Prey just set new world records on Hulu and Disney Plus
Prey snares the number one spot on both streamers
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Prey, the latest movie in the Predator franchise, has just set two new world records – one on Hulu and one on Disney Plus.
Revealed by 20th Century Studios, the company that produced the sci-fi action-horror film, Prey – be sure to readour spoiler-free Prey reviewif you haven’t already – has become the biggest premiere onHulusince the streaming service launched in October 2007. That makes Prey the most-watched Hulu project of all-time, meaning no other filmorTV series can hold a candle to it.
Not content with smashing that record on Hulu, though, Prey also set a new movie record onDisney Plus. The Predator prequel film –although director Dan Trachtenberg doesn’t refer to it as such– is the most watched film premiere onDisney Plus Star, as well as Star Plus in Latin America. Prey, then, holds the number one film spot on Disney Plus in non-US territories, too.
#PreyMovie is the #1 premiere on @Hulu to date, including all film and TV series debuts. It is also the most watched film premiere on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ under the Star Banner in all other territories, based on hours watched in the first 3 days of its release. pic.twitter.com/cgB63tf2LlAugust 9, 2022
As 20th Century Studios' tweet reveals, Prey’s wild success is based on the number of hours watched in the three days after its August 5 release. Disney and 20th Century Studios declined to provide official viewing figures for Prey – like most streamers, such data isn’t publicly available for any project released by Disney or its subsidiaries.
Even so, Prey’s overnight success story is one to applaud. The fifth film in the Predator series was up against some serious competition over the weekend (August 5-6), withThe SandmanonNetflix, Thirteen Lives onPrime Video, and Luck onApple TV Plusall launching on the same date. This snippet of data, then, proves it held its own against that trio.
Given how popular it has been, it’s only a matter of time before a Prey sequel is greenlit. Speaking exclusively to TechRadar ahead of Prey’s release, Trachtenberg teased that he had some “fun ideas” for a follow-up. You can read more about that, and learn more about Prey’s development and authentic portrayal of Comanche people and their cultures, inour in-depth Prey interview feature.
Analysis: hunting for that all-important streaming data
As impressive as Prey’s success on Hulu and Disney Plus has been, we’re still in the dark about how many people actually watched it.
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Okay, the fact that it holds top spot in different categories on these two streamers is something to celebrate. There’s plenty of great content on both platforms, including top tierDisney Plus filmsand other brilliantHulu movies. Prey’s usurping of similar projects, then, shouldn’t be overlooked.
Still, without that all-important viewing figure data, we can’t determine how successful Prey has been. How many people streamed it? Did every viewer watch it right through to the end? Are there any Hulu or Disney Plus subscribers who watched it more than once last weekend, which will have boosted its numbers?
Unfortunately, we’ll never know. As we mentioned earlier, Disney doesn’t provide this data to the public, so we’re in the dark over how well Prey did.
Of course, Disney isn’t the only studio that withholds that information.AmazonStudios doesn’t provide official data either; the corporation following in Disney’s footsteps and only telling us when aPrime Video showor movie has secured the number one spot in their respective categories.
Less popular streamers, such asParamount Plus, don’t provide official viewing figures either. And neither doesHBO MaxorAppleTV Plus, with Ben Stiller – creator of hitApple TV Plus showSeverance – recently tellingDeciderthat it’s “really weird” to him that Apple doesn’t provide him with that data at the very least.
The only streamer that regularly provides public data isNetflix. Even then, the world’s biggest streaming company only reveals some of that information - i.e. the number of hours viewed - when it updates itsin-house Top 10 listsevery week.
It’s understandable why some streaming companies may be hesitant to make viewing figures public. Doing so would confirm how well (or not so well) a new film or TV series did, which isn’t good for a company’s image if its projects misfire over and over again. Still, the streaming industry needs to be more transparent when it comes to its viewing figures. Fans want to see if their favorite shows have performed well to stand a chance of being renewed. If streaming companies released this data, too, it would end criticism that they’re too secretive as organizations. Let’s hope, then, that such a day arrives soon.
For more Prey-based coverage, find outhow the Predator prequel movie contains an odd quirk for the film franchise.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.
Got a scoop, interesting story, or an intriguing angle on the latest news in entertainment? Feel free to drop him a line.
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