Much hype had been made over the past few months leading up to The Defenders. With the show essentially being the Netflix version of The Avengers, many who binge watched every season of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist were excited to see each of the heroes team up.
While the show was met with generally positive reviews (currently has a 75% on Rotten Tomatoes), some were ultimately disappointed by the show’s slow pace. Now there is more disappointing news about The Defenders, as marketing-analysis firm Jumpshot confirmed that the debut season was the lowest rated Marvel Netflix show yet within its first month.
To dive deeper into the analytics, Jumpshot analyzed that the ensemble show only had 17% of the viewership that Season Two of Marvel’s Daredevil had, which is noticeable off. Making matters worse, each of the other three solo shows (Jones, Cage, and Iron Fist) each scored at least 26%. Why such a large drop-off for such an anticipated show?
Well there are a few possible theories. The most obvious one to me is the fact that many people feel they can’t watch the show because they are not completely caught-up with each of the solo Marvel shows. Personally in anticipation for The Defenders, I have been binge watching each of the Marvel shows, and considering the amount of content, I am likely still a month or two away from starting the show.
Other possible ideas are a lot scarier for Netflix. Lackluster reviews for Marvel’s Iron Fist may have scared off many people interested, and there might just be a general fatigue surrounding the Marvel Netflix brand. I am sure Netflix will be closely watching the numbers for the debut season of The Punisher, as that could be a warning sign for what is to come.
Why do you think The Defenders got worse ratings? Did you enjoy the show? Let us know in the comments!