Fans are still reeling from the cancellations of two of Marvel’s Netflix series. The dust has barely settled on both Iron Fist and Luke Cage cancellations but fans are looking for reasons why the shows have been axed.
New data by Crimson Hexagon and released by Business Insider suggests that social media interest in Marvel’s Netflix Originals has been flagging. Netflix is notorious for not releasing its viewing figures, leaving many in the dark as to the true popularity of its shows. Social media has become one of the most popular methods to gauge audience involvement.
All four of the flagship Marvel streaming shows show signs of decreasing interest. This is not new information, particularly with shows available for binge watching over weekly instalments. What the data does make abundantly clear is that Luke Cage and Iron Fist were hit particularly hard.
Whilst this does’t give us the cause of death for both shows it does indicate a trend which may have been reflected in viewership.
Luke Cage season 1 premiered in September 2016. At the time the extremely positive buzz around the show generated over 300,000 posts across Twitter and Instagram. When Season 2 hit Netflix, however, those the post volume dropped to less than 50,000.
Iron Fist was subject to a similar drop in popularity with social media users. Season 1 premiered in March 2017 with around 120,000 posts across platforms. The lowest of all the Marvel streaming shows. The second, season, on the other hand, was met with less than 20,000 posts.
The report goes on to show that Jessica Jones had a noticeable decline in social media interest from one season to the next. However this drop was minuscule in comparison to the two cancelled series. Season 1 launched with a post volume of just under 300,000 and Season 2 arrived with under 150,000.
Daredevil was the first of the Marvel shows to launch at Netflix. The first season garnered around 275,000 social media posts. The second season had a natural drop, but still pulled in over 200,000 posts. Season 3 has only been available for just over week, but in figures reaching back before its release 75,000 social media posts have been logged so far.
We’re no closer to understanding the deciding factors in Netflix decisions. But reading this data goes give some interesting insight into audience hunger for the series.
Iron Fist Season 2 stars Finn Jones as Danny Rand, Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing, Sacha Dhawan as Davos, Tom Pelphrey as Ward Meachum, Jessica Stroup as Joy Meachum, Simone Missick Misty Knight and introduces Alice Eve as Mary Walker. Iron Fist seasons 1 and 2 are available on Netflix now.
Marvel’s Luke Cage Season 2 stars Mike Colter, Simone Missick, Alfre Woodard, Theo Rossi, Mustafa Shakir, Gabrielle Dennis, Rosario Dawson, and Reg E. Cathey. Both seasons are available on Netflix now.
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