Over the years, streaming giant Netflix Inc NFLX has transitioned from strictly showing acquired content into an original content-creating juggernaut. One of the company’s biggest original hits has been the series “Stranger Things.”
Here’s a look at how Netflix stock has performed since the first season of “Stranger Things” hit the streaming platform.
What Happened: Netflix initially licensed existing movies and TV shows. Eventually, it found success with original programming, beginning with “Lilyhammer” in 2012. Over the years, the company released huge hits like “House of Cards,” “Squid Game” and “Stranger Things,” one of its top viewed English language series of all time.
The first season of “Stranger Things” was released on July 15, 2016 and become a massive hit for the company, building a loyal base of fans and making it one of the most successful Netflix original series of all time.
The first part of the fourth season of “Stranger Things” broke records in May 2022 for an English-language series. In their first week of release, the episodes were viewed a total of 287 million hours, breaking a previous record of 193 million hours set by the second season of “Bridgerton.”
Viewership for the fourth season of “Stranger Things” totaled 1.35 billion hours in the first 28 days, an English-language record for the company.
The second part of “Stranger Things” season 4, which consisted of two long episodes, set additional records, hitting 301.3 million hours watched in its first week.
“Stranger Things” Season 4 ranked in the top 10 in 93 countries, the same figure from the May premiere of the first seven episodes.
Along with ranking first for the week, “Stranger Things” also ranked third, fifth and sixth with seasons one, three and two respectively. Each of the prior three seasons had over 30 million hours watched for the week.
Collectively, the four seasons of “Stranger Things” posted 396.4 million hours watched by Netflix subscribers in the first week the final two episodes of season four were available.
The November 2022 release “Wednesday” passed “Stranger Things” for the first-week viewership figure with 341.2 million hours, but failed to pass the 28-day total.
A fifth and final season of “Stranger Things” is expected to be released in 2024. Several spinoffs could be in the works for Netflix to keep the fans of the franchise happy.
The streaming giant also has plans for “Stranger Things” related spinoffs that could keep fans of the series delighted into the future.
“Stranger Things” remains one of the top attractions for Netflix and a key contributor to the 232.5 million global subscribers the company had at the end of the first quarter.
Related Link: Netflix Ready To Turn Saturday Morning Cartoons Upside Down With Stranger Things Spinoff
Investing $1,000 in Netflix Stock: The first season of “Stranger Things” kicked off on Netflix on July 15, 2016.
A $1,000 investment could have purchased 10.13 shares of NFLX on that date, based on a price point of $98.70.
Today, the $1,000 investment would be worth $4,874.96, representing a return of 387.5% over the last seven years.
Compare the return of Netflix stock to the returns of the S&P 500, as tracked by the SPDR S&P 500 Global ETF SPY. The same $1,000 invested in the ETF would be worth $2,093.82 today, representing a return of 109.4% over the same seven-year time period.
Netflix shares hit an all-time high of $691.69 in November 2021, before the fourth season of “Stranger Things” was released. The $1,000 investment from the premiere of season one would have been worth $7,009.65 at the time, up 601%.
Read Next: Stranger Things Features The Most Metal Concert Ever With Song From This Band
Photo: Netflix
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