This past weekend, numerous access media outlets and Star Wars-centric content creators celebrated the perceived success of The Acolyte following the release of Luminate’s 2024 Film and TV report. Headlines and X posts boasted that The Acolyte was Disney+‘s second most-watched series of the year, accumulating 2.7 billion minutes of viewership.
However, when surface-level accolades are set aside and the numbers are examined in greater detail, this supposed victory turns into a major loss and a stark reflection of Disney’s ongoing struggles with the Star Wars franchise and streaming platform Disney+.
(L-R): The Stranger and Osha Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©.
At first glance, 2.7 billion minutes viewed might seem impressive, but context is key.
Despite The Acolyte ranking as Disney+’s second most-watched series, it didn’t even crack the Top 10 streaming originals of 2024. That list is dominated by Netflix, which secured seven of the ten spots. The other entries belonged to Paramount+ (thanks to Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan) and Amazon Prime’s Fallout (Not The Rings of Power, let the record show).
A graph showing the Top 10 Streaming originals in 2024 – Luminate
To put The Acolyte’s performance into perspective, the number 10 spot on the list, Love Is Blind (Netflix), earned 7.3 billion minutes viewed—nearly three times The Acolyte’s viewership. In other words, Disney+’s second most-watched show of the year couldn’t even come close to the lowest-performing title in the Top 10.
This means Disney’s flagship series are falling far behind the competition, and Star Wars as a brand is losing its once-dominant cultural impact.
But it gets worse…
The Acolyte vs. Disney+ Competitors
The Acolyte’s standing as Disney+’s second most-watched series becomes even less flattering when compared to the service’s number one show of the year: Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
The top streaming originals on Disney+ for 2024 – Luminate
Released on December 19, 2023, Percy Jackson topped the Disney section of the Luminate 2024 report, even though its premiere wasn’t counted toward 2024 numbers. Even with this handicap, it still outperformed The Acolyte in total viewership.
Even more concerning are The Acolyte’s episode-by-episode viewership trends.
The episode by episode breakdown of The Acolyte – Luminate
The series debuted with higher numbers, a typical pattern for streaming shows. But instead of maintaining or building on that momentum, viewership dropped dramatically after the first episode, with only slight upticks for episodes six and seven. The finale, a point in most series where anticipation peaks, was instead the least-watched episode of the entire series. This steep decline in engagement demonstrates a lack of sustained interest in the show, a major red flag for Disney+.
But it gets so much worse…
The Star Wars Franchise’s Waning Power
When The Acolyte’s performance is compared to other Disney+ Star Wars series, the numbers paint an even bleaker picture.
The canceled show fell well short of Ahsoka, a series that itself was considered a disappointment by many. And while it performed better than Skeleton Crew, Disney’s latest Star Wars show on the platform, that’s also not something to celebrate.
A chart comparing Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and Skeleton Crew Star Wars shows on Disney+ – Luminate
Skeleton Crew’s post-Acolyte flop shows faltering momentum for Star Wars. It demonstrates increased audience apathy with each new entry into the Star Wars mythos. And the failure of Skeleton Crew could be a reflection on The Acolyte itself. Leslye Headland’s deeply unpopular series might have led Star Wars fans who were still holding onto hope throwing up their hands and walking away.
For Lucasfilm, these results should be cause for serious concern. Star Wars was once regarded as the gold standard of science fiction, boasting unparalleled cultural significance. Now, under the stewardship of Kathleen Kennedy and creatives like Leslye Headland, the franchise has struggled to recapture its former glory.
Instead of revitalizing the Star Wars universe, The Acolyte appears to have deepened the franchise’s woes.
What This Means for Disney and Lucasfilm
The embarrassing performance of The Acolyte is emblematic of the challenges Disney+ and Lucasfilm face. It highlights not only the declining interest in Star Wars, but also the challenges of sustaining a streaming service reliant on expensive original content. While Netflix and Paramount+ are successfully producing and promoting series that dominate the cultural conversation, Disney+ seems unable to create programming with comparable staying power.
Moreover, the viewership for The Acolyte reflects poorly on Lucasfilm’s leadership.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Kathleen Kennedy attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 attends the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
Kathleen Kennedy’s tenure as president of Lucasfilm has been fraught with controversy, with many fans criticizing her handling of the Star Wars franchise. Leslye Headland’s role in developing The Acolyte also comes under scrutiny. Her creative vision for the series was a departure from traditional Star Wars storytelling, which may have alienated long-time fans while failing to attract new ones.
For a brand that once defined blockbuster filmmaking and inspired generations of fans, these numbers are a sobering reminder of how far Star Wars has fallen. What was once the most revered science fiction franchise in history is now struggling to maintain relevance in an increasingly competitive entertainment landscape.
Vernestra Rwoh (Rebecca Henderson) in Lucasfilm’s THE ACOLYTE, season one, exclusively on Disney+. ©2024 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.
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The Acolyte viewership reported in Luminate’s report may have initially sparked celebration among Disney loyalists and access media outlets, but a closer look reveals a different story. The media’s knee-jerk reaction to celebrate these results could be seen as a lack of understanding at best and an intentional attempt to mislead the audience at worst.
The series’ inability to break into the Top 10 streaming originals of the year, its underperformance compared to other Disney+ offerings, and its steep episode-by-episode decline all point to a franchise in trouble. For Disney and Lucasfilm, The Acolyte is less a success story and more a cautionary tale of mismanagement and lost potential.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 23: (L-R) Leslye Headland and Dave Filoni, Chief Creative Officer, Lucasfilm attend the launch event for Lucasfilm’s new Star Wars series The Acolyte at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 23, 2024. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)
As Disney+ continues to lag behind its competitors, and as Star Wars struggles to regain its once-dominant position, one thing is clear: the House of Mouse has a lot of work to do if it hopes to restore Star Wars to its former glory. For now, the numbers speak louder than any corporate spin.
How do you feel after seeing the cold hard numbers confirming The Acolyte viewership numbers? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
Disney’s Star Wars is long dead, but fans keep it alive in a galaxy far away from wokellywood
Access media couldn’t care less about Disney or Star Wars. They just care that they’ll lose that access they love so much because they failed to defend a studio from the consequences of its own actions. If they can’t do that for just one studio, all the rest will realize they’re useless.
But the Acolyte will be remembered because it showed definitively that the Force can be used to impregnate women, which proves that the Force is male.
That’s their level of incompetence that they want to make the Force female and they prove the opposite.
Want to lose billions? Hire a feminist.
[…] Acolyte left many fans jumping into the Sarlacc pit, which would explain the incredibly low viewership the series received. The repercussions of this would go on to affect the incredibly underrated […]