Secret Invasion Is Doing So Bad Disney Is Putting It On Another Streaming Service To Find Views
Marvel Studios’ Disney+ shows, such as Loki and Moon Knight, enjoyed significant viewership during their debuts, reaching 2.5 million and 1.8 million viewers respectively. However, Secret Invasion had the second-lowest viewership numbers at 994,000 within the first five days of its release, as per Samba TV, only surpassing the premiere of Ms. Marvel, which had 775,000 viewers. In a bid to boost the series’ viewership, Disney is now offering the show Hulu.
Disney+ took to Twitter earlier today, informing its 5.6 million followers that Secret Invasion will be streaming on Hulu until August 17. The availability of only the first three episodes of the series, however, indicates an attempt to reel in a new audience.
Given that five episodes are currently available to stream on Disney+, and with the release of the season’s final episode set for July 26, the aim is clearly to stimulate subscriptions to Disney+ for the viewing of the three episodes that won’t be on Hulu.
Disney will allow Hulu subscribers to stream the first three episodes of Secret Invasion until August 17.
The strategy of streaming original Disney+ series on Hulu isn’t new, with American Born Chinese and the Star Wars spinoff Andor having previously showcased select episodes for a limited period. Whether this cross-platform release approach was effective in attracting more viewers for these two shows remains unclear. However, Disney’s decision to replicate the strategy with Secret Invasion implies that it had a positive impact on American Born Chinese and Andor.
Secret Invasion is the latest thrilling series set in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe and tells the gripping tale of Nick Fury stumbling upon a covert Earth invasion by shape-shifting Skrulls, an alien race.
In a bid to save the planet, Fury teams up with trusted allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill, and Talos, a Skrull who has established a life on Earth. As the clock ticks, the alliance pulls out all stops in a desperate attempt to prevent the imminent Skrull invasion and safeguard humanity from potential catastrophe.
The strategy of streaming original Disney+ series on Hulu isn’t new, with American Born Chinese and the Star Wars spinoff Andor having previously showcased select episodes for a limited period.
Created by Kyle Bradstreet, Secret Invasion stars Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Emilia Clarke, Don Cheadle, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Killian Scott, Cobie Smulders, Olivia Colman, and Charlayne Woodward. Along with Bradsheet, Brian Tucker, Brant Englestein, Roxanne Paredes, and Michael Bhim serves as writers on the series. All six episodes of the show’s first season were directed by Ali Selim.
Secret Invasion and Armor Wars
Last fall, Marvel Studios’ president, Kevin Feige, announced that Secret Invasion would lead into the film Armor Wars, starring Don Cheadle. However, updates regarding Armor Wars have been minimal due to the current writers’ and actors’ strikes and Disney’s strategy to reduce Marvel movie and TV productions, aiming to cut costs and avoid superhero oversaturation.
Once it materializes, the film will tackle Tony Stark’s worst fear of his technology falling into nefarious hands, prompting James Rhodey/War Machine (Cheadle) to intervene.
The season finale of Secret Invasion will premiere on Disney+ on July 26. In the meantime, viewers can stream the initial five episodes of the series on the same platform. As of today, the first three episodes of the Samuel L. Jackson-led series will be available on Hulu for a limited time.
