Secret Invasion premiered on Disney+ on June 21, 2023, and it’s not surprising that Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are curious about its performance. The show is the first MCU original series to hit the streamer since She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which premiered about 10 months ago. Not only has it been a while since we had a new MCU series to watch, but Secret Invasion also comes at a time when some are wondering if the MCU is starting to lose momentum.
Marvel hasn’t dealt with any major flops or critical failures, but some of its recent movies didn’t receive the same stellar receptions that the majority of MCU films have enjoyed. Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania were all among the MCU’s lowest-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes. Additionally, there have been concerns about the MCU feeling less unified in Phase 4 and Phase 5, which could further impact interest and performance. However, the MCU still dropped a pair of recent hits—Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3—and it’s nowhere near close to crashing as other franchises have.
Still, viewers have been waiting for some definitive change in the MCU’s direction that will signify a return to its glory days. Unfortunately, Secret Invasion may not be the upturn MCU fans were hoping for.
Secret Invasion‘s early ratings on Disney+
Recently, Samba TV released the first viewership report for Secret Invasion. As a result, it only covers viewership for the first episode over the first five days of its premiere. According to the report, 994,000 households watched Secret Invasion episode 1 on Disney+ within the first five days of its premiere. In comparison to other MCU series premieres on Disney+, this number is a bit low. In fact, it makes Secret Invasion the second lowest-viewed MCU TV show premiere. It topped Ms. Marvel, which premiered with 775,000 household views, but it lagged behind the other seven MCU original series.
Loki, Moon Knight, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier are the three MCU shows with the highest viewership, with Loki streaming to 2.5 million households and Moon Knight and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier to 1.8 million each. The remaining shows all broke at least 1 million in viewership with their premieres.
Fans took to Reddit to muse over why Secret Invasion‘s premiere received low viewership compared to the MCU’s other shows. It could potentially support the argument that the MCU is struggling with burnout and holding fans’ attention. However, there are a few more practical reasons for this number. For example, the controversial decision to use AI for the series’ intro despite the ongoing struggles of artists in Hollywood could have swayed some viewers from watching it. The show’s decision to capture a major comic book story arc in a miniseries without any of the MCU’s biggest superheroes could have also impacted interest. Lastly, the show’s grittier and less-kid-friendly premise could also bring down viewership.
Ultimately, there are a lot of reasons that could explain Secret Invasion‘s low ratings and not all of them reflect quality. It’s important to not read too much into the ratings, since these numbers can be impacted by so many different factors—especially in the streaming age. The overall performance of Secret Invasion may be taken into account when discussing a possible second season, and it could open up wider discussions of how viewers respond to Hollywood’s usage of AI.
(featured image: Disney+)
