Wikipedia:Top 25 Report/January 16 to 22, 2022

Don't forget to read the 2021 annual top 50 report

Most Popular Wikipedia Articles of the Week (January 16 to 22, 2022)
Prepared with commentary by, , , 

Three weeks into 2022, all the reports have been topped by celebrity deaths.


 * {| class="wikitable"

! Rank ! Article ! Class ! Views ! Image ! Notes/about Thought it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night I can see paradise by the dashboard light
 * 1
 * Meat Loaf
 * 3,032,358
 * Meatloaf 1971 (cropped).JPG
 * His name was Michael Aday. Better known by his stage name Meat Loaf, the bat out of hell who once proclaimed he would do anything for love (but wouldn't do that) was gone when the morning of January 21st came. He was best known for his powerful, wide-ranging voice and theatrical live shows. Outside of music, he appeared in several movies from the excellent, to awful, and television shows, typically as himself.
 * 2
 * Moon Knight
 * 1,284,549
 * San Diego Comic-Con 2019 - Moon Knight.jpg
 * A trailer announced the return of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as Oscar Isaac stars as the Egyptian-tinted alter ego of Marc Spector in a Disney+ show (#13) set to debut in March. This rich white man beats up criminals, drawing inevitable comparisons to another vigilante superhero with a flying mouse theme. The death of one of the cast (#9) brought further attention.
 * 3
 * Eternals (film)
 * 1,172,021
 * Jack-Kirby art-of-jack-kirby wyman-skaar.jpg
 * Inspired by the Jack Kirby comics and theories of ancient aliens, the Disney+ release of this film on January 12, continues to draw attention.
 * 4
 * Deaths in 2022
 * 972,182
 * 2020-06-17-MarceloJorge-porJeanPeixoto-web-4.jpg
 * In homage to #1:
 * Inspired by the Jack Kirby comics and theories of ancient aliens, the Disney+ release of this film on January 12, continues to draw attention.
 * 4
 * Deaths in 2022
 * 972,182
 * 2020-06-17-MarceloJorge-porJeanPeixoto-web-4.jpg
 * In homage to #1:
 * 2020-06-17-MarceloJorge-porJeanPeixoto-web-4.jpg
 * In homage to #1:
 * 5
 * Tonga
 * 895,072
 * EuroTonga.svg
 * On January 14, an volcanic eruption occurred on one of Tonga's many islands. The blast was reportedly heard as far away as Anchorage, Alaska, 9,700 km away (some two hours later, due to the speed of sound), with pressure fluctuations recorded as far away as the United Kingdom (almost literally the other side of the world), the eruption was so large that the there is a global cooling effect of 0.5 °C (0.9 °F) for the next 6 months, and the southern hemi-sphere will experience purple sunsets, due to the volume of ash. At time of writing (12:42 UTC, on January 23) there are 5 deaths, two from a tsunami in Peru. However, with contact with Tonga only established on January 20, with the arrival of aid, expect more news in the days to come.
 * 6
 * Euphoria (American TV series)
 * 867,667
 * Zendaya in 2014.jpg
 * The second episode of the second season aired on January 16, somehow the Wikipedia entry got three times more views than the episode (officially). I guess this is proof of the power of streaming...
 * 7
 * Betty White
 * 863,877
 * BettyWhiteJune09.jpg
 * Betty White: A Celebration was released on January 17, being forced to change the original subtitle "100 Years Young – A Birthday Celebration" because White died on New Year's Eve, 17 days short of her centennial. The documentary shows well how long her acting career was for featuring friends across generations, from Clint Eastwood to Tina Fey.
 * 8
 * Pushpa: The Rise
 * 854,160
 * High-speed pic of a hatchet smashing a sweetgum fruit.jpg
 * After making all the crore at the box office, this Tollywood movie is gathering streaming views on Prime Video.
 * 9
 * Gaspard Ulliel
 * 849,117
 * Gaspard Ulliel Césars 2015.jpg
 * rowspan=3|January already had three deaths in the acting world, the Frenchman whose career included turns as Hannibal Lecter and Yves Saint Laurent (and will have a posthumous role in #13), a comedian who won Emmys for Life with Louie and Baskets, and the father of Full House who also had a raunchy stand-up act.
 * 10
 * Louie Anderson
 * 831,044
 * Louie Anderson (26038389891) (headshot).jpg
 * 11
 * Bob Saget
 * 809,114
 * 9.21.14ComediansAsAuthorsByLuigiNovi10 (cropped).jpg
 * 12
 * Spider-Man: No Way Home
 * 780,028
 * Peter Parker is Spider-Man (13954872687).jpg
 * rowspan=2|The latest and the next Marvel Cinematic Universe releases. Adequately, in the animated world the two characters have fought together and against each other.
 * 13
 * Moon Knight (miniseries)
 * 715,144
 * San Diego Comic-Con 2019 - Moon Knight.jpg
 * 14
 * Encanto (film)
 * 689,713
 * Street scene in Cartagena, Colombia (24745437321).jpg
 * Disney's latest animated film may have underperformed at the box office and is unlikely to break even but the original soundtrack is topping the charts.
 * 15
 * Martin Luther King Jr.
 * 688,961
 * Martin Luther King press conference 01269u edit.jpg
 * The writer of (possibly) the most famous speech of all time would have been 93 on January 15. Whilst this is the day before this report's date range, the viewcount appears to have spilt over.
 * 16
 * Archive 81
 * 636,607
 * The latest Netflix scary show to gather attention, a James Wan-produced adaptation of the eponymous podcast where Dina Shihabi (pictured) and Mamoudou Athie research the catalogue of a missing filmmaker.
 * 17
 * Scream (2022 film)
 * 610,883
 * ExpoSYFY Scream GhostFace mask.jpg
 * Usually, horror films come out in October, when there is most demand. So this is either 3 months late, or 9 early, depending on your outlook. Or maybe this is a clever strategy - no competition from other horror films. Who knows? Though at least Scream was deemed better than the films usually released in January.
 * 18
 * 2022 Hunga Tonga eruption and tsunami
 * 579,762
 * Tonga Volcano Eruption 2022-01-15 0320Z to 0610Z Himawari-8 visible.gif
 * This is possibly the strong eruption of the century, given all that was discussed in #5. The best-known Tongan, that fighter who appears in Olympic ceremonies half-naked and covered in oil, has revealed his family is among the affected.
 * 19
 * Peacemaker (TV series)
 * 572,694
 * JohnCena.jpg
 * You might think you know what you are going to get from this show, based on a DC comics character, starring wrestler-turned-actor John Cena, but the credits open with a big dance number to make you think again.
 * 20
 * Anne Frank
 * 556,645
 * Anne Frank passport photo, May 1942.jpg
 * Theories about the alleged betrayer of diarist Anne Frank abound. A new book confidently asserted they knew the culprit, others had serious doubts.
 * 21
 * 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
 * 531,384
 * Africa Football 1.svg
 * Playoffs are set for Africa's premier football championship, happening in Cameroon after a six-month delay. Defending champions Algeria embarrassed themselves and crashed in the group stage with no victories (Ghana, who had one of the continent's best World Cup campaigns, also went nowhere).
 * 22
 * Hunter Schafer
 * 488,771
 * Hunter Schafer - Suru Suru video, July 2021.png
 * Schafer, who plays Jules in #6, had her first big break as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against North Carolina's transphobic Bathroom Bill. While Jules has been a main character in Euphoria since its premiere, this is Schafer's first appearance on the Report.
 * 23
 * Dhanush
 * 476,438
 * Dhanush at the Filmfare Awards South 2017 Press Meet.jpg
 * This Kollywood star, mostly recently seen in Atrangi Re, has announced his split from Aishwarya Rajinikanth, a marriage of 18 years and two children.
 * 24
 * Black Knight (Dane Whitman)
 * 467,905
 * Kit Harington (9345018523).jpg
 * 3 has again Kit Harington as a guy who knows nothing. Though the post-credits has Whitman finding the Ebony Blade to enable him to become a hero sometime in the MCU.
 * 25
 * List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films
 * 465,032
 * Kevin Feige - Guardians of the Galaxy premiere - July 2014 (cropped).jpg
 * Kevin Feige's license to print money released four movies in the last six months, so it only returns in May. This year has three returns, Doctor Strange (plus the Scarlet Witch), Thor (plus the Guardians of the Galaxy), and Wakanda (sadly without Black Panther).
 * }
 * 20
 * Anne Frank
 * 556,645
 * Anne Frank passport photo, May 1942.jpg
 * Theories about the alleged betrayer of diarist Anne Frank abound. A new book confidently asserted they knew the culprit, others had serious doubts.
 * 21
 * 2021 Africa Cup of Nations
 * 531,384
 * Africa Football 1.svg
 * Playoffs are set for Africa's premier football championship, happening in Cameroon after a six-month delay. Defending champions Algeria embarrassed themselves and crashed in the group stage with no victories (Ghana, who had one of the continent's best World Cup campaigns, also went nowhere).
 * 22
 * Hunter Schafer
 * 488,771
 * Hunter Schafer - Suru Suru video, July 2021.png
 * Schafer, who plays Jules in #6, had her first big break as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against North Carolina's transphobic Bathroom Bill. While Jules has been a main character in Euphoria since its premiere, this is Schafer's first appearance on the Report.
 * 23
 * Dhanush
 * 476,438
 * Dhanush at the Filmfare Awards South 2017 Press Meet.jpg
 * This Kollywood star, mostly recently seen in Atrangi Re, has announced his split from Aishwarya Rajinikanth, a marriage of 18 years and two children.
 * 24
 * Black Knight (Dane Whitman)
 * 467,905
 * Kit Harington (9345018523).jpg
 * 3 has again Kit Harington as a guy who knows nothing. Though the post-credits has Whitman finding the Ebony Blade to enable him to become a hero sometime in the MCU.
 * 25
 * List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films
 * 465,032
 * Kevin Feige - Guardians of the Galaxy premiere - July 2014 (cropped).jpg
 * Kevin Feige's license to print money released four movies in the last six months, so it only returns in May. This year has three returns, Doctor Strange (plus the Scarlet Witch), Thor (plus the Guardians of the Galaxy), and Wakanda (sadly without Black Panther).
 * }
 * 467,905
 * Kit Harington (9345018523).jpg
 * 3 has again Kit Harington as a guy who knows nothing. Though the post-credits has Whitman finding the Ebony Blade to enable him to become a hero sometime in the MCU.
 * 25
 * List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films
 * 465,032
 * Kevin Feige - Guardians of the Galaxy premiere - July 2014 (cropped).jpg
 * Kevin Feige's license to print money released four movies in the last six months, so it only returns in May. This year has three returns, Doctor Strange (plus the Scarlet Witch), Thor (plus the Guardians of the Galaxy), and Wakanda (sadly without Black Panther).
 * }
 * Kevin Feige - Guardians of the Galaxy premiere - July 2014 (cropped).jpg
 * Kevin Feige's license to print money released four movies in the last six months, so it only returns in May. This year has three returns, Doctor Strange (plus the Scarlet Witch), Thor (plus the Guardians of the Galaxy), and Wakanda (sadly without Black Panther).
 * }