Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/April 10 to 16, 2022

Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (April 10 to 16, 2022)
Prepared with commentary by, , , and two anonymous editors.

The atrocities in Ukraine might be all over the news, but this report is mostly shaped by India.


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! Rank ! Article ! Class ! Views ! Image ! Notes/about
 * 1
 * K.G.F: Chapter 2
 * 2,505,301
 * Champion_Reef_Mine_shaft.jpg
 * India's latest box-office hit takes the top spot. It follows the leader of an Indian crime syndicate operating out of the Kolar Gold Fields fighting rivals for supremacy as well as the Indian government. It has received mixed reviews but did very well at the box office and became the highest-grossing Kannada film of all time.
 * 2
 * Gilbert Gottfried
 * 2,425,851
 * GilbertGottfried.jpg
 * April 12 brought us the unfortunate news that Gottfried, a comedian known for his exaggerated shrill voice that he lent to characters such as Aladdin Iago and the Aflac duck, had died at the age of 67. Gottfried had privately been struggling with recurrent ventricular tachycardia complicated by type II myotonic dystrophy; I offer my deepest condolences.
 * 3
 * Russian cruiser Moskva
 * 1,831,133
 * Stamp of Ukraine s1985.jpg
 * The flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet suffered a major explosion and sank. Ukrainian soldiers on guard at Snake Island previously told it in no uncertain terms to go away. According to Ukrainian reports it was hit by one of their Neptune cruise missiles (#17 on this list) but the Russians prefer to claim incompetence and say the ship was damaged after a fire caused a munitions explosion. A Turkish ship was able to rescue more than fifty sailors, Russia has not yet announced official casualty numbers. The Slava ("Glory") class cruiser was originally built in Soviet Ukraine in the city of Mykolaiv, and was launched in 1979 as Slava. It later was refitted and renamed as Moskva ("Moscow") in 1996.
 * 4
 * 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
 * 1,466,467
 * 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.svg
 * Russia has retreated and regrouped for an attack on the east. The situation in Mariupol continues to worsen. The war continues to be awful.
 * 5
 * Elon Musk
 * 1,407,038
 * SpaceX_CEO_Elon_Musk_visits_N&NC_and_AFSPC_(190416-F-ZZ999-006)_(cropped).jpg
 * Most of the time, when Elon Musk is on this list, it's because he's done something silly, like challenging Vladimir Putin to single combat, or endorsing a cryptocurrency that was started as a joke. You know, totally normal things for the richest man in the world to be doing. We make fun of it and move on. This time, though, it's for something that actually could be quite serious. This week, Musk launched a bid for a hostile takeover of Twitter, which if successful would give him ultimate control of the platform. Employees and civil rights activists are worried that Musk's "free speech absolutist" agenda, which would involve stripping back content moderation and user protections, would open the door for increased exploitation and harassment, and a potential avenue for him to silence his critics.
 * 6
 * Nicola Peltz
 * 1,177.989
 * Nicola Peltz (soft contrast).jpg
 * The actress daughter of a businessman, known for roles in Bates Motel, The Last Airbender and Transformers: Age of Extinction, was in the news for marrying Brooklyn Beckham.
 * 7
 * RRR (film)
 * 1,075,911
 * [[File:SS Rajamouli, Ram Charan, Alia Bhatt, N.T.Rama Rao Jr. At The RRR Press Meet in Chennai.jpg|100px]]
 * Ah yes, Sandalwood is currently atop this list, but the highest-grossing Indian film of the year is still this Tollywood production.
 * 8
 * Alia Bhatt
 * 1,030,692
 * Alia Bhatt at the IIFA Awards 2017 (1) (cropped).jpg
 * The above movie has a cameo from this actress who primarily works in the Hindi films of Bollywood, and this week married one of her former co-stars, Ranbir Kapoor.
 * 9
 * Scottie Scheffler
 * 1,026,472
 * Golf_ball_on_tee.jpg
 * The golfer from New Jersey won the 2022 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. Tiger Woods, still recovering from injury, finished 47th.
 * 10
 * Jimmy Savile
 * 1,007,637
 * Jimmy Savile at the Leeds Marathon in 1982 (cropped).jpg
 * The Netflix two-part documentary Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story recalls how this guy was known as a philanthropist and a popular DJ and BBC TV host, but behind the scenes was one of Britain's most prolific predatory sex offenders, a scandal only uncovered after Savile's death. Damnatio memoriae followed, with his tombstone being destroyed, BBC taking episodes of the shows he hosted out of circulation, and most of his honors being stripped (except his knighthood, as that title expires when its holder does so).
 * 11
 * R-360 Neptune
 * 944,668
 * Neptune_R-360_missile,_Kyiv_2021,_05.jpg
 * The missile allegedly responsible for the sinking of #3.
 * 12
 * Beast (2022 film)
 * 917,247
 * Vijay_At_The_Jilla_100_days_celebrations_event_1.jpg
 * We've had a Kannada film, a Telugu film, and now a Tamil film. Beast is an action film following an intelligence officer fighting a terrorist organisation. As you would imagine, it's quite dark, but also has a healthy dose of comedy; at one point the terrorists hijack a mall dressed as Santa Claus. The film has done well despite mixed-negative reviews.
 * 13
 * Deaths in 2022
 * 881,186
 * Laughing Skeleton.jpg
 * Your talk'll be somethin' that shouldn't be said out loud Honestly, I thought that I would be dead by now
 * 14
 * Ranbir Kapoor
 * 845,047
 * Ranbir_Kapoor_promoting_Jagga_Jasoos.jpg
 * One of the many Kapoors of Bollywood is now also #8's husband. Both will be seen later this year in a movie that took five years to complete.
 * 15
 * Nelson Peltz
 * 836,198
 * Will Peltz and Nicola Peltz at TIFF.jpg
 * Billionaire businessman, whose ten children include the two actors seen to the left, #6 and Will Peltz.
 * 16
 * K.G.F: Chapter 1
 * 725,217
 * Yash_kgf_event.jpg
 * #1's predecessor from 2018, also a box office hit and very present in this report.
 * 17
 * 2022 French presidential election
 * 722,217
 * 2022_French_Presidential_Election_First_Round_Map.svg
 * French voters cast votes to determine the two candidates in the second round held on the 24th of April. Centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron came first by a decent margin, and far-right Marine Le Pen came second, holding off a late surge from Jean-Luc Mélenchon. The election will thus be a rematch of last time, except this time Le Pen actually has a chance of winning; Macron is still ahead in the polls, but not by much. The balance of power is likely to rest with left-wing voters, most of whom are facing a lesser-of-two-evils choice. It's not hard to see why the prospect of a Le Pen presidency has people worried, given her connections with Putin, her racist policies, and her prior advocacy for France leaving the European Union.
 * 18
 * Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
 * 707,387
 * Niffler.jpg
 * The Wizarding World, aka Warner Bros. continuing to make Harry Potter movies after the main series ended, has returned, now with Mads Mikkelsen instead of Johnny Depp as evil wizard Gellert Grindelwald. The Secrets of Dumbledore is not as eventful as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, but also contains less moments to think "What the hell is J.K. Rowling doing?", so reviewers and audiences deemed it an improvement. Remains to be seen if the box office results will be fine, as some dissenters even claim Fantastic Beasts will follow The Divergent Series in not being able to make all its originally planned movies.
 * 19
 * Moon Knight (TV series)
 * 675,548
 * Gaspard Ulliel - Eva - Press Conference (headshot).jpg
 * Disney+'s latest Marvel Cinematic Universe show continues to release episodes. This week there was the posthumous role of Gaspard Ulliel, who died in January, a few days after the show's trailer dropped.
 * 20
 * Amber Heard
 * 637,693
 * Amber Heard at TIFF 2009.jpg
 * The Aquaman star is the defendant in a defamation trial initiated by her ex-husband Johnny Depp. I have absolutely no interest in either of their personal lives, but since Our Dear Readers™ seemingly do, I'll summarize: Heard claims Depp was physically and verbally abusive throughout their relationship. Depp claims Heard was physically and verbally abusive throughout their relationship. Heard wrote a Washington Post op-ed about being a public victim of domestic violence and Depp sued, and now it's in court, and no matter how hard we try we will be unable to avoid every single salacious detail that oozes from the courtroom.
 * 21
 * Brooklyn Beckham
 * 616,932
 * [[file:David Beckham Victoria Beckham 2019.jpg|100px]]
 * His father was a football star, his mother a Spice Girl, both bars so high to clear Brooklyn went into modeling and photography instead. And now he's married to #6.
 * 22
 * Moon Knight
 * 602,204
 * San Diego Comic-Con 2019 - Moon Knight.jpg
 * The main character of #19, a violent mercenary empowered by the Egyptian god of the Moon, Khonshu.
 * 23
 * UFC 273
 * 595,565
 * Alexander_Volkanovski_at_UFC_232.jpg
 * UFC's latest martial arts event, in which Alexander Volkanovski (pictured) defeated Chan Sung Jung.
 * 24
 * List of highest-grossing Indian films
 * 582,634
 * India_film_clapperboard_(variant).svg
 * Among the movies who brought in the crore are #7 in third place, and #1 in 23rd and rising - while also overtaking predecessor #16 as the most successful Kannada film.
 * 25
 * Imran Khan
 * 564,057
 * Imran_Khan_2019.jpg
 * Keeping the guy dropped by both #18 and #20 off the list is India's neighbor Pakistan. This week, their prime minister was removed from office, not by a military coup, for once, but by the National Assembly. After an eventful four years in government, Imran Khan faced a no-confidence motion he was likely to lose. He dissolved the country's parliament, alleging the vote was part of a foreign conspiracy; the Supreme Court then ruled that was unconstitutional and ordered the Assembly reconvened. Over the next few days, Khan and his allies attempted to delay the vote by filibustering and trying to prevent members from voting, but the vote finally took place on April 10, Khan lost, and he was replaced as prime minister by Shehbaz Sharif.
 * }
 * 19
 * Moon Knight (TV series)
 * 675,548
 * Gaspard Ulliel - Eva - Press Conference (headshot).jpg
 * Disney+'s latest Marvel Cinematic Universe show continues to release episodes. This week there was the posthumous role of Gaspard Ulliel, who died in January, a few days after the show's trailer dropped.
 * 20
 * Amber Heard
 * 637,693
 * Amber Heard at TIFF 2009.jpg
 * The Aquaman star is the defendant in a defamation trial initiated by her ex-husband Johnny Depp. I have absolutely no interest in either of their personal lives, but since Our Dear Readers™ seemingly do, I'll summarize: Heard claims Depp was physically and verbally abusive throughout their relationship. Depp claims Heard was physically and verbally abusive throughout their relationship. Heard wrote a Washington Post op-ed about being a public victim of domestic violence and Depp sued, and now it's in court, and no matter how hard we try we will be unable to avoid every single salacious detail that oozes from the courtroom.
 * 21
 * Brooklyn Beckham
 * 616,932
 * [[file:David Beckham Victoria Beckham 2019.jpg|100px]]
 * His father was a football star, his mother a Spice Girl, both bars so high to clear Brooklyn went into modeling and photography instead. And now he's married to #6.
 * 22
 * Moon Knight
 * 602,204
 * San Diego Comic-Con 2019 - Moon Knight.jpg
 * The main character of #19, a violent mercenary empowered by the Egyptian god of the Moon, Khonshu.
 * 23
 * UFC 273
 * 595,565
 * Alexander_Volkanovski_at_UFC_232.jpg
 * UFC's latest martial arts event, in which Alexander Volkanovski (pictured) defeated Chan Sung Jung.
 * 24
 * List of highest-grossing Indian films
 * 582,634
 * India_film_clapperboard_(variant).svg
 * Among the movies who brought in the crore are #7 in third place, and #1 in 23rd and rising - while also overtaking predecessor #16 as the most successful Kannada film.
 * 25
 * Imran Khan
 * 564,057
 * Imran_Khan_2019.jpg
 * Keeping the guy dropped by both #18 and #20 off the list is India's neighbor Pakistan. This week, their prime minister was removed from office, not by a military coup, for once, but by the National Assembly. After an eventful four years in government, Imran Khan faced a no-confidence motion he was likely to lose. He dissolved the country's parliament, alleging the vote was part of a foreign conspiracy; the Supreme Court then ruled that was unconstitutional and ordered the Assembly reconvened. Over the next few days, Khan and his allies attempted to delay the vote by filibustering and trying to prevent members from voting, but the vote finally took place on April 10, Khan lost, and he was replaced as prime minister by Shehbaz Sharif.
 * }
 * 24
 * List of highest-grossing Indian films
 * 582,634
 * India_film_clapperboard_(variant).svg
 * Among the movies who brought in the crore are #7 in third place, and #1 in 23rd and rising - while also overtaking predecessor #16 as the most successful Kannada film.
 * 25
 * Imran Khan
 * 564,057
 * Imran_Khan_2019.jpg
 * Keeping the guy dropped by both #18 and #20 off the list is India's neighbor Pakistan. This week, their prime minister was removed from office, not by a military coup, for once, but by the National Assembly. After an eventful four years in government, Imran Khan faced a no-confidence motion he was likely to lose. He dissolved the country's parliament, alleging the vote was part of a foreign conspiracy; the Supreme Court then ruled that was unconstitutional and ordered the Assembly reconvened. Over the next few days, Khan and his allies attempted to delay the vote by filibustering and trying to prevent members from voting, but the vote finally took place on April 10, Khan lost, and he was replaced as prime minister by Shehbaz Sharif.
 * }
 * Imran_Khan_2019.jpg
 * Keeping the guy dropped by both #18 and #20 off the list is India's neighbor Pakistan. This week, their prime minister was removed from office, not by a military coup, for once, but by the National Assembly. After an eventful four years in government, Imran Khan faced a no-confidence motion he was likely to lose. He dissolved the country's parliament, alleging the vote was part of a foreign conspiracy; the Supreme Court then ruled that was unconstitutional and ordered the Assembly reconvened. Over the next few days, Khan and his allies attempted to delay the vote by filibustering and trying to prevent members from voting, but the vote finally took place on April 10, Khan lost, and he was replaced as prime minister by Shehbaz Sharif.
 * }