How ‘Stranger Things’ became Netflix’s ‘Star Wars,’ propelling it into Hollywood’s stratosphere

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Before becoming a hit on Netflix, “Stranger Things” was turned down by many established studios. The show was created by newcomers to television, featured a cast of relatively unknown young actors, and, despite focusing on kids, wasn’t designed for a young audience.

That was nine years ago.

Set in the 1980s, the show about a monster terrorizing the town of Hawkins, Indiana, quickly became a hit with viewers around the world on Netflix. “Stranger Things” has grown into one of the streaming service’s most important shows, with its fourth season attracting 140.7 million views in just three months and becoming one of its top English-language series. The show also helped Netflix expand into new areas like live experiences, a Broadway show, and partnerships with brands for merchandise. It’s become a major franchise for the platform, allowing Netflix to build a larger world around the characters, similar to the way “Star Wars” has done.

The show boosted Netflix’s image as a company willing to take risks on unique content, and capable of creating a large, global fanbase when those shows succeed.

Netflix bet on brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, and their series unexpectedly became a huge hit. The show first premiered in Silver Lake at Mack Sennett Studios, but the creators never anticipated its massive success.

Matt Duffer recognized the significance of the location when he was on stage at the final season premiere. The event was held at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, the very same theater where “Star Wars” debuted in 1977.

“For me, as a nerd, this is a dream come true,” Duffer told the audience.

Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Bela Bajaria, recently highlighted the success of a particular series, explaining that it proved the company could take a chance on a new idea and build it into a huge, internationally popular franchise.

While shows like “House of Cards” have previously tapped into the cultural mood, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos thinks “Stranger Things” has been an even bigger success.

At the premiere of the final season of “Stranger Things,” Netflix’s Ted Sarandos explained that the show’s impact felt comparable to a cultural moment like “Star Wars.” He highlighted how the series and its characters have significantly influenced popular culture, inspiring live experiences, merchandise, and even spin-off stories like the Broadway show, “The First Shadow,” which explores the origins of the Upside Down. Sarandos emphasized that, from the very beginning, “Stranger Things” has been a truly remarkable part of the entertainment landscape and continues to be so.

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Netflix has created over 800 unique, themed bouncy balls based on its hit series, ‘Bridgerton.’ These balls allow fans to playfully connect with the show and imagine themselves as characters within its world.

All four previous seasons of “Stranger Things” recently reappeared in Netflix’s Top 10 most-watched shows, according to the streaming service. Between 2020 and the first half of 2025, the show is estimated to have generated over $1 billion in revenue for Netflix worldwide and attracted more than 2 million new subscribers, according to data from Parrot Analytics. Netflix didn’t confirm these specific numbers.

According to Brandon Katz, director of insights and content strategy at Greenlight Analytics, streaming services rely on a few key shows to attract new customers and establish their original content. He points to ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ for Hulu and ‘The Mandalorian’ for Disney+ as examples. For Netflix, ‘Stranger Things’ has consistently played that role, reliably bringing in new viewers and keeping existing subscribers engaged with each new season. Katz notes that whenever a new season of ‘Stranger Things’ airs, Netflix can expect a significant boost in viewership and subscriber activity.

“Stranger Things” boosted Netflix’s ability to sell merchandise, and many brands jumped at the chance to collaborate. Now you can find products like special-edition Eggo waffles, Lego sets, and clothing inspired by the show.

According to Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, the series has helped Netflix discover how to build a whole global lifestyle brand around a single show.

Its popularity has helped other creative collaborators as well.

Songs featured on the show experienced a surge in popularity. For example, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” topped the Billboard Global 200 chart and reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100—an impressive feat considering it was originally released 37 years prior, according to Netflix. Similarly, Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” from 1986, entered the U.K. Top 30 for the first time after being included in the Season 4 finale, Netflix noted.

The series has won over 65 awards and been nominated for 175 more. Netflix calculates that “Stranger Things” has generated around 8,000 jobs in the U.S. during its five seasons and boosted the country’s economy by over $1.4 billion since 2015. Specifically in California, the series is estimated to have contributed more than $500 million to the state’s GDP.

As the series ends, Netflix is heavily promoting it with special events in 28 cities across 21 countries. This weekend, they partnered with CicLAvia for a bike ride on Melrose Avenue, inviting 50,000 fans to come dressed in 1980s clothing or as characters from “Stranger Things.” They also featured a “Stranger Things” float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on Thursday.

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As a huge movie and TV fan, I’ve been really interested to see Netflix expanding beyond just streaming. They’re actually opening a couple of real, physical stores, which is a big move! Plus, they’re teaming up with a lot of different brands to create and sell merchandise inspired by all their shows and films – think clothes, toys, and all sorts of cool stuff. It’s a smart way to connect with fans on a whole new level.

The final season of the show is being released in stages. The first four episodes became available on Wednesday, with another three arriving on Christmas Day. The season will conclude with a two-hour finale on December 31st, streaming on Netflix. Fans can also experience the finale on the big screen at over 350 movie theaters across the U.S. and Canada on December 31st and January 1st.

Kelly Audrain and Jason Serstock, big fans of “Stranger Things,” are rewatching the series from the start to get reacquainted with the story. They were in the middle of Season 2 earlier this month and recently attended the premiere of the final season in Hollywood.

Audrain, 29, who dressed as Eleven from “Stranger Things” with a pink dress and fake blood on her nose, said the costumes and overall look were so well done that it really felt like stepping back into the 1980s.

Next year, Netflix will continue to expand the world of “Stranger Things” with a new animated series, “Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85.” Fans have already seen the story come to life on Broadway with “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” and Netflix is offering even more ways to experience the show. This includes pop-up shops, live events, and immersive experiences at Netflix House locations, like “Stranger Things: Escape the Dark” in Dallas. And in Las Vegas, visitors to Netflix Bites can enjoy themed food, including Surfer Boy Pizza.

The creators of the show, the Duffer brothers, recently revealed to Deadline that a spin-off series is being developed at Netflix. While Netflix’s head of content, Bela Bajaria, wouldn’t give any details, she hinted that there’s plenty more story to tell within that universe.

Despite its success, Netflix faces some hurdles. With two of its biggest hits, “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game,” finishing their runs this year, experts believe the company needs a steady stream of new, popular content to retain its subscribers.

Netflix is building on the success of “Squid Game” with a new reality competition show, “Squid Game: The Challenge,” which has attracted a large audience who also watched the original series. Other popular shows like “Wednesday,” “One Piece,” and “Bridgerton” are continuing, and Netflix has announced a sequel to its animated hit, “KPop Demon Hunters.”

Netflix reportedly made an offer for portions of Warner Bros. Discovery, specifically showing interest in the Warner Bros. Burbank studios and HBO. If successful, this deal would significantly increase the amount of content and valuable creative properties available on Netflix.

Although the Duffer brothers continue to work with Netflix on some projects, they’ve recently made a four-year agreement with Paramount Pictures to create movies, TV shows, and streaming content exclusively. Many in the entertainment industry see this as a setback for Netflix.

Tom Nunan, a veteran of the entertainment industry, believes the Duffer brothers are still early in their careers. He’s confident they’ll continue to create successful shows and explore different types of projects, and suggests their work with Paramount could become a strong competitor to Netflix.

However, Bela Bajaria mentioned that the Duffer brothers are continuing to develop other shows for Netflix, such as the sci-fi series “The Boroughs” and the horror series “Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen.”

We consider them part of the Netflix family and are happy to continue working with them on future projects,” said Bajaria.

Times staff writer Meg James contributed to this article.

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2025-11-28 14:32