Netflix has completely dominated the streaming world for years, and it still does, but The Mandalorian has just made an important breakthrough!
The Mandalorian has proven itself to be a game-changer for both Disney+ and the Star Wars universe. Not only was the second season turn up the excitement and bring in more familiar faces, including a wonderful cameo from young Luke Skywalker, it was also more popular, to the point where it’s become the first non-Netflix show to snag the top spot in Nielsen’s weekly streaming chart!
Dear @MrPeytonReed,
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) January 16, 2021
I am so grateful to have been given the unexpected opportunity to revisit my character when he was still a symbol of hope & optimism.
Your assured direction & kindness was a crucial element in the experience & means more to me than I can say.#ThankYOU🙏 https://t.co/yNngOQdJRS
As related by The Hollywood Reporter, The Mandalorian drew a very impressive 1.34 billion minutes of viewing time in the week of December 14-20, which was the week when it aired its second season finale. Before that, it spent eight eight consecutive weeks in the top 10.
For the same week, The Mandalorian unseated regular champion The Office (which has now left Netflix for Peacock), which netted 1.31 billion minutes of viewing. In third with 772 million minutes watched was The Crown, which gained a lot of steam after Netflix dropped its fourth season late in the year.
Check out the full chart below:
- The Mandalorian (Disney+), 1.34 billion minutes watched
- The Office (Netflix), 1.31 billion
- The Crown* (Netflix), 772 million
- Grey’s Anatomy (Netflix), 762 million
- Manhunt: Deadly Games (Netflix), 712 million
- Supernatural (Netflix), 684 million
- Virgin River (Netflix), 681 million
- Criminal Minds (Netflix), 651 million
- Schitt’s Creek (Netflix), 597 million
- A California Christmas (Netflix), 581 million
The streaming wars have long been dominated by Netflix, and as you can see, still are. However, perhaps The Mandalorian breaking through represents a turning of the tides.
That said, there are a couple of caveats to consider. Firstly, Nielsen only measures streaming in the United States. Secondly, the rankings only include streaming shows and movies from Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu. That leaves off a couple of notable services like Apple TV+ and HBO Max.
No matter how you look at it, you can’t escape the sheer achievement of The Mandalorian. Disney isn’t stopping there, either. There is a big slate of Star Wars TV shows on the horizon, including Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Rangers of the New Republic.
Disney also has big things happening over at Marvel Studios. They’re currently airing WandaVision — which is already a big hit — and there are plenty more Marvel shows coming down the line.
We expect other Disney shows to snag that top spot in the coming years. The streaming wars are about to get intense!
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