With the recent releases of Agatha All Along on Disney+ and The Penguin on Max happening in the same week, the classic rivalry between Marvel and DC has flared up again. Now that we have the viewership numbers for both shows, it’s time to figure out which one comes out on top.
According to the data shared by Disney, Agatha All Along pulled in an impressive 9.3 million views within its first week. However, it’s important to note that this number counts total views, not the number of unique viewers. Streaming services typically measure viewership by taking the total watch time and dividing it by the length of the show. On the other hand, The Penguin attracted 5.3 million viewers across all platforms in just four days, including both HBO’s cable channel and its streaming service, Max.
At first glance, it might seem like Agatha All Along has won this battle. But, surprisingly, the opposite is true. The viewership for the Marvel show is a global count, while the numbers for The Penguin are specific to the U.S. Additionally, The Penguin reached its viewership in a much shorter time, suggesting that more people were engaged and watching it closely. Plus, Warner Bros. Discovery reported the actual number of viewers, while Disney’s figures might be a bit inflated since they count every time someone hits play (and let’s be real, fans of both franchises often watch their favorite shows multiple times).
No matter how we look at the numbers, The Penguin is ahead of Agatha All Along, and the next question is: Why?
What makes The Penguin the top contender in the superhero streaming game, despite Agatha All Along having its own captivating storyline?
To understand why, we need to look at the context of each show’s release. After Avengers: Endgame, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has had a tough time keeping up its earlier level of success, both critically and at the box office. Many fans feel that there’s been too much content lately, leading to a decline in quality, and some recent MCU projects just haven’t hit the mark.
In contrast, The Penguin benefits from the recent success of The Batman, which earned an impressive $772 million globally, even when people were losing faith in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). This strong performance and positive reviews have sparked renewed interest in DC’s stories set in Gotham, providing a solid base for spin-offs like The Penguin.
The way each studio shares their content with critics also plays a role in these results. Disney has been protective of Marvel’s projects, often only letting critics see a few episodes for review. This approach can create skepticism since no one knows if a show will maintain its quality throughout the season. In contrast, critics got to watch all of The Penguin ahead of its release and have been sharing positive feedback for over a week before the first episode aired.
Unfortunately, Agatha All Along didn’t receive the appreciation it deserved. It faced a lot of negativity online from those who criticized it for being “too woke,” and even before it premiered, some targeted it for its LGBTQ+ representation, which likely hurt its viewership. As a result, The Penguin, with its strong storytelling, has emerged as the clear favorite in this showdown.
It’ll be interesting to see how both Marvel and DC respond to these viewing trends moving forward.
