'Stranger Things' 4 breaks Netflix viewing records

The show has had the biggest premiere weekend in terms of viewership hours

From left, Eduardo Franco as Argyle, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, and Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler return for 'Stranger Things' season four. All photos: Netflix

'Stranger Things' season 4 is split into two volumes, with the first volume containing 7 episodes.

The second volume will be released on July 1.

It will have only two episodes but is more than four hours long.

The majority of the 'Stranger Things' cast return, including its young stars Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Noah Schnapp.

From left, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, and Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley.

From left, Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson and Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair.

From left, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson.

From left, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven and Noah Schnapp as Will Byers.

Maya Hawke, left, as Robin Buckley and Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler.

Joseph Quinn as Eddie Munson.

David Harbour will return as Jim Hopper.

The newest volume of Stranger Things has set new Netflix viewership records after its much-anticipated return following a three-year break.

The premiere weekend of the fourth season of the Netflix Original recorded 286.7 million hours viewed, surpassing Bridgerton season two, which reached 193 million hours.

This is also the first season of Stranger Things to reach No 1 in 83 countries, setting another premiere weekend record. The series reached the Top 10 in all 93 countries Netflix tracks.

In addition to the show, a number of songs that were used over the course of the seven episodes have also increased in popularity.

Most noticeably, Kate Bush’s hit Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) reached No 1 on iTunes 37 years after it was originally released in 1985.

On Monday, Spotify also announced that there was an 8,700 per cent increase in global streams of the song and a 9,900 per cent increase in the US. Since the Stranger Things 4 premiere, there has been a more than 1,600 per cent increase in global streams of Bush’s back catalogue.

Stranger Things was released on the streaming platform in 2016 and has since gone on to become one of Netflix’s biggest franchises, while making stars out of its young cast.

In anticipation of the season four release, a number of global landmarks including Saudi Arabia’s AlUla lit up with special projections to promote the return of the series.

Ahead of the show's return, the creators and producers, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, said in a statement that Stranger Things 4 was the "most challenging" one yet.

"With nine scripts, over 800 pages, almost two years of filming, thousands of visual effects shots, and a runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season, Stranger Things 4 was the most challenging season yet, but also the most rewarding one. Everyone involved is incredibly proud of the results, and we can’t wait to share it with you."