A leading media company is pushing back the release date of one of its most anticipated original series for 2022. The delay now sets up an epic battle with a streaming rival.
What Happened: The new “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series from Walt Disney Co DIS has been delayed. The series will now debut on Disney+ on Friday, May 27, two days after originally set for release.
“Hello Star Wars fans,” Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor said in a video. “I have some important news, our premiere date is moving just a couple of days, from Wednesday to Friday, May 27.”
Star Wars fans won’t have to wait too much longer as the delay only pushed the show’s release date two days and McGregor shared what could be welcoming news to fans: “Here’s the exciting part, the first two episodes will premiere together.”
As Benzinga previously reported, the release date of May 25 would have coincided with the anniversary date of several Star Wars theatrical releases. The original “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” was released on May 25, 1977, which would have put “Obi-Wan Kenobi” on the 45th anniversary of the release of the original film.
“Return of the Jedi” and “Solo” also featured May 25 as their theatrical release date in 1983 and 2018, respectively.
Related Link: Here's How Many People Watched 'Bridgerton' Season 2 In Its First Three Days
Why It’s Important: Any other weekend in 2022 may have seen “Obi-Wan Kenobi” as the must-watch streaming event for fans and viewers.
The newly announced release date puts “Obi-Wan Kenobi” in direct competition with Netflix Inc NFLX and one of the most popular streaming series of all time.
“Stranger Things” Season Four is scheduled to be released on May 27 on Netflix. The fourth season will be released in two parts splitting the nine episodes between its May 27 and July 1 release dates. Netflix has not announced how many will hit the streaming platform on May 27, but many believe it will be four or five episodes.
While “Obi-Wan Kenobi” is highly anticipated and Star Wars fans will likely choose the first two episodes of the new series over “Stranger Things,” fans of both franchises or casual viewers could have a choice to make of how to use their viewing time.
“Stranger Things” Season Three ranks as the second most popular English-language show on Netflix based on total hours viewed in the first 28 days of availability. The show was watched for 582.1 million hours, compared to 625.5 million hours for “Bridgerton” Season One. This ranks the third season of “Stranger Things” as the fifth most-watched season on Netflix based on data from November counting English-language and non-English language shows.
It is important to note that the release of both shows coincides with Memorial Day weekend, which means many will have Monday, May 30 off. With that being said the weekend is also popular for camping, barbecues and outdoor activities.
Disney has had success with its Star Wars franchises on Disney+ with “The Mandalorian” and “The Book of Boba Fett” putting up impressive viewership numbers and competing with the likes of Netflix.
DIS, NFLX Price Action per Benzinga Pro: Disney shares are trading at $136.41 Friday morning, down 0.55%, while Netflix is trading up 0.73% at $377.31.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash
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