Netflix’s massively popular docuseries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” drew 34.3 million unique viewers in the first 10 days of its release, from March 20-29, according to Nielsen, eclipsing the season 2 numbers for “Stranger Things,” which drew 31.2 million in its first 10 days. “Tiger King” approached the numbers for “Stranger Things 3,” which drew 36.3 million over the 10-day span, Nielsen said.
Over its premiere weekend, March 20 to 23, “Tiger King” brought in an average minute audience of nearly 2.4 million U.S. TV viewers. Over the 10-day period, “Tiger King” pulled in an audience of 19 million among U.S. viewers on an average-per-minute basis. That was higher than “Stranger Things 2” with 17.5 million and nearly matched “Stranger Things 3” with 20.5 million.
Of course, the timing of the release coincided with a global pandemic and mandated stay-at-home orders, which along with intense social media buzz, boosted the numbers.
The Netflix docuseries centers on the story of Joseph Maldonado-Passage, a k a “Joe Exotic,” a former Oklahoma tiger-zoo owner who’s serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in the Carole Baskin murder-for-hire plot and other charges.