Fans have been waiting well over a decade to see Ewan McGregor reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi. In an age before Disney bought Star Wars and took the franchise to streaming, many were calling for the popular Jedi to star in his own film. Now, thanks to Disney+, fans have gotten their wish as the Scottish actor takes the lead in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
In many ways, going off the premiere alone, the project looks to be a love letter to the prequel trilogy, an era that brought many new fans into the franchise. Only two episodes into the six-episode run, the series has already taken over social media as Star Wars lovers around the world begin to speculate on where the story will go next, moving into the third installment.
Naturally, Obi-Wan Kenobi was always going to be among the biggest Disney+ series to date, even with blockbuster competitors like The Mandalorian and Loki. But nobody knew quite how big it would be, until now.
Obi-Wan Kenobi Smashes Disney+ Records
Disney made an official statement to confirm Obi-Wan Kenobi has become the most-watched Disney+ series globally, based on the number of hours streamed in the debut weekend.
Following the premiere, viewership of Star Wars titles tripled in hours watched throughout the opening weekend.
What Does Obi-Wan Kenobi's Record Actually Mean?
Star Wars fans have been waiting for over a decade to see Ewan McGregor reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi, making the Disney+ record a no-brainer. What's unclear about this statistic is whether Disney is including both of the two premiere episodes in its total number of hours streamed in the opening weekend.
If Disney is counting both of the debut episodes, then this statistic is far less impressive than it may first appear, as only two other major Disney+ originals have premiered with more than one installment on the same day. WandaVision debuted with 103 minutes across three episodes, Hawkeye delivered 102 minutes, and Obi-Wan Kenobi offered 98 minutes.
Comparatively, every other Disney+ premiere has only kicked off with one episode, making for a debut of under one hour. So, if Disney was including both episodes in its statistic, then the two Marvel series were the only real competition to Obi-Wan Kenobi for this record.
That's not to say Obi-Wan Kenobi isn't a massive hit for the streaming service, it just means other series may have been bigger if it was judged by views, but that would have its own flaws. Then again, there's every possibility Disney was only judging the success of the series by the first of the two episodes, which would make this an even more significant accomplishment.
What's even more interesting is the effect Obi-Wan Kenobi had on the viewership of the rest of Star Wars. Clearly, viewers reignited the love of Star Wars for many fans, leading them to revisit the films or perhaps tap into animated series like Rebels and The Clone Wars to learn more about these characters.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is streaming its first two episodes now, exclusively on Disney+; the third installment will premiere on Wednesday, June 1.
