Two massive movies debuted on streaming services over the weekend in the forms ofSoulandWonder Woman 1984. Pixar’s latest found itself skipping theaters in favor of an exclusive debut on Disney+, while Gal Gadot’s latest adventure as the famed DC superhero was released both in theaters and on HBO Max. Both releases provided a boost to these streaming services but, in the end, initial data suggests it was Disney who came out on top.
According to a new report, bothSoulandWonder Woman 1984resulted in a spike for their respective streaming services. However, it was Pixar’sSoulthat provided the larger bump for Disney+. Apptopia and Sensor Tower tallied mobile app downloads for both Disney+ and HBO Max. An estimated 2.3 million installations of the Disney+ app were registered globally following the release ofSoul. That represents a 28 percent increase from the prior weekend. Meanwhile, an estimated 554,000 downloads were registered for HBO Max with the release ofWonder Woman 1984. There is a clear winner, in terms of raw numbers here. But it’s not so simple as all of that.
Theaters come into play here as well.Wonder Woman 1984earned $16 million at the domesticbox office, the best debut for any movie since theaters first shut down earlier in the year. That means a certain chunk of viewers who might otherwise have turned to HBO Max watched it at a theater instead.Soulwas purely available on Disney+ in the U.S.
Then there is the matter of each movie’s reception. Critically speaking,Soulhas the edge here. Pixar’s latest, directed by Pete Docter, has a 95 percent critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Director Patty Jenkins’Wonder Woman 1984, on the other hand, sits at 62 percent. Audiences largely seem to agree.Soulboasts a 90 percent audience score, whileWonder Woman 1984holds a 72 percent rating. It is also worth noting thatWonder Woman 1984now stands as the lowest-rated DCEU movie on IMDB.
