To date, Marvel's Disney+ experiment has proved to be a huge success in bringing in viewership, dominating fan conversation, and using the time an episodic format provides to develop Phase 4 characters and stories.
This is why anticipation was at an all-time high for Loki, Marvel's third Disney+ series, and its exploration of the Time Variance Authority (TVA) and how it will impact the MCU going forward.
And even though Loki may not be the ruler of Asgard or even Midgard, he apparently rules Disney+.
LOKI REIGNS SUPREME FOR DISNEY+ VIEWERSHIP
In a report from Samba TV via Deadline, Marvel's Loki starring Tom Hiddleston drew 890 thousand U.S. households during its debut, making it the “the largest US premier-day audience for any of Marvel’s Disney+ shows" and topping that of both Marvel's WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
In addition, the God of Mischief's solo series also bested the 4-day premiere of Disney's Cruella on Disney+. Although, that film also enjoyed a theatrical release and cost $29.99 to stream on the House of Mouse's streaming service.
Again, there was no doubt that Marvel's multiple Disney+ series have been successful. But Loki is proof that viewership isn't just maintaining — it's actually growing.
Back in January, WandaVision enjoyed an impressive 655K debut. And in March, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier topped those numbers with a 759K debut. The fact that Loki brought in 890K is certainly impressive and says a lot about what Marvel has accomplished in less than a year with their new streaming platform.
IS LOKI THE RIGHTFUL RULER OF DISNEY+?
It's still difficult to be precise when it comes to streaming stats.
For instance, according to Deadline, SambaTV measures views "in 3 million Smart terrestrial TV households for at least five minutes" and a non-Disney studio insider complained that SambaTV numbers "don’t include mobile viewers."
In addition, Loki debuted under different circumstances, particularly in that it releases on Wednesdays as opposed to the traditional Friday Disney+ release. It's also worth noting that it enjoyed a June release when many schools are on summer vacation
Regardless, these numbers are fantastic news for both Disney and Marvel Studios. The only question is whether this is in fact the ceiling for viewership and if the studio will ever be able to top it.
