Ball games, movies, elections, but nothing really weird

Traffic report

Ball games, movies, elections, but nothing really weird

By Igordebraga, Marinette2356, CAWylie, Krimuk2.0, Vestrian24Bio, Rajan51, Ltbdl, I am RedoStone, and TheJoebro64

This traffic report is adapted from the Top 25 Report, prepared with commentary.

Let's play ball, shootin' down the walls, yeah (June 23 to 29)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	UEFA Euro 2024	3,744,974	Europe's national football teams kept playing in Germany, with the week covered by this report featuring the last round of the group stage (featuring a massive upset in Georgia beating Portugal, and a goal in the 8th minute of injury time closing a disappointing winless campaign for Croatia, in what's probably Luka Modric's last tournament) and the first two games of the Round of 16 (both ended 2-0, for the expected side in Germany-Denmark, and the complete opposite in the other as defending champions Italy shamefully failed against Switzerland).
2	Kalki 2898 AD	2,208,179	Indian cinema makes a comeback to this list with this epic science fiction Telugu language film. Inspired by very many Hollywood blockbusters as well as by Hindu epics, particularly the Mahabharata, Kalki is reported to be the most expensive Indian film with a budget of US$72 million. Given its massive opening at the box office, it should have no problem breaking even. Which is good, since the film ends on a cliffhanger, promising a "Kalki Cinematic Universe".
3	Julian Assange	1,311,006	The Australian creator of WikiLeaks was arrested in 2019, after Ecuador revoked his political asylum and he failed to appear in court, and had been doing time in a London prison ever since. Still, the United States wanted to extradite him to be imprisoned in their country due to numerous espionage indictments for all the leaked classified information he put on the Internet, but the Australian government worked on a plea bargain, and Assange pleaded guilty to a charge of “conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information” as part of a plea deal which, due to time already served, resulted in his release from prison, following a flight to attend the federal courthouse of the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands (it's an American territory) and another to Australian capital Canberra. Still, in spite of being free again Assange will have to pay for the costs of those charter flights as he was not permitted to fly on commercial airlines, and thus owes US$520,000.
4	ICC Men's T20 World Cup	1,027,658	India won their second title at the 2024 edition (#10) after 17 years since their first title in the first edition, partially making up for last year's defeat in the other World Cup.
5	Deaths in 2024	984,973	Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep I pray the Lord my Soul to keep If I should die before I 'wake I pray the Lord my Soul to take. (Hush little baby, don't say a word...)
6	2024 NBA draft	931,766	The next batch of basketball rookies were chosen, and this year the top two picks were French, Zaccharie Risacher to the Atlanta Hawks and Alexandre Sarr to the Washington Wizards. (the week also featured a draft for ice hockey, which had an unexpected appearance by Celine Dion)
7	UEFA European Championship	853,203	#1 is the 19th edition of those. 35 teams have played (including defunct ones like the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia), and 10 of those got a title (not counting the defunct ones, only Greece failed to qualify for the 2024 edition, beaten by Georgia).
8	House of the Dragon	825,838	This prequel series of Game of Thrones in the A Song of Ice and Fire franchise released its second episode of the second season on HBO Max last week.
9	2024 Copa América	807,335	Another continental football tournament, this time the South American one with 6 North\Central American guests. Hosts United States started with a win, but then said "Jump back, what's that sound?" losing the next game to Panama, meaning that they could fail to qualify for the playoffs in the group stage's last game (jumping ahead: they indeed lost, showing the USMNT need some improvement before co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup).
10	2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup	800,164	India won their first title in a major ICC event after 11 years since 2013 ICC Champions Trophy first in a World Cup after 13 years since 2011 Cricket World Cup both led by MS Dhoni. This was India's first victory since Dhoni's retirement. Rohit Sharma became the third Indian captain to win a major ICC event after Kapil Dev and Dhoni; A feat Virat Kohli couldn't get to. Indian players Sharma, Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja announced their retirement from T20I cricket after the final. The final also marked the end of Rahul Dravid's tenure as the coach of the Indian cricket team.

I know, I know for sure, that life is beautiful around the world (June 30 to July 6)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Kalki 2898 AD	3,059,653	This Telugu language sci-fi film (co-written and directed by Nag Ashwin, pictured) continues to rake in the rupees. Its blend of Hollywood blockbusters and Indian epics like the Mahabharata has been warmly received by both critics and audiences, and it has already become the highest-grossing Indian film of 2024.
2	Keir Starmer	2,990,948	On July 4, this leader of the Labour Party and former barrister won a landslide victory in #4 to become prime minister of the UK, ending fourteen years of Conservative government with Labour becoming the largest party in the House of Commons, succeeding #6 as prime minister. Sir Starmer is the first party leader to become PM via general election since Tony Blair in 2005 (and to whose leadership his is also compared). During the general election campaign, Starmer took a page from Barack Obama's book and focused his campaign on change, which paid off as he ended up having a similar landslide victory.
3	Project 2025	2,547,628	While this conservative, yet extreme proposal would reshape the US government should a Republican become president in November, current nominee Donald Trump has distanced himself from the idea, saying he has "nothing to do" with the project.
4	2024 United Kingdom general election	2,366,968	Talk about a swing vote! On July 4, the Labour Party won 411 out of 650 seats in the UK House of Commons, the largest share since 1997. The election itself was the first fought using the new constituency boundaries, the first in which photographic identification was required to vote in person (thanks to Northern Ireland) and the first called under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022.
5	UEFA Euro 2024	2,110,032	European football keeps on rolling in the German fields. The round of 16 saw underdogs like Georgia, Slovenia and Slovakia falling short. The quarterfinals had the one that did pull off an upset, Switzerland, failing to repeat as they lost to England on the penalty shootouts; another game solved with the tie-breaking kicks, where France beat Portugal to avenge the UEFA Euro 2016 final; one that almost went to the penalties, but Spain managed to score in the second-to-last minute to oust the hosts (who ironically only went to overtime with a last minute goal); and Turkey starting ahead only to suffer a comeback by the Netherlands. The semifinals are Spain-France on Tuesday, and England-Netherlands on Wednesday.
6	Rishi Sunak	1,202,832	Following #4 and the UK populace seeking a long-awaited change, this leader of the Conservative Party was replaced by #2 as Prime Minister. Sunak then became the leader of the Opposition (or the head of the largest party not in control of the House of Commons).
7	A Quiet Place: Day One	1,091,467	Lupita Nyong'o plays a woman with terminal cancer who visits New York City just as meteors fall and unleash borderline indestructible aliens who attack anything that makes noise. Along with good reviews, A Quiet Place: Day One brought lots of people who wanted to be frightened to theaters, leading to a $99 million opening weekend that already covered the film's budget. What comes next is in the air, as the expected A Quiet Place Part III (probably still starring Emily Blunt and directed by husband John Krasinksi) has no set release date, and Day One director Michael Sarnoski has expressed interest in a follow-up to his prequel.
8	2024 Copa América	934,134	Many unexpected results have hit the South American (plus six North American guests) football tournament being played in the United States. The group stage had the one South American country that prefers baseball, Venezuela, eliminate Mexico, the hosts suffering deja vu in being eliminated by Panama, and the remaining host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Canada upsetting Chile and Peru. The quarterfinals had three games going to penalties (a dark horse showdown where Canada eliminated Venezuela, Argentina beating Ecuador in spite of Lionel Messi missing his kick, and Brazil finishing off a terrible campaign by falling to Uruguay) plus Colombia trouncing Panama with a 5-0 score.
9	Deaths in 2024	931,910	You're gone, gone, gone away I watched you disappear All that's left is a ghost of you...
10	UEFA European Championship	795,289	#5 is the latest edition. The next one in 2028 will be on the British Isles, and given this makes five hosts (including 2024 finalists England) when automatic qualifying is reserved for only two raises questions for the qualification tournament.

I'm afraid of Americans (July 7 to 13)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Project 2025	2,749,345	Project 2025, in simple terms, is the Heritage Foundation/Donald Trump's plan to grab all power for themselves if Trump wins the presidency. An uptick in views is probably due to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, but that's for next week.
2	Lamine Yamal	2,317,989	A few days before his 17th birthday, this Spanish right winger scored the first goal during #5's semifinal against France, breaking the record for youngest goalscorer by more than a year. Unsurprisingly, after the final he was chosen as Young Player of the Tournament.
3	Kalki 2898 AD	1,694,297	Tollywood science fiction! It's the most expensive Indian film ever, and it's already the 7th highest grossing Indian movie and is still being screened in theaters. Reception has been lukewarm.
4	Shelley Duvall	1,595,838	Actress Shelley Duvall broke out in the 1970s with Robert Altman-directed flicks like McCabe & Mrs. Miller and Nashville, had a supporting role in Annie Hall, and saw her two most famous roles in 1980, Olive Oyl in another Altman production, Popeye, and tormented wife Wendy Torrance in The Shining, while spending the rest of the decade creating renowed children's programming like Faerie Tale Theatre. Duvall took an extended hiatus from acting and public life in 2002 before doing an independent film, The Forest Hills, twenty years later, and has now died at the age of 75.
5	UEFA Euro 2024	1,117,556	The week covered by this report had the tournament semifinals, both of which were 2-1 comebacks, and while Spain pulled the goals against France in the first half, England only beat the Netherlands in the very last minute. The decision in Munich would determine if Spain would become the European Championship's biggest champion or England would finally break it through just four years after being defeated at home. (spoiler alert: it was the first)
6	Jasmine Paolini	1,097,302	After losing the French Open final, this Italian tennis player remained strong in the following Grand Slam, reaching the Wimbledon final... which was another defeat, this time to Barbora Krejčíková. At least Paolini will remain in the WTA rankings top 10, and have great expectations for the Olympic tournament.
7	2024 French legislative election	999,551	Emmanuel Macron suddenly dissolved and called a snap election for the National Assembly after the far-right National Rally made significant gains. The election resulted in the New Popular Front having 31.1% of the seats and still having the most seats out of any party. This is likely to result in a political deadlock; a Prime Minister hasn't even been chosen yet.
8	Deaths in 2024	991,546	If we don't make it alive Well, it's a hell of a good day to die All our light that shines strong Only last for so long...
9	Longlegs	909,831	Kim Newman wrote a few years ago that "The meaning of 'Starring Bruce Willis' has shifted from promise to threat in the last few years. But with 'Starring Nicolas Cage', you've still got one in four odds of something extraordinary." Apparently such is the case with Longlegs, where Cage plays an occultist serial killer pursued by FBI agent Maika Monroe. Along with great reviews, Longlegs greatly exceeded expectations for its opening weekend earnings, making $22 million to finish second between two big animations (Despicable Me 4 and Inside Out 2) while costing less than $10 million.
10	House of the Dragon	893,228	The Wikipedia page of the prequel to Game of Thrones continues to be viewed, presumably because of people constantly recommending it to their friends and them having to look up what they're talking about. I'm looking at you, John.

I'm afraid of the world (July 14 to 20)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	J. D. Vance	11,408,132	The Republicans chose the guy who'll run for vice president in November, and instead of repeating the last two elections where #5 was paired with another old guy, this time they copied the victorious Democrats in picking a younger running mate, Ohio senator James David Vance. It also involves a woman of Indian descent - but not the prospect VP, but his wife, Usha, who Vance met at Yale Law School. Vance's very conservative stances certainly helped him get the gig.
2	Usha Vance	4,207,143
3	Shannen Doherty	3,098,210	An actress since age 11, Doherty's work included popular roles in Heathers, Beverly Hills, 90210, Mallrats, and Charmed. She died from breast cancer at age 53, on July 13.
4	Attempted assassination of Donald Trump	2,605,133	On July 13, 2024, Thomas Matthew Crooks (#8) shot 8 rounds at a Trump campaign rally in Pennsylvania. He killed a firefighter, critically injured two other audience members, and shot Trump's right ear. Crooks was shot and killed by the US Secret Service. Trump was brought down, raised his fist, and shouted "Fight! Fight! Fight!" while the audience chanted "USA! USA! USA!" Historians will analyze and debate this for years to come. How did Trump rise to power? What role did the Internet play in this? Why were we so politically divided? Was this inevitable? What were the consequences of this? Personally, I just want to get out of here.
5	Donald Trump	2,517,974
6	Project 2025	1,828,504	"Google Project 2025", and a lot of people are doing just that.
7	Hillbilly Elegy	1,808,443	Hitting #1 in 2016 and turned into a film in 2020, the memoir relates J. D. Vance's upbringing in Middletown, Ohio, within an Appalachian family (mountain white American depicted). It reached the top of The New York Times best seller list, mainly due to his mentioning how then-president Donald Trump (#5) received support from the "hillbilly" and working class demographic. Upon its release, Vance initially criticized Trump, but, oh, how things have changed.
8	Thomas Matthew Crooks	1,647,896	The 20-year-old man who failed to assassinate Donald Trump (#4). Investigators have not yet determined his motive, and the FBI is researching his history.
9	List of United States presidential assassination attempts and plots	1,478,877	Ever since someone tried to shoot at Andrew Jackson, only for both pistols to misfire, there have been many cases of people opening fire at the American president, with four deaths (Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy) and Ronald Reagan being hospitalized but surviving. #4 was the second time a former president was injured in an attack, after Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 (that left him with a bullet in his pectoral muscle for the rest of his life).
10	Carlos Alcaraz	1,373,078	Right after winning the French Open, this Spanish player got his second Wimbledon title (the picture is him getting the trophy from The Princess of Wales), one of only six players to win the successive Grand Slams in the same year. The previous one was the very legend who he defeated in the final, Novak Djokovic.

I'm afraid I can't help them (July 21 to 27)

Rank	Article	Views	Notes/about
1	Kamala Harris	8,356,964	Just after we had a major Trump headline last week, this time we have a major Biden (#4) headline, as last Sunday, he officially withdrew from the upcoming presidential election (#9) in which he was campaigning for his second term inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. So his vice president is the new presumptive nominee for the Democrats, with the party's official stance being that her candidacy will only be confirmed in the 2024 Democratic National Convention on August 7. Harris would be the second woman (after Hillary Clinton) and the second person of color (after Barack Obama) sent to the presidential race.
2	Deadpool & Wolverine	2,891,328	This year Marvel is releasing only one film. Last time this happened was in 2012 with The Avengers, and again it's with a movie that had a lot of anticipation with the ongoing events. Ever since Endgame the MCU has been faltering, as aside from Shang-Chi, Spider-Man: No Way Home and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 the movies split opinions, lose money, or both. Adding the firing of Jonathan Majors really put the MCU's future at question... there are even those who think a soft reboot is necessary to make things work again. But, the X-Men franchise whose original film run ended with a two-part whimper offered something to build upon. And this was provided by teaming up Wolverine and Deadpool, the two Mutants who got solo movies, with the film's trailer even having the latter calling himself "Marvel Jesus", the franchise's savior. The story has the Time Variance Authority introduced in the Disney+ show Loki threatening to destroy the X-Men filmverse because it lost its "anchor" with Wolverine dying. So Deadpool engages in some multiversal shenanigans to find another Logan, settling on a particularly embittered and traumatized Wolverine who is easily enraged by the Merc with a Mouth. Eventually the story also serves to give a send-off to the pre-MCU films (plenty of surprises) and even throw a bone to a movie that was cancelled. Deadpool & Wolverine was finally released last Friday after delays due to 2023 Hollywood labor disputes and opened to positive reception with an expected opening weekend of over $400 million worldwide. MCU honcho Kevin Feige himself stated during the film's Red Carpet that this is just the beginning of "A New Mutant Era in MCU".
3	JD Vance	2,042,487	The Ohio senator with quite the background, including four years in the Marines, graduating from both Ohio State University and Yale Law School, and writing best-selling autobiography Hillbilly Elegy (already adapted into a quite derided film), was chosen by Donald Trump to be his running mate. His political positions and quotes soon caused a ruckus, particularly a past claim that "we are effectively run in this country via the Democrats, via our corporate oligarchs, by a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives and the choices that they've made and so they want to make the rest of the country miserable too."
4	Joe Biden	1,557,573	He entered the White House as the oldest president ever, and was showing signs that age and health were not optimal for another four years, including a bad showing at a debate, and two gaffes in introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin" (the guy he's been fighting for too long), and referring to #1 as "Vice President Trump" (the guy he beat at the election). So a bout of COVID-19 made Biden resign his candidacy and just support his vice #1 in the presidential race.
5	Doug Emhoff	1,452,523	As usual, politicians bring views for their families. First, #1's husband, a lawyer and father of her two stepchildren. Afterwards, her father, an economist born in Jamaica who moved to the US in the 1960s. (And yes, it's ironic that he has the same name and middle initial as her upcoming adversary).
6	Donald J. Harris	1,407,691
7	Project 2025	1,397,914	An initiative to redo the United States in an authoritarian, autocratic and conservative manner in case the Republicans return to the White House next year, from which Trump has tried to distance itself, and which mentions his name 300 times.
8	2024 Summer Olympics	1,320,848	The Games of the 33rd Olympiad hosted by Paris were opened last Friday by the French President Emmanuel Macron (albeit the previous two days had games from a few team sports, including football, handball, and rugby). The event is taking place amidst various concerns and controversies including that of Israel–Hamas war and Russian invasion of Ukraine with a police assistance from 46 countries. Also, this edition marks the debut of breakdancing as an Olympic sport.
9	2024 United States presidential election	1,313,460	Easily a subject that will dominate the next months, to the dread even of people outside the country. At least unlike 2020 it won't be a dispute between two old men given #1 will replace #4.
10	Mark Kelly	1,272,729	With the vice-president (#1) promoted to presidential candidate, a running mate will be necessary. One front-runner is astronaut, Navy Captain and current Arizona senator Mark Kelly.

Exclusions

These lists exclude the Wikipedia main page, non-article pages (such as redlinks), and anomalous entries (such as DDoS attacks or likely automated views). Since mobile view data became available to the Report in October 2014, we exclude articles that have almost no mobile views (5–6% or less) or almost all mobile views (94–95% or more) because they are very likely to be automated views based on our experience and research of the issue. Please feel free to discuss any removal on the Top 25 Report talk page if you wish.

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