Obi-Wan Kenobi Becomes Disney+ Most Watched Debut

Star Wars fans have once again proven that they are a force to be reckoned with. The Obi-Wan Kenobi series has become Disney+’s most-watched launch globally in just one weekend. Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reprise their renowned roles as the Jedi Master and his ill-fated apprentice in the series, which is already a big success. 

Furthermore, with the release of the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, Star Wars title viewership on Disney+ tripled in terms of hours viewed. The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi debuted exclusively on Disney+ on Friday, May 27. Following the launch, the series will be available weekly on Wednesdays until the finale on June 22.

The story opens 10 years after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, in which Obi-Wan Kenobi suffered his greatest defeat—the death and corruption of Anakin Skywalker, his best friend and Jedi trainee, who ultimately became the wicked Sith Lord Darth Vader. Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi keeps a watchful eye on a young Luke Skywalker, while Darth Vader, his old student, searches for one of the few remaining Force users.

Source: IMDB

Obi-Wan Kenobi Came Out in May

While Disney was releasing multiple interviews, sneak peeks, and behind-the-scenes for fans during Star Wars Celebration 2022, the long-awaited premiere for Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi came out on May 27. Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith picks up a decade after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Kenobi provides a link between the prequels and the original Star Wars movies, which traces the origins to Luke Skywalker. Coming out in the 1970s, Star Wars spawned one of the world’s largest sagas and fandoms.

While Disney could not give particular audience figures, this is a significant victory for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series. The series was trending on Twitter all weekend and had a significant presence at Star Wars Celebration. In terms of social media reach, it competed with Stranger Things 4 and Top Gun: Maverick. Kenobi’s social media shelf life might extend as a result of the weekly release schedule. The show already has so many Easter Eggs.

Following the popularity of Disney+’s The Mandalorian, Kenobi underwent a re-imagining as a full series, headed by filmmaker Deborah Chow. In the age of streaming, an episodic series allows for the time needed to tell stories as rich in lore as Star Wars, and the global success of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s first weekend indicates that giving the fans what they want surely pays off. Chow is able to present fans with a montage and flashbacks from the prequel flicks, develop original characters, and provide subtlety to the new ones without the stressful restrictions of a potentially three-hour feature.

The Disney+ Show Is Reminiscent of The Prequels

Source: TechRadar

Going by the premiere, the project appears to be a love letter to the prequel trilogy, which introduced many new fans to the brand. Only two episodes into the six-episode run, the series has already dominated social media, with Star Wars fans all over the world speculating on where the plot will go next, as it moves into the third chapter. It’s simple to understand why people would rush to the new show in droves. Even as a casual Star Wars fan, McGregor’s portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi, who trained Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen, who also features in the new program), has always captivated me.

Obi-Wan Kenobi was always going to be one of the most popular Disney+ series, even with blockbuster opponents like The Mandalorian and Loki. But until now, no one realized how huge it would be.

Star Wars fans have been waiting for Ewan McGregor to reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi for nearly a decade, making the Disney+ release a no-brainer. What is unclear about this statistic is whether Disney includes both premiere episodes in the total number of hours streamed throughout the first weekend.