A highly anticipated series set in the Star Wars universe is set to hit Disney+ in May. A trailer for the show had impressive views in its first 24 hours, which could signal the demand and anticipation for the show.
What Happened: Walt Disney Co (NYSE:DIS) released the first teaser trailer for “Obi-Wan Kenobi” on Wednesday.
The trailer has 7.4 million views and is the number one trending video on YouTube, a video platform owned by Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)(NASDAQ:GOOGL).
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” will be released on the streaming platform on May 25, 2022. As previously reported, the release date surprised some as it was not May 4, known as a Star Wars holiday for the popular tagline, “May the force be with you.”
May 25 is an important day in Star Wars history as it marks the 45th anniversary of the release of “Star Wars IV: A New Hope,” the first Star Wars feature film. “Return of the Jedi” and “Solo” were also released on May 25 in 1983 and 2018, respectively.
The show centers on Obi-Wan Kenobi, portrayed by Ewan McGregor, who played the popular character in three of the feature films. Hayden Christensen will return as Darth Vader after playing Anakin Skywalker in three feature films.
The series follows the popular Jedi Knight 10 years after the events that happened in “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.”
The trailer shows a young Luke Skywalker being watched from afar by Obi-Wan Kenobi. The trailer also highlighted the Grand Inquisitor, the antagonist from the “Star Wars Rebels” series.
Related Link: Here's Why 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' Series Is Being Released On May 25, A Significant Star Wars Holiday
Why It’s Important: “Obi-Wan Kenobi” is the latest Star Wars series to hit Disney+ and could be one of the most anticipated to date. The show was ranked as the sixth most anticipated television series for 2022 by IMDb.
While Disney is well known for its massively successful box office smashes in the Star Wars franchise, a series of shows based on the franchise are seeing strong viewership and helping boost subscriber figures for the company’s Disney+ streaming platform.
The season one finale of “The Book of Boba Fett” was watched by more households than the season two finale of “The Mandalorian” according to data from Samba TV.
The two Star Wars shows are helping Disney+ rank in the top 10 most viewed series on streaming platforms, a list typically dominated by Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX).
The Star Wars shows, along with some Marvel series, are also boosting subscribers. Disney ended the first quarter with 129.8 million subscribers for Disney+.
More Star Wars content is on the way with an “Ahsoka” spinoff show coming to the streamer in the future. There are also rumors that a movie featuring characters Thrawn and Mara Jade, well-known from Star Wars books and animated works, could hit Disney+ soon.
Along with “Obi-Wan Kenobi” ranking on the top 10 most anticipated shows for 2022, Disney’s “She-Hulk,” “Ms. Marvel” and “Moon Knight” were ranked seventh, eighth and tenth, respectively, for 2022.
DIS Price Action: Disney shares are up 0.075% to $133.75 Thursday afternoon at publication.
Photo: Via IMDb
