‘Andor’ Has Pulled in Over $300 Million in Subscriber Revenue for Disney+ | Charts

Ahead of Star Wars Day (May the fourth be with you) fans of the franchise have lots to celebrate. A 20th anniversary theatrical re-release of “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” is pulling in box office dollars, even beating “The Accountant 2.”  The 20-year-old film with a plot centered around trade wars and a crumbling republic was panned when it premiered but is now looking eerily prescient. On the small screen, the second season of “Andor,” which premiered April 22nd, in addition to being well received, is significantly outpacing demand for the previous season.

While the first season of “Andor” may have gotten off to a slow start, time has shown how this series is paying off for Disney. Parrot Analytics’ Streaming Economics system calculates that from when it premiered in September 2022 through the end of 2024 the show has brought in over $300 million in streaming subscriber revenue for Disney+ globally, outpacing other live-action Star Wars series like “The Book of Boba Fett” and “Ahsoka.”

A longer season than most Star Wars series (12 episodes), combined with a weekly release schedule and audience demand peaking only at the finale meant that the first season of “Andor” was an excellent retention tool for Disney+, keeping audiences around and engaged.

From a demographic perspective, “Andor” has about the same gender breakdown as the overall Star Wars franchise (over 70% male). The show has an older audience compared to Star Wars shows in general (around 60% are over 30 compared to under 50% of the audience for Star Wars series overall). So while the show has delivered subscriber revenue, it has not expanded the audience of the franchise in the same way the “The Mandalorian” has with a significantly more female audience than other shows in the franchise.    

Many but not all of the Star Wars series reach their peak demand at the finale.  Season 1 of “The Mandalorian,” Disney+’s opening salvo in the streaming wars when the platform debuted in 2019, still holds the record for the highest peak demand achieved (161.5 times the average series demand following the show’s finale). Each of the three seasons of “The Mandalorian” have peaked in demand several days after their finale, highlighting this show’s ability to generate audience excitement beyond even the final episode.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi” is an instructive example of a show premiering with sky high expectations but then losing momentum. The show reached its peak demand in the first week then tapered off. “Ahsoka” reached its peak demand in the middle of its first season after a fan favorite character made his live action debut, illustrating how franchise tie-ins and a good understanding of the fan base are ways for creators to boost demand.

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