Indiana Jones Bombs on Disney+
As you know, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny debuted on Disney+ in December.
Sadly, the film’s reception on streaming wasn’t any better than the one it had in theaters.
Image: Disney
Still, Disney+ performed remarkably well in early December.
Let’s talk about the latest set of Nielsen ratings.
What’s New
Image: Disney
After reading this column for a few months, you probably have a good idea of how the system works.
Nielsen releases streaming ratings for the previous month…usually.
Once or twice a year, Nielsen forgets, which is why I didn’t post this article last week.
Image: Disney
Hey, they’re entitled to holiday vacations, too!
Still, the holidays drive much of the conversation this week, but I’m getting ahead of myself.
We’re discussing the Nielsen ratings for the week of December 4th – 10th, 2023.
Image: Disney
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the climatic Indy movie, debuted on the service on December 1st.
So, we’ll never quite know how it did during its first three days.
Based on what followed, I presume Indy doesn’t really want to know.
Image: Disney
For the week in question, Dial of Destiny claimed 498 million viewer minutes. How good is that?
Well, that’s about how many people were watching Elemental six-to-eight weeks after it debuted on Disney+. So…
Ordinarily, I’d give Dial of Destiny the benefit of the doubt since Nielsen suffers some notorious ratings blindspots.
Photo: Disney
Unfortunately, Indiana Jones movies skew older, which means that these numbers are, if anything, better than they should be.
In polling terms, Nielsen has oversampled here. People just don’t love this Indiana Jones movie, which breaks my heart.
The Holiday Titles
Photo: DIsney+
What were people watching on Disney+ instead? The answer is holiday movies and television series.
For example, The Santa Clauses claimed Disney’s only spot on the Originals chart this week.
Nielsen actually got something wrong here, indicating that The Santa Clauses had released its season finale by then.
Disney+
In reality, that episode wouldn’t stream until a few days later.
So, this week’s performance of 279 million minutes is solid and should improve next time.
However, since The Santa Clauses finished tenth on the Originals chart, it might not appear next week. Nielsen lists only go to ten.
Photo:Disney
On the Movies chart, Kevin remains a draw after more than 30 years.
Home Alone once again placed in the top ten with 472 million minutes.
Photo: Disney
In truth, that’s another indictment of Dial of Destiny. A film from 1990 almost matched Indiana Jones 5’s first full week on the charts.
Also, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the shameless sequel – come on, if it happens twice, that’s just bad parenting – appeared on the list.
Image Credit: Disney
That film claimed 328 million minutes, leaving it just short of a Hulu title.
Yes, Elf places on the charts again with 443 million minutes.
People were REALLY in the holiday spirit in early December!
Credit: Disney
Overall, Disney+ and Hulu claimed four of the top ten spots on the Movies chart.
Also, just to drive home the point, two of the other popular streaming movies were Candy Cane Lane and 2018’s The Grinch.
If you subscribed to a streaming service in December, you probably watched holiday content. That’s what these charts say.
Other Disney+ News
No, I haven’t forgotten Bluey. On the Acquired chart, the Australian series gained another 838 million minutes.
During the past six weeks, Bluey has consistently hovered in the range of 800 million minutes.
I would describe Bluey as THE most popular children’s series on streaming based on the data I’m seeing.
At one point, Cocomelon was neck-and-neck with Bluey, but there’s a sizable gap now.
Hulu also technically charted again with Criminal Minds, although those numbers are boosted by its availability on Paramount+.
Overall, this was another good week for Disney, as it claimed seven spots out of 30 across the three different Nielsen charts.
Photo: Disney
Also, another highlight is coming soon. Disney recently announced that Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a huge hit.
According to Disney, the Percy Jackson adaptation claimed 13.3 million viewers during its first week.
That total beats almost everything else Disney+ released in calendar 2023. Disney cagily says it’s one of the best five debuts.
Photo: FX
So, between the continued staying power of Home Alone and this title, Disney+ should prove popular throughout the month.
After that, we can track a new phenomenon.
The Bear just won Golden Globes for Best Musical/Comedy Series and for its two stars, Ayo Edebiri and Jeremy Allen White.
IMDB
Meanwhile, Only Murders in the Building won five Golden Globes of its own.
The two series could feasibly return to the charts due to this demonstration of excellence at the Golden Globes. Stay tuned!
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