“Summer Of Soul” Gets Viewership Boost Following Oscar & Grammy Wins
In the past few weeks, Disney’s “Summer Of Soul” won an Oscar for “Best Documentary” and also a Grammy for “Best Music Film”, making it only the third film to achieve this, following “20 Feet From Stardom” and “Amy”.
These award wins helped give the film a huge boost in viewership, with Disney confirming to Deadline that that viewing surged by +390% in hours streamed globally on Hulu, Disney+ and Star+ between 27th March and 5th April, when compared to earlier in March.
The film also gained more publicity as this was the category that Chris Rock was presenting at the Oscars, which was interrupted by Will Smith slapping him, just minutes before announcing “Summer Of Soul” as the winner.
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)” made its debut at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and was picked up by Disney’s Onyx Collective and Searchlight Pictures. The film had a short theatrical release before being released globally on Disney’s streaming services, including Star+ in Latin America, Hulu in the US and on Disney+ internationally. Earlier this year, the film was also released on Disney+ in the United States, as part of its new general entertainment push and as part of Black History Month.
In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion.
Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was never seen and largely forgotten–until now. “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present.
The feature includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more.
Did you check out “Summer Of Soul” on Disney+ following its award wins?