Dickens published most of his novels in serial format, releasing them in sections at a time. Anticipation would build and crowds would clamor as the release of each new serial drew near. The Pickwick Papers’ final installment was printed 100 times more than its first.

> In at least two cases, serial fiction sparked riots. In 1841, a riot erupted in New York as avid readers awaited the fate of little Nell in Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shoppe. And the following year, Parisian readers rioted to find out the ending of a particularly suspenseful episode of Eugene Sue's The Mysteries of Paris.

https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/charles-dickens-show-stealing-entrance-to-serial-fiction

Harry Potter may be more popular than most other books, but I don’t think there have been any Potter riots.

Over time, the serial format fell by the wayside. Stephen King famously experimented with it when he released The Green Mile; it was originally published in six parts.