Star Wars Fact Check: Is The Acolyte The Second Most-Viewed Disney Plus Show in 2024

The conversation surrounding viewership metrics for The Acolyte has reignited interest and speculation, particularly in light of its cancellation in August of the previous year. Until recently, Disney had refrained from commenting on the show’s fate. However, Alan Bergman, co-chair of Disney Entertainment, finally broke the silence in a year-end review, stating, “We were happy with our performance, but it wasn’t where we needed it to be given the cost structure of that title, quite frankly, to go and make a season two. So that’s the reason why we didn’t do that.”

In the wake of this announcement, new viewership data has stirred up fresh discussions. Streaming platforms are typically reticent to share actual viewership statistics, making third-party analytics, like those from Luminate, critical for insight. According to Luminate’s assessments for 2024, The Acolyte ranked as the second-most popular show on Disney+, leading to a resurgence of the #RenewTheAcolyte movement trending across social media. So, what do these viewership figures really indicate?

The Acolyte’s Ranking on Disney+

Data from Luminate reveals that six out of the ten top TV shows on Disney+ for 2024 were from the Star Wars franchise, underscoring its notable impact on the platform’s overall performance. The Acolyte trailed only behind **Percy Jackson and the Olympians**, collecting a substantial viewership of 2, 673 million minutes watched. This statistic seemingly signifies a triumph; however, it warrants further examination.

Disney+ TV Show	Minutes Watched (Millions)
Percy Jackson and the Olympians	3, 070
The Acolyte	2, 673
Agatha All Along	2, 284
Echo	1, 537
X-Men ’97	1, 437
Star Wars: The Bad Batch	923
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew	914
Ahsoka	841
The Mandalorian Season 3	811
The Mandalorian Season 1	693

A Year of Disappointment for Disney+

An overarching issue for Disney+ was that 2024 marked a disappointing year for the platform. Its heavy reliance on franchise content has raised concerns. The top 10 shows included a surprising number of older titles and animated series, which traditionally do not drive significant viewership. In a 2024 analysis of Star Wars shows, Luminate director Jimmy Doyle provided insight:

“When you look at the animated titles, they’re gonna be a lot lower in terms of viewership than live action. That’s pretty typical… Live action is what’s most important to them when we look at that gross level viewership.”

Though titles like X-Men ’97 and Star Wars: The Bad Batch were well-received, their presence in the top rankings hints at a troubling trend for Disney+.While The Acolyte’s ranking may seem impressive, it is set against a backdrop of overall underperformance on the platform.

Comparative Performance Against Other Star Wars Titles

To truly gauge The Acolyte’s performance, it is essential to compare it with other series in the Star Wars universe. According to Luminate, The Acolyte’s initial viewership was subpar compared to previous shows. For instance, **Obi-Wan Kenobi** launched with 7.52 million views over its first two days, tapering off to just 3.91 million for the finale—a decline that exceeded The Acolyte’s opening numbers. Alarmingly, Luminate’s graphs indicate that The Acolyte faced a severe decline in viewership over its run.

This drop is unusual and raises significant concerns about audience retention. Despite a promising bounce in viewership for the sixth episode, its overall pattern suggests a worrying trend: “The Acolyte… had lower viewership than most of the other Star Wars shows when it premiered, and then it didn’t gain viewership, ”Doyle noted.

Assessing Performance Relative to Production Costs

When evaluating The Acolyte, it is crucial to consider its production costs, which struck many industry observers as exorbitant. According to tax documents from Disney’s UK branch, **Lucasfilm allocated an astounding $231 million** to production, translating to an exorbitant $28.75 million per episode. This figure significantly exceeds earlier budget estimates of $180 million, raising issues about budget management.

Given these costs, The Acolyte needed to rank among Disney’s frontrunners. Although it secured a strong viewership position in 2024, the numbers fell short of what would have justified such financial expenditure. While it may have been the second-most-viewed show on Disney+ that year, the achievement loses significance when placed in the complete financial picture. The show, despite its imperfections, deserved better, particularly after leaving viewers with an unresolved cliffhanger.

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