Ever since Disney+ launched back in late 2019, it has been releasing a steady stream of original programming, including series, shorts and films.   With major films from Pixar such as “Luca” and “Soul”, along with shows like “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”.

However, it’s very obvious that the reason many Disney+ subscribers have signed up, is for the new exclusive series from Marvel and Star Wars.  With shows such as “The Mandalorian” and “Loki” as the primary draw for viewers.

Recently, THR released some information from Nielsen, taking a look at the viewership figures for the Disney+ Originals in the United States, highlighting that both the Marvel and Star Wars series have been doing the majority of the heavy lifting.

The viewing figures highlight that there is much higher interest in the new Star Wars series than in Marvel shows.  With the second season of “The Mandalorian” being the most popular Disney+ Original series so far, with 8.38 billion minutes watched.

What’s even more impressive is that the first season of “The Mandalorian” is the second most-watched show. When the show was initially released, Disney+ wasn’t available in most homes.

“Loki” has been the most successful Marvel series so far, with “Hawkeye” being the least popular show.   Though it’s worth noting that the Marvel shows generally have had fewer episodes than that Star Wars shows, which will have reduced the number of minutes watched.

Even the animated series, “What If?” and “The Bad Batch” have been a significant success for Disney+, as both series have made the weekly Nielsen streaming charts.  However, they don’t have the same mainstream mass appeal as the live-action shows.

None of the Disney+ Original series from outside Marvel or Star Wars have been able to pull in the same audience.  Such as “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”, “Big Shot”, and “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers”.

Hulu has had some great success with some of its own original programming, such as “The Dropout”, “Dopesick”, “Pam & Tommy”, and “Only Murders In The Building”, all of which are available on Disney+ internationally—giving international Disney+ subscribers more variety and high-quality drama series to enjoy.

However, in the US, Disney+ is dominated by Marvel and Star Wars series, which shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, since they have been the only original series available on Disney+ that appeal to all ages.

For Disney+ to continue to grow, especially in the US, it is going to have to start pulling in audiences with series outside of Marvel and Star Wars.  While this data shows how successful Disney+ Originals have been, it also highlights the major issue Disney+ has with its content.

Are you surprised with this data?

Roger Palmer

Roger has been a Disney fan since he was a kid and this interest has grown over the years. He has visited Disney Parks around the globe and has a vast collection of Disney movies and collectibles. He is the owner of What's On Disney Plus & DisKingdom. Email: Roger@WhatsOnDisneyPlus.com Twitter: Twitter.com/RogPalmerUK Facebook: Facebook.com/rogpalmeruk

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