many times daily for their rankings, but we won't condone this gaming of the system.

Note: If you came here from the Signpost article, please take any discussion of exclusions to this article's talk page.