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The first two episodes of Marvel’s X-Men’97 were released on Disney+ on March 20, 2024. The show, a revival of the 1990s X-Men: The Animated Series, has become a hit with viewers after the premiere received four million hits. Disney shared the official data which was first reported by Deadline. Going by the figures, X-Men may help Marvel Studios and Disney top the charts.
The latest series presents the mutants in the year 1997 when they fight against adversities after the demise of their leader Professor X. Marvel Studios Animation produces the animated series and is being aired on Disney+. Under discussion since 2019, the series was announced in 2021 with a plan for three seasons. The studio was in the news when creator-writer Beau DeMayo was forced to exit in March 2024 before the release of the series.
X-Men’97 is a triumph for Marvel and Disney in its first week
X-Men’97 dropped on the streaming platform, Disney+, with its first two episodes on March 20, 2024, and according to Disney, it had four million views in the first week. Disney calculates views by dividing hours viewed by runtime. The figures were computed for five days of the debut week of the series considering each X-Men’97 episode is 30 minutes long.
This has turned the series into a Marvel sensation since it is the most-watched premiere in the last three years after What If…? season 1 released in 2021. The March 20 two-episode premiere also received more views than Disney’s Proud Family reboot, Iwaju and Young Jedi Adventures.
Additionally, the current series on the X-Men mutants has increased Marvel’s viewership influx. The platform reported that 522% more viewers visited the original 90s animation X-Men: The Animated Series after the trailer of X-Men’97 was released on February 15, 2024.
Rotten Tomatoes gives the show a 98% approval rating with an average audience score going up to 94%. IMDb is rating it a 9 out of 10 while, using a weighted average, Metacritic scored it 82 out of 100.
Why does the high viewership of X-Men’97 matter?
Disney has been facing losses lately with most of its content bombing at the box office and not garnering love from fans. The company has been blaming superhero fatigue for this. However, Disney CEO, Bob Iger spoke at the Morgan Stanley Dealbook conference about the upcoming success of the company when talking about the upcoming movie, Deadpool & Wolverine.
The movie, which also deals with mutant heroes, is awaiting release on July 26, 2024. Referring to the Academy Award-winning film Oppenheimer, Iger claimed that the audience wanted good content and the company was looking forward to delivering the same through films and television shows.
If Deadpool & Wolverine becomes an MCU blockbuster as Iger claims, that, along with X-Men’97 will likely revive the Walt Disney Company and set the future for the next phases of MCU back on track.
More about X-Men’97
The revival of the mutant saga after the 1997 wind-up has also seen a return of some of the voice actors of the original show. Some of the voice artists from X-Men: The Animated Series are Lenore Zann, Cal Dodd, George Buza and Allison Sealy-Smith. They are working in tandem with new actors such as Ray Chase, Jennifer Hale, Eric Bauza, Catherine Disher and more.
The synopsis for X-Men’97 reads:
“A band of mutants use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them; they’re challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.”
Fans can watch the series on Disney+ as new episodes arrive every Wednesday until May 15, 2024.
