“Hamilton” brought in a massive audience when it debuted on Disney Plus in July. Now, we have a better idea of just how massive that audience was.
The film of the hit Broadway musical was more popular than anything else on a major streaming service in July — by a lot, according to research from 7Park Data that was reported by Variety.
Of the research group’s panel of US viewers — which included between 15,000 and 25,000 households — 37.1% watched “Hamilton” in July, according to Variety.
By contrast, the second-most viewed program was Netflix’s “Unsolved Mysteries,” which was watched by 13.7% of viewers during July.
“Hamilton” viewers also made up the largest audience for a single show within one month this year on Disney Plus, Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu and Apple TV Plus, according to Variety. HBO Max and Peacock were not included in the research.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek has previously spoken about the number of new subscribers that “Hamilton” brought to Disney Plus, though he did not specify how many, as the Deseret News reported.
However, in the weeks leading up to the release of “Hamilton,” downloads of the Disney Plus app increased by 70%, according to Fox Business.
In an earnings call last week, Chapek called Disney’s streaming services “key to the future growth of our company,” according to the Deseret News. In the same call, it was revealed that the company’s revenues had fallen by 40% due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Disney will try their luck with another movie debut on Disney Plus in September, this time with “Mulan,” the Deseret News reported last week. After months of delays, the remake of the classic animated film will bypass theaters in the US and debut on the streaming service, for the added cost of $29.99.