Stranger Things season 5 breaks major all-time record for Netflix as series finale runtime confirmed

Stranger Things has officially broken a Netflix record with the release of season 5 volume 1 – and is it any surprise?

As viewers delved into the long-awaited return to Hawkins in the first four episodes, Netflix has reported that the show has racked up whopping 59.6 million views in its first five days.

Season 4, in comparison, opened with 287 million hours watched (which was Netflix's preferred metric at the time). According to Variety, that translates to about 22 million views, marking an increase of 171 per cent – although season 4's figure was only across three days as opposed to season 5's five, so these numbers should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Either way, it's the best premiere week for an English language series, with the show only being beaten overall by seasons 2 and 3 of Korean series Squid Game, which became an international phenomenon.

Now, after a surprise ending to episode 4, which finally saw Noah Schnapp's Will Byers get his moment to shine, fans are not so patiently awaiting volume 2, and the finale, which has been almost a decade in the making.

Thankfully, tidbits of information are emerging. In the US, tickets have gone on sale for the Stranger Things finale on the big screen – and it's revealed the last episode's runtime.

Clocking in at a massive 2 hours and 5 minutes, it seems there will be plenty of time to wrap up each and every thread.

After all, the creators of the show, the Duffer Brothers, have promised that they're going to do every single character justice, with endings that will feel "inevitable" for them.

Previously chatting exclusively to RadioTimes.com, Matt Duffer said: "There's a sense of inevitability. When you're looking at shows that don't work, or the endings that don't work, it is when it feels like sometimes the shows are trying too hard to surprise fans or do something different.

"So we want it to feel very much in line with the show and the endings for each of the characters to feel inevitable. That's what we're striving for."

Star Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Vecna/Henry Creel, also teased how things end after his dramatic return in season 5.

He told us: "As a fan, I'm really, really, really happy and in love with how this ends. It's really beautiful, and it's a very fitting end to a show that we all know and love."

Stranger Things is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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