September 17, 2024, 8:33 am | Read time: 5 minutes
Star Wars is one of the biggest entertainment brands in the world. But not everything that appears under this name is a success. Now Disney has even canceled a Star Wars series.
When Star Wars was released in 1977, there was no way of knowing that George Lucas’ film would trigger a pop culture phenomenon that is still successful today. The tales of Jedi Knights and the dark side of the Force have permeated nearly every medium. They are found in theaters, video games, books, comics, films, and streaming series. But what was once a guarantee of success based on the name alone is showing clear cracks. Disney’s recent decision to prematurely cancel a Star Wars series appears to confirm this downward trend.
Star Wars series “The Acolyte” will not get a season 2
As the usually well-informed US industry magazine Deadline reports, the Star Wars series The Acolyte has been a hit. According to the report, Disney-owned studio Lucasfilm has canceled the title, which was only released in June of this year, after just one season.
There is no official explanation from the company, with Deadline basing its report on its own unnamed sources. However, the end of the latest Star Wars series is not surprising. Despite solid reviews, the audience figures, in particular, are unlikely to have been enough for an extension.
“The Acolyte” attracted too few viewers and was incredibly expensive
In the beginning, things looked very promising for The Acolyte. Reportedly, the first two episodes released simultaneously garnered 4.8 million views on the opening day. At the time, this was the best series launch of the year on Disney+. Within the first five days, this figure rose to 11.1 million.
However, the title was unable to maintain its initial success. The Acolyte even temporarily disappeared from the top 10 in the following weeks. According to the report, the final episode collected a total of 335 million streamed minutes. This is allegedly the worst result for a season finale of a Star Wars series.
Disney, similar to Netflix or Amazon Prime Video, sets correspondingly high targets for renewal for expensively produced series. The Acolyte was unable to meet these. The immensely high budget is likely to have been an important factor here. The Daily Mail writes, the one season is said to have gobbled up around 180 million US dollars. This makes it the second most expensive Star Wars series to date after Andor, which, according to Screen Rant, required 250 million US dollars for one season.
Highly controversial among fans
We can only speculate as to how the low streaming figures came about. However, numerous negative fan reactions are likely to have played their part. On Rotten Tomatoes, 78 percent of all professional reviews received are positive, which is an excellent result.
However, the average fan rating plummets to a mere 18 percent. As the US magazine Variety points out, many of the creative decisions for The Acolyte were a bone of contention. Many viewers were bothered by the dissolution of the traditional good versus evil dynamic by not showing the Jedi as infallible and wholly virtuous. The expansion of the mythology to include the legendary Force also displeased many.
It is believed that series creator Leslye Headland’s emphasis on diversity and inclusion prior to the series’ release did not aid its reception. Due to all these factors, The Acolyte became the target of so-called review bombing.
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Open ending of “The Acolyte” causes frustration
Fans of ‘The Acolyte’ will likely find the cancellation especially frustrating, given the season’s conclusion with a significant cliffhanger and numerous unresolved storylines. However, there will be no shortage of new Star Wars series. Ahsoka has been extended for a second round, and the series Skeleton Crew is also coming soon. There is even a movie in the works for The Mandalorian.