Jessica Jones: Netflix’s most popular Marvel series?
David Farnor | On 31, Aug 2017
Jessica Jones is the most popular Marvel series, according to Netflix.
Recently, we published research by the streaming giant about what leads people to watch The Defenders, with one in eight viewers of the crossover series never having watched anything comic book-related before their first Hell’s Kitchen binge. Speaking about that research, Netflix’s VP told USA Today that Jessica Jones is the most popular of the lot, noting that most people wanted to meeting the butt-kicking detective first. Then, viewers moved to Daredevil and Luke Cage, before Iron Fist.
Those comments follow new research from Jumpshot, which found that all four Marvel series leading up to The Defenders were among the five most-viewed recent Netflix releases.
The show analysed US viewers who watched at least one episode of each series within the first 30 days of its release. Using click-stream data from an online panel of more than 100 million consumers, it found that Daredevil Season 2 was actually the most-viewed Netflix original.
To put that in non-superhero context, 13 Reasons Why was the second most-viewed premiere, with 48 per cent of the viewers that Daredevil Season 2 received – although it was the only series that showed any growth in week-over-week viewership during its first month of release (suggesting strong word-of-mouth buzz).
Stranger Things was the seventh most-viewed Netflix original in its first month, but had the smallest weekly decline in viewership.
Orange Is the New Black Season 5, meanwhile, was the least-viewed, with 10 per cent of Daredevil Season 2’s viewership figures. Whether that is due to the leaked episodes from hackers, crowded release schedule (House of Cards Season 5, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 3 and Master of None Season 2 all arrived around the same time) or just fatigue after four preceding seasons is unknown.
Whether Jessica Jones or Daredevil comes out on top, though, with all of the comic book originals becoming the most-watched programmes on the streaming service ahead of The Defenders, it’s safe to say the crossover series will be a super-powered hit this summer.