‘X-Men ’97’ Viewership Numbers Reveal It Wasn’t as Successful as Expected
‘X-Men ’97’ was a breath of fresh air on Disney+. The continuation of the original animated series drew many fans back to the platform after the disappointment of ‘The Marvels.’
Combining nostalgia with excellent storytelling, the episodes kept us entertained for weeks, even though the plot moved quickly.
The hashtag ‘X-Men ’97’ trended for weeks, with social media buzzing with theories and discussions, primarily sparked by showrunner Beau DeMayo. The overwhelmingly positive reaction led to the confirmation of at least two additional seasons, with rumors suggesting the show could continue indefinitely.
However, the viewership numbers tell a different story. It seems that only die-hard fans of the original animated series and the X-Men team were drawn to this project.
When the show premiered, Variety reported that 4 million people watched it, marking the biggest premiere for original Marvel animated content. However, this statistic is somewhat misleading, given that Marvel has released a few animated projects on Disney+, and shorts like ‘I Am Groot’ were not included in the count.
The absence of ‘X-Men ’97’ from Nielsen Charts after three episodes raised concerns. Official numbers revealed that the show failed to outperform ‘Echo’ and ‘Percy Jackson’ in terms of Disney+ streaming. It ranked third in streaming original content, with only 6.8% of viewers tuning in.
Despite this, the season finale of “X-Men 97” amassed 3.5 million views globally within its first five days on Disney+. While Disney touted it as the most-watched full-length animated series finale since Season 1 of Marvel’s “What If…?”, it still fell short of the viewership garnered by the premiere.
Considering it’s an animated series, the show’s performance can be considered a success. However, it’s notable that a significant portion of the fanbase may not be interested in animated content. Many expected ‘X-Men ’97’ to surpass ‘Echo,’ which had relatively high viewership numbers, but the show truly failed to do that.
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