‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Pulls Franchise-Low Viewership in Disney+ Debut

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It appeared that the franchise was receiving positive news with the debut of “Star Wars: Skeleton Crew” on Disney+, receiving generally favorable reviews from critics. Considering the divisive response to “The Acolyte,” particularly among Star Wars fans, the positive reception to “Skeleton Crew” seemed like a promising sign. However, despite better critical acclaim, the latest Star Wars series is falling short in terms of early viewership numbers compared to other shows in the record books.

Based on initial streaming figures from Nielsen, the premiere of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew recorded the least number of viewers among all Star Wars series debuts within its first week. Specifically, it was watched for less than 382 million minutes across its first two episodes. Remarkably, this low viewership figure prevented Skeleton Crew from entering Disney+’s Top 10 Original shows, a historic milestone for a Star Wars production. It seems that despite positive reviews, the latest spinoff has not yet sparked significant enthusiasm among fans to immediately watch it.

Remarkably, those figures represent a 20% decrease compared to the initial release of ‘The Acolyte’, which garnered an impressive 488 million minutes of viewership during its first week. Regrettably, this Star Wars series was terminated due to inadequate viewer numbers that couldn’t justify the production costs associated with the show. However, there are speculations suggesting that the decision to cancel it was made because the audience response to the series was intensely negative and even hostile. Several cast members, including Amandla Stenberg, encountered racial abuse online from fans, while a specific faction of the fanbase engaged in review-bombing the show on IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes. We’ll eagerly await the reception of ‘Skeleton Crew’ to determine if it will face the same destiny.

‘Star Wars: Skeleton Crew’ Appeals More to Kids Than Adult Fans

Skeleton Crew might face resistance among Star Wars enthusiasts due to its focus on child characters and the introduction of unfamiliar characters, which has been a challenge for this IP in the past. Jude Law’s involvement as lead actor is reassuring, but his character, Jod Na Nawood, is new, and the rest of the cast consists of relatively unknown child performers.

There’s a good chance that viewership will increase as more people watch and share their opinions about the series. Currently, it has a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is better than The Acolyte’s score of 78%. Moreover, the audience score stands at 80%, significantly higher than The Acolyte’s 19%, due to the impact of the recent review-bombing campaign. It seems that Skeleton Crew could be a series that grows on viewers as more people discover it and consider it a strong addition to the Star Wars canon.

Hailing from the creative minds of Jon Watts and Christopher Ford, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew shares the same timeline as The Mandalorian and its related spinoffs. Occurring post-Return of the Jedi, this coming-of-age story follows four youngsters who stumble upon a puzzling revelation on their native planet. Their ensuing adventure leads them astray in the expansive cosmos, compelling them to devise a means to return home. The series features an ensemble cast including Ravi Cabot-Conyers, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Kyriana Kratter, Robert Timothy Smith, and Nick Frost alongside Law.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is currently streaming on Disney+.

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2025-01-14 22:01