Loki season 2 is a Marvel hit, but it isn’t the biggest Disney Plus show premiere of 2023

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Lokiseason 2 is a big hit amongMarvel’s fanbase – but it isn’t the most-watched Disney Plus TV show premiere of the year.

In a press release, Disney revealed thatLokiseason 2’s opening episode drew in 10.9 million viewers in its first three days onDisney Plus. That figure is magical enough to make it the second most-streamed TV episode of 2023 on the company’s primary streaming platform.

So, which Disney Plus series preventedLoki’s latest outing from securing top spot? That’ll beThe Mandalorianseason 3, although Disney declined to provide any data to back that up. It’s unclear, then, just how closeLokiseason 2 was to toppling theStar Warsseries and taking its Disney Plus TV crown.

Time is ticking. Catch up on Episode 1 of #Loki Season 2, now streaming on @DisneyPlus. pic.twitter.com/E0T3bRMvEOOctober 7, 2023

It is, of course, difficult to fully determine how wellLokiseason 2 has performed. Entertainment studios can skew their streaming data to make it look like a TV show or movie has done better than expected, with this being one such example.

Indeed, Disney has only recently started to make its audience data public, so there are no official figures to compareLokiseason 2’s viewership againstThe Mandalorian’s third season. Furthermore, Disney explained that a view is “defined as total stream time divided by runtime”. That means it compiles every minute of content streamed by viewers, including those who might have turned season 2 episode 1 off if, say, they were bored.

However, theMarvel Phase 5show’s viewing figures might be more impressive then we first realize. As Disney noted in its press blast,Lokiseason 2 episode 1 achieved its near 11 million figure in its first three days on one of the world’sbest streaming services. Compare that toStar Wars: Ahsoka, which racked up 14 million views (per theWalt Disney Company) in its first five days, andLoki’s second season is seemingly off to a strong start.

If we averageLoki2’s data out over three days, it pulled in around 3.6 million viewers every 24 hours. Multiply that by five, and it theoretically should draw in 18 million people across its first five days on Disney Plus. It’s unlikelyLokiseason 2 will reach that figure – Marvel’s biggest fans will have already streamed it, after all – but it’s a good yard stick to measureLoki’s sophomore outing against.

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Despite the fact that it conjured up 10.9 million views in its first 72 hours, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) TV show wasn’t as popular as some of the best-performing shows of the year onNetflix, aka Disney’s biggest streaming rival.

For instance,One Pieceseason 1 made a mightily impressive debut on Netflix, with the streamer’s live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s wildly popular manga pulling in 18.5 million viewers in its first four days. Meanwhile,Sex Educationseason 4 taughtLokiseason 2 a lesson with its 12 million haul three days after it premiered on Netflix. While we calledLokiseason 2 a “spellbinding and subversively clever sequel to Marvel’s best Disney Plus show”, then, it wasn’t strong enough to rein in some of thebest Netflix showson the wider streaming landscape.

Still, it’s hard to argue against the fact thatLokiseason 2 is off to a stellar start. With the mixed reception to numerousMarvel Phase 4and Phase 5 projects, Marvel can rest a bit easier knowing that one of thebest Disney Plus showshas given it some respite from the criticism it’s faced.

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As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.

Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.

Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.

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