After a critically and popularly acclaimed first season, and Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, Andor returned last April with the firm intention of awakening the galaxy far, far away. Tony Gilroy's spirited drama was intended to prove that Star Wars still has stories to tell beyond the Jedi and the Force. Alongside Rebels, the spin-off series of Rogue One did not fail in its task, offering some of the most memorable moments of the franchise on the small and big screen.
But this critical acclaim was not enough; Andor was also expected in terms of audiences after the failure of Skeleton Crew last December. The first (and last) live-action series of the year, however, failed to surpass the results of its predecessor. Worse, it stands out as a worse launch than the worst launch of a Star Wars series on Disney+.
A 5-star series?
According to data from Netflix & Figures, which bases its calculations on information shared by Nielsen, the first three episodes of season 2 attracted 3 million viewers on American soil in six days. Figures well below those of season 1 (5.1 million). This is even less than the 4.3 million of Skeleton Crew over the same period and even a trifle compared to the astronomical results of Obi-Wan Kenobi (10.5) in 2022. According to a graph shared by Netflix & Figures, Andor is dead last in the rankings in the United States, the streaming giant's largest market and a must-see for its activities.
While the series has a total of 721 million minutes watched, only 65% of viewers have discovered the new chapters. This corresponds to 468 million minutes watched between April 21 and 27. In 2022, 624 minutes had been watched over roughly the same period and for three episodes. The launch of season 2 is therefore at best timid—the series may have seen a significant increase in its audience the following week—at worst, a strong warning signal for Lucasfilm.
End of the race for Star Wars?
At its launch in 2019, Disney+ relied primarily on Star Wars to create a surprise. The platform is coming with a new and original Lucasfilm series, dedicated to a completely new character: The Mandalorian. Viewers are responding, and many see this proposal as an opportunity for the galaxy to renew itself after the disappointing last trilogy. But since the first adventures of Din Djarin, audiences have been declining and the overpowering power of Star Wars is being questioned.
What if the public has finally grown tired of it? To the point where a mastery like Andor is leaving with indifference from the general public. Will Disney+ be able to continue investing heavily in an ambitious and demanding series? For now, aside from the return of Ahsoka for a second season, the future of the live-action franchise is uncertain. Surprisingly, the studio didn't use Star Wars Celebration to showcase any new live-action projects to be released on Disney+ in 2026 or 2027. This gap contrasts with previous years, when a live-action Star Wars series was promised every year. Like Marvel, is Star Wars slowly scaling back its productions?
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