Some fun and interesting news went down this week for Geek film and Television. Guinness World Records recently launched its 2023 edition and it includes winners from some fan-favorite fandoms like Squid Game, The Mandalorian, Avengers: Endgame, Dune, and many more.
If you aren’t familiar with the Guinness World Record, they are a global authority on all things record-breaking, with offices in the UK, US, China, Japan, and UAE, and have adjudicators who verify records all over the world. They’ve been around since the early 1950s as a Guinness Brewery promotional idea. This year’s edition includes winners from some of our favorite fandoms.
MOST VIEWERS FOR A NETFLIX ORIGINAL DEBUT – Squid Game
Release on 17 Sep 2021, the Netflix Original series Squid Game (Siren Pictures) was watched by 142 million subscriber households in its first month – two-thirds of the streaming service’s subscription base.
The nine-part survival thriller was created by South Korean filmmaker Hwang Dong-hyuk and reached the No.1 position in 97 territories. Its plot sees 456 contestants risk their lives in a series of challenges for 45.6 bn won ($38.8 m) in prize money. A month after the show’s debut, Bloomberg revealed that Squid Game had boosted the stock-market value of Netflix by $19 bn.
MOST IN-DEMAND DIGITAL ORIGINAL TV SHOW – Star Wars: The Mandalorian
Disney got in on the streaming game in Nov 2019 with Disney+. Flagship title The Mandalorian was the most popular online original series in 2020-21, according to Parrot Analytics. Its global demand was 57.6 times greater than the average TV show.
The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, and Giancarlo Esposito. Fans were blown away by the second season of The Mandalorian. It had everything from incredible and heartfelt stories to surprising guest stars.
MOST NOMINATIONS FOR A SCI-FI FILM – Dune
On 3 Feb 2022, Dennis Villeneuve’s epic Dune (2021) received 11 nominations, from which it won five awards on 13 Mar 2022. It ties with Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity (2013) as the most-nominated sci-fi movie.
“Dune,” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
HIGHEST-GROSSING DISNEY MOVIE – Avengers: Endgame
Disney has acquired some of Hollywood’s live-action heavyweights in recent years, including Marvel (in 2009) and Lucasfilm (in 2012). Factoring in these additions to its portfolio, its top-earning release to date is Avengers: Endgame (2019), on $2.8 bn.
In its first week, the Marvel film made more than $1.2 billion at the global box office. Which shattered the previous records for the highest weekend total. This marked the fastest a film has ever reached the billion-dollar mark.
MOST EMMY NOMINATIONS FOR A COMEDY DEBUT – Ted Lasso
In 2021, the first season of Ted Lasso (USA, Apple TV+/Doozer Productions, 2020-) received 20 Emmy nominations. It stars Jason Sudeikis as an American college football coach hired to revive the fortunes of an English soccer team owned by Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham). It converted seven nominations to wins, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
Guinness World Records 2023 Hardcover is available now.
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