After an underwhelming start earlier this year, the Disney animated film "Raya and the Last Dragon" jumped in viewership on Disney+ last month.
US viewers spent 1.08 billion minutes watching the movie from June 4 to June 6 — its first weekend as a "free" title on the streaming service — according to the analytics company Nielsen. It was the most watched movie in the US among Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu from May 31 to June 6. (The movie became available to stream at no extra fee for Disney+ subscribers on June 4.)
"Raya" was initially released in March simultaneously in theaters and as a "Premier Access" movie on Disney+, in which subscribers paid an additional $30 to watch. Disney has used the strategy on other movies during the pandemic, including last year's "Mulan" remake and the upcoming Marvel movie, "Black Widow."
When it debuted on Disney+ in March, it was watched for 355 million minutes in its first weekend and 390 million minutes in its first full week on the service as a Premier Access title. It dipped to 203 million minutes in its second full week. The numbers are a stark contrast to the movie's first "free" weekend.
Other data from March also suggested "Raya"underwhelmed as a Premier Access title, at least compared to "Mulan."
"Raya" received 20% fewer purchases on Disney+ in the US over its opening weekend than "Mulan" did during its first weekend, according to the analytics company Antenna, which pulls from a variety of opt-in panels like budgeting apps to track purchase and transaction data.
"Raya" also opened at the box office with a disappointing $8.6 million domestically in March. It ultimately gained some momentum and earned $54 million in North America and $120 million worldwide.
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