Lucasfilm's latest live-action Star Wars series, The Acolyte, debuted on Disney+ this week with a two-episode premiere, and the show has drawn a lot of eyeballs.
Despite some "fans" taking issue with certain elements of the series (many without having even watched it), The Acolyte was a big hit with critics (92% on Rotten Tomatoes) and the positive reviews appear to have convinced more than just Star Wars fans to give this one a go.
According to Disney+, The Acolyte is the most-watched series premiere of 2024, logging 4.8 million views within its first day of streaming (views are defined as total stream time divided by runtime). Disney+ did not report same-day viewership for the previous Star Wars show, Ahsoka, but did announce that it had reached 14 million views within its first five days on the platform.
With these numbers, The Acolyte has surpassed the viewership for recent animated revival X-Men ’97, which brought in 4 million views globally within its first five days on the streamer.
Have you watched The Acolyte yet? If so, be sure to let us know what you made of it in the comments section.
In The Acolyte, an investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Lee Jung-jae) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems.
The series stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, Rebecca Henderson, Dean-Charles Chapman, Joonas Suotamo, and Carrie-Anne Moss.
Leslye Headland created the series, based on Star Wars by George Lucas, and serves as an executive producer along with Kathleen Kennedy, Simon Emanuel, Jeff F. King and Jason Micallef. Charmaine DeGraté and Kor Adana are the co-executive producers. Rayne Roberts, Damian Anderson, Eileen Shim and Rob Bredow are the producers.
Headland also directed the premiere episodes (Eps. 101 & 102). Directors Kogonada (Eps. 103 & 107), Alex Garcia Lopez (Eps. 104 & 105) and Hanelle Culpepper (Eps. 106 & 108) round out the directing duties on the series.
"I really wanted to tell a story about the Sith," showrunner Headland told EW in a recent interview. "That was kind of my dream Star Wars idea. But it felt like the time period to do that in would be something pre-Phantom Menace. That seemed to be the most interesting trajectory for the Sith: How did the Sith go from the Rule of Two and being quote-unquote 'extinct' to Palpatine coming into power without the Jedi knowing about it?"
Award-winning composer Michael Abels, known for his work on Get Out and Us, scored The Acolyte.