Disney’s decision to premiere musical feature Hamilton on its newly launched streaming service, rather than way for cinemas to fully reopen, has paid off with a significant spike in app downloads.
Hamilton, based on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical interpretation of one of the founding fathers of the United States, made its debut on Disney+ on Friday July 3.
Analytics firm Apptopia reported that this led to the Disney+ app being downloaded 752,451 times across the globe from Friday through until Sunday. This includes 458,796 in the United States alone. A download of the app doesn’t guarantee that a subscription followed.
In the United States, the figures represent a 74% uplift on the average of the four weekends in June (Friday to Sunday).
Last month, Disney+ brought an end to its one-week trial offer, preventing subscribers taking the trial and enjoying Disney’s prize, before turning down the opportunity to pay.
The Hamilton film, originally scheduled for release in October 2021, is a recording of the Broadway production with its original cast.