Wikipedia:Wikipedia Signpost/2024-04-25/Traffic report

Traffic report

O.J., cricket and a three body problem

By Igordebraga, Rahcmander, Marinette2356, Boyinaroom, Vestrian24Bio, and Bucket of sulfuric acid

This traffic report is adapted from the Top 25 Report, prepared with commentary by Igordebraga, Rahcmander, Marinette2356, Boyinaroom, Vestrian24Bio and Bucket of sulfuric acid.

And all that is gone, and all that's to come (March 24 to 30)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Indian Premier League	4,610,878	In case you never noticed, cricket is the favorite sport of a nation of billions, and thus the national championship is heavily attended and valuable (estimated at US$10.9 billion!), so big Wikipedia views should come as no surprise.
2	Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)	2,218,745	In 1814, Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star Spangled Banner" about Fort McHenry, built in 1798 and still standing today. In 1977, a bridge was built in Baltimore bearing his name. The bridge will not enjoy the same longevity as the fort, however, as it was destroyed after being struck by a container ship (see #8).
3	2024 Indian Premier League	2,156,687	The latest edition of #1, with ten teams from all over India and a qualifying stage lasting until mid-May.
4	3 Body Problem (TV series)	1,828,994	Netflix released this science fiction series where Rosalind Chao plays an astrophysicist making discoveries that will change mankind's fate.
5	The Three-Body Problem (novel)	1,431,574
6	Sean Combs	1,365,599	Controversies aren't new for the rapper once known as Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, and Diddy, and the newest ones this week revolved around Homeland Security raiding his properties for an investigation, and former associate Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones suing Combs accusing him of sexual assault, paying to keep sex workers, and having a drug mule.
7	Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire	1,126,911	Three years ago, Godzilla vs. Kong had a surprisingly strong showing in theaters in spite of the goddamned pandemic and a simultaneous HBO Max release. Now the most famous giant monsters are back, Godzilla fighting whatever kaiju decides to go on rampage on land, and King Kong exploring an underground world and discovering he's not the only living giant ape, and because of them is willing to destroy the surface world. And of course, there's a human plot that was highlighted by reviewers as the weakest part of the movie, albeit audiences just wanting to see massive creatures punching each other (including a climax in a partially frozen Rio de Janeiro!) will get what they want, to the point the movie is expected to earn over $190 million worldwide in its opening weekend.
8	Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse	1,082,978	During the night of March 26, a container ship struck the piers of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, causing it to collapse entirely and leading to deaths and injuries. The incident gained massive traction across news outlets and social media, with some expressing their condolences to the families of the victims, and others throwing out conspiracy theories on who was to blame for the situation.
9	Dan Schneider	1,022,915	Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV aired on Investigation Discovery and the former HBO Max, now just Max (except in Europe), detailing how some nasty things allegedly happened behind the scenes of Nickelodeon's 1990s and early 2000s sitcoms, giving a particular shine on the hostile work environment allegedly created by producer Dan Schneider, who in the wake of the MeToo movement got fired from the channel in 2018 as stories of his sexual misconduct and gender discrimination were made public.
10	Deaths in 2024	974,325	Don't get too tired for love Don't let it end Don't say goodnight to love It may never be the same again

And everything under the sun is in tune (March 31 to April 6)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Indian Premier League	3,610,348	Once again, the top article regards the latest season of the Indian cricket league (breaking the 94% mobile views threshold for exclusion because most Indians can only access Wikipedia through their phones, but we'll let it fly again at least this week).
2	2024 Indian Premier League	2,154,516
3	3 Body Problem (TV series)	1,118,058	This Netflix show opens on a Chinese scientist being publicly beaten to death during the Cultural Revolution, but instead deals with his daughter years later making groundbreaking and world-changing discoveries in astrophysics.
4	WrestleMania XL	1,089,704	A possible chart-topper for next week, WWE's biggest event that was held in Philadelphia and featured The Rock!
5	Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire	1,065,368	Godzilla fans noted that after the Japanese creators offered a 'fancy meal'-like movie with Godzilla Minus One, it was time for the Americans of the MonsterVerse to deliver the fast food equivalent, as the Big G beats up other kaiju, including some that King Kong discovered roaming the massive underground ecosystem of the Hollow Earth. Plenty of cinema goers wanted to see giant monsters fighting, given Godzilla x Kong had one of the best Easter opening weekends, and remained strong atop the box office, having already passed $350 million worldwide.
6	Deaths in 2024	980,506	In the warrior's code There's no surrender Though his body says stop His spirit cries, never!
7	Caitlin Clark	928,912	After driving up ticket sales for her final season attending the University of Iowa, the Hawkeyes' top basketball player again pushed them to the March Madness finals, while continuing her streak of wrecking as many NCAA records as possible (including TV viewership ones!). Standing against Clark in the finals are the South Carolina Gamecocks, led by Brazilian wunderkind Kamilla Cardoso.
8	Vontae Davis	871,903	Davis, a former football player, was found dead on April 1, with the cause of death unknown but foul play was not suspected. He was drafted in the first round by the Miami Dolphins, was traded to the Indianapolis Colts where he spent most of his career, and controversially retired from football mid-game in 2018 while playing for the Buffalo Bills.
9	The Three-Body Problem (novel)	860,520	A Chinese novel named after a complex physics theory that inspired #3.
10	Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024	830,629	On April 8, the Moon passed directly between the Earth and the Sun, obscuring the Sun for a bit and in its direct path causing the world to go dark. This total eclipse gained particular attention for being the first in the United States since 2017, and the last until 2044 for most of the country.

But the Sun is eclipsed by the Moon (April 7 to 13)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	O. J. Simpson	4,021,730	If Orenthal James Simpson had died on April 10, 1994, shortly after the release of Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, he would've gone relatively young at 46, but left behind a good legacy as both an American football player inducted in both the college and pro football halls of fame and as an actor. Instead two months later he was arrested accused of murdering his ex-wife (#6) and a friend of hers. Even if he was acquitted in a trial-turned-media circus (#7), Simpson couldn't ensure the blemish on his reputation being "possible criminal" once he actually went to jail for stealing from a Vegas casino in 2007. In short, when "The Juice" died on April 10, 2024 of prostate cancer, there was an excuse for informal if not outright disrespectful eulogies (while acknowledging his children and grandchildren's requests to "please respect their wishes for privacy and grace").
2	Indian Premier League	2,608,607	As the top rivalries (except MI v CSK) of IPL at #5 took place in the past week, it brought more people to its articles.
3	WrestleMania XL	2,557,335	Normally WWE's premier event tops the Report, but with a big death and another week not excluding the IPL in spite of high mobile views, they had to settle for third in 2024.
4	Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024	2,254,760	The #8 happened last Monday brought more people's attention as it's the first total solar eclipse for Canada since 1979, for Mexico since 1991 and for United States since 2017. The next total solar eclipse in the US will be on 2033 over Alaska and in the lower 48 states of the US will be on 2044. The next total eclipse of similar width will take place in 2045. It's the only solar eclipse in 21st century to appear in all three countries.
5	2024 Indian Premier League	1,659,772	As the top rivalries (except MI v CSK) of #2 took place in the past week, it brought more people to its articles.
6	Fallout (American TV series)	1,640,411	Like The Last of Us, a post-apocalyptic series based on video games. Only this one is on Prime Video, and the disaster was a nuclear war, with the show following a girl who leaves her underground bunker to seek her kidnapped father in the destroyed remains of Los Angeles. Fallout earned much praise for feeling like an extension of the games, including its distinctive retrofuturism aesthetic heavy on atompunk, and has already been renewed for a second season.
7	Nicole Brown Simpson	1,098,507	On June 12, 1994, the second wife of #1 was found dead at her home alongside her friend Ron Goldman, both covered in knife wounds. When LAPD came to his house to notify, they found some suspicious evidence, and by June 17 there was an arrest warrant issued for OJ, who even tried to evade in a Ford Bronco. The trial spanned eleven months, from November 1994, to October 1995, and in spite of the prosecution having a lot in their favor, including the reveal that the marriage had ended amidst accusations of domestic abuse and was followed by Nicole being stalked and harrassed, Simpson was acquitted. The impact of the events in culture were big, from making household names out of the defense attorneys Robert Shapiro, Johnnie Cochran, Alan Dershowitz and (for all the good this caused) Robert Kardashian, to two high-profile productions in 2016, the Oscar-winning documentary O.J.: Made in America and the Emmy-winning miniseries The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
8	Murder trial of O. J. Simpson	1,055,773
9	Solar eclipse	1,029,599	The Moon stood in front of the Sun last Monday (#4), bringing much attention as it's the first total solar eclipse for Canada since 1979, for Mexico since 1991 and for United States since 2017.
10	Civil War (film)	969,535	While Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire and Dune: Part II fell off this list, filmgoers were hyped by this dystopian war film by Alex Garland, where the United States are instead divided and disputed between four warring factions.

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.

Most edited articles

For the March 15 – April 15 period, per this database report.

Title	Revisions	Notes
Crocus City Hall attack	2538^[1]	On March 22, four gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall during a concert and opened fire on the crowd, killing 144 and injuring 551. The Islamic State claimed responsibility shortly after. Vladimir Putin declared a day of national mourning while also making baseless accusations against Ukraine.
Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse	2356	As mentioned above, the collapse of a bridge in Baltimore after it was hit by a ship.
Deaths in 2024	1942	Our obituary. Notable deaths since the last "most edited" besides O.J. and Vontae Davis included Louis Gossett Jr., Joe Lieberman, Chance Perdomo, Jaclyn Jose, Paul Alexander, Pankaj Udhas, Kenneth Mitchell and Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild.
Legalism (Chinese philosophy)	1337	For those who don't know, no one has ever edited an article so much as FourLights with this one.
List of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance candidates for the 2024 Indian general election	1213	I.N.D.I.A. will face the current government in the biggest election in the world (almost a billion people can vote!).
Cowboy Carter	1196	Beyoncé Knowles-Carter went country for Cowboy Carter, meant as a reinvention of Americana (even if track two is the cover of a Liverpudlian...) and featuring stalwarts of the genre like Dolly Parton, Linda Martell and Willie Nelson. Reviews were glowing, streaming records were broken, and lots of people are seeking cowboy clothes to wear.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire	961	A sequel to the movie revolving around the conflict between an ape and a lizard who spews radiation, now having them both facing off against an ape and a lizard who spews ice.
2024 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament	913	Dan Hurley coached the UConn Huskies to his second straight March Madness victory, over the Purdue Boilermakers of Zach Edey. Hurley was also named the Naismith College Coach of the Year and received the Sporting News Men's College Basketball Coach of the Year Award.
2024 Indian Premier League	902	Our South Asian fans love cricket, so no surprise for lots of coverage regarding their Twenty20 league.
Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024	878	Pink Floyd took this as an opportunity to release a fan-made video of the song I quoted for the titles above.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire	855	After winning back fans with the nostalgia-fest Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the best known spectral hunters return in a movie where New York is threatened by a ancient god trying to both build a ghost army and restart the ice age. Originally scheduled for December before the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes delayed it to March 2024, Frozen Empire got mixed reviews for a crowded script that brings everyone back from the previous movie and still introduces new characters, and in spite of opening atop the box office has not performed so well, having barely passed its $100 million budget domestically.
2023–24 Australian region cyclone season	797	Over 8 cyclones have hit Australia since December, with the strongest storms being Kirrily and Jasper.
Regency of Algiers	784	Given a few months ago this article on the North African parcel of the Ottoman Empire failed its GA review, the dedicated editors are extensively editing it hoping for another shot.
Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)	758	To quote from Last Week Tonight, "It has been a busy week, from a massive bridge collapse in Baltimore to Sam Bankman-Fried getting sentenced to 25 years in prison. Are these two events related? Experts say 'no', but given enough time, morons can find a path to 'maybe'!"
2024 Indian general election	741	The largest ever elections in the world will be held in India from April 19 to June 1, where 970 million people will elect 543 members of 18th Lok Sabha. Modi with his NDA alliance is competing for his third consecutive term against a big tent alliance of 41 parties led by Indian National Congress. Expect this entry to reach even higher as we witness the event.