Prior to “Squid Game” being the most viewed show on Netflix Inc NFLX, the series "Bridgerton," released in late December, was the company’s most successful show. Could Walt Disney Co DIS see a similar result with a blockbuster coming in late December 2021?
What Happened: Disney unveiled the first full-length trailer for the highly anticipated “The Book of Boba Fett” on Monday.
The trailer has been viewed 5.2 million times since being released and is the number one trending video on YouTube, the video streaming platform from Alphabet Inc GOOGGOOGL.
The show will premiere on Disney+ on Dec. 29 with additional new episodes coming every Wednesday. The show is a spin-off from the successful “The Mandalorian” show, which is among the most viewed shows on Disney+.
Boba Fett is one of the most popular "Star Wars" characters and the series could be well received by fans and bring new viewers to the franchise that joined due to good reviews for “The Mandalorian.”
The strong viewership of the trailer is outpacing highly anticipated shows for Netflix. The trailer for "Cowboy Bebop” has 2.4 million views in the last six days and “Tiger King Season 2” trailer has 1.7 million views in six days.
The trailer for “The Witcher Season 2,” released four days ago, has 6.2 million views. The first season was among the most-watched shows in Netflix history.
Related Link: Disney Q3 Takeaways: Big Earnings Beat, Hulu And Disney+ Subscriber Numbers Rise, ARPU Falls
Why It’s Important: The release of the show in late December and the week after Christmas could be a big win for Disney with many people off of work and school for the holidays.
Last year, Netflix reported it saw the week of Dec. 25 through Dec. 31 as its best one ever for total hours viewed and average hours viewed per subscriber. The month also set records for total hours viewed and average hours viewed per subscriber.
Netflix’s success came from “Bridgerton,” which premiered on Dec. 25, 2020, and was watched by 63 million people in its first 28 days of release. The family-friendly movie “We Can Be Heroes,” released on Christmas was viewed by 44 million households in the same time period.
Disney ended the third quarter with 116 million Disney+ subscribers, up from the 103.6 million reported in the second quarter.
The company is seeing a lower average revenue per user for Disney+ due to the international mix. Strong reception and demand for “The Book of Boba Fett” could help Disney boost subscriber figures in the future.
Disney will report its fourth quarter, which includes the month of July, August and September, Nov. 10 after market close.
Subscriber impacts for Disney for “The Book of Boba Fett” could be spread in the company’s first and second quarter of the next fiscal year.
One big difference for Netflix was all episodes of “Bridgerton” were available to watch the week after Christmas so people could binge-watch, versus Disney, which will release the episodes on a weekly basis.
DIS Price Action: Disney shares are down 0.57% to $168.86 Wednesday morning.
Photo: "The Book fo Boba Fett" YouTube screenshot
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