2015: Hollywood’s most searched celebs and topics

How? How is 2015 already over?

Well, it is time to revisit another eventful year in Hollywood and find out what set Tinseltown abuzz. Let’s get to it.

What Jurassic World, Charlie Sheen and Ruby Rose all have in common

Seriously, what do they have in common? Well, the trio were Tinseltown’s most searched topics on Google in 2015.

Jurassic World - another eagerly awaited revival of an iconic franchise - was the most searched for movie in the world and in the United States in 2015. Other films that trended both around the world and in the United States were Furious 7 (#2 globally, #5 in the US), American Sniper (#3 globally, #2 in the US), Fifty Shades of Grey (#4 globally and in the US), Mad Max (#8 globally, #10 in the US) and Minions (#5 globally, #9 in the US), which became the second highest grossing animated film of all time.

Jurassic World was also the #4 most searched topic in the world, with Furious 7 coming in at #6 and American Sniper at #10.

On the small screen, Marvel’s Jessica Jones gained much attention. The hit Netflix series was the #2 most searched TV show in the world, the #1 most searched American TV show in the world, and the #2 most searched TV show in the United States.

Meanwhile, Charlie Sheen and Ruby Rose were the most searched actor and actress in the United States in 2015, and were the #5 and #6 most searched people in the world. Sheen attracted attention when he revealed that he was HIV positive in 2015, while aussie actress Ruby Rose became a cast member of the hit comedy-drama series Orange is the New Black when Season 3 started airing in 2015.

Hollywood relative newbie Tom Holland also soared to #6 of the most searched actors in the United States when it was announced that the 19-year-old British actor was cast as Spider-Man, with his first appearance as the web-slinging vigilante due in 2016′s Captain America: Civil War.

 

The Force is strong with this one

Note: The following information in this section is based on Google statistics as of December 2015. The embedded data is live and subject to change over time.

No surprises what the most anticipated movie of the year was.

10 years after the last live action Star Wars film, the mega franchise finally returned to the big screen under the helm of J.J. Abrams with the release of The Force Awakens in mid-December 2015, and netizens clearly displayed their excitement on the internet.

Even though Revenge of the Sith was released to tremendous publicity and box office success in 2005, Google’s most searched Star Wars film since 2004 (as of December 2015) is, you guessed it, The Force Awakens. Based on statistics from the last 11 years, The Force Awakens unsurprisingly attracted the most attention of all Star Wars films, followed by the one that started it all - A New Hope - in second place.

Curiously enough, while Return of the Jedi - the last film of the Original Trilogy - was not among the most searched Star Wars films, it received the most attention of the original three when interest in it spiked in May 2005 (with the impending release of Revenge of the Sith) and in November 2015 (with the impending release of The Force Awakens)

Also, while The Force Awakens certainly revived the hype around the franchise, the all-time high for Star Wars-related searches on Google (as of December 2015) actually still belongs to 2005 with the release of Revenge of the Sith.

But no disputes or surprises are in store for the franchise’s most iconic characters. The most searched Star Wars character continues to be legendary villain Darth Vader, who leads by a significant margin over runner-up Princess Leia. Chewbacca, Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 round up the pack.

Losses, additions and unions

Every year, Hollywood mourns the death of and bids farewell to several of its most prominent figures. But the industry also has the joy of celebrating unions and, further down the road, pregnancies.

22-year-old television personality, singer and actress Bobbi Kristina Brown (the daughter of Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston) was the #1 most searched death both globally and in the United States in 2015. Legendary British actor Christopher Lee, who passed at the age of 93, was #3 globally, and famed Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy was #6 globally and in the United States.

 

Meanwhile, the union between actors Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello was the most searched for wedding in 2015, while Kim Kardashian‘s second pregnancy was the most searched of all celebrity pregnancies.

 

Nominees vs winners at the Oscars

Note: The following information in this section is based on Google statistics as of December 2015. The embedded data is live and subject to change over time.

Yes, the 87th Academy Awards in 2015 did not have a record-breaking, social media-crashing A-list celebrity selfie as did its predecessor in 2014. But 2015′s Oscars did have some subtle online surprises too.

Funnily enough, the nominees proved more popular than the winners among netizens (as of December 2015). Even though Birdman, Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne all took home the covetted gold statuettes for Best Picture, Best Actress and Best Actor respectively, none received the most searches among the nominees in their category.

Birdman was the #2 most searched of all the Best Picture nominees, behind American Sniper at #1 (unsurprising, considering that American Sniper was the #3 most searched movie globally and #2 in the United States).

Best Actress winner Julianne Moore was the #2 most searched in her category, behind Reese Witherspoon at #1.

The most searched Best Actor nominees were American Sniper‘s Bradley Cooper and The Imitation Game‘s Benedict Cumberbatch at #1 and #2 respectively, with winner Eddie Redmayne at #3. However, Redmayne’s Oscar acceptance speech was the most viewed moment of the 87th Academy Awards on YouTube.