Disney Pixar's Soul Tops Streaming Charts Over Christmas

Disney Pixar’s Soul Tops Streaming Charts Over Christmas

January 22, 2021

Disney, disney pixar, Disney plus, Disney+, Number One, Record Breaking, Soul, Streaming Service

Disney Pixar’s Soul was a massive Christmas present for Disney+ and we are just now realizing how big that gift was.

According to the television rating juggernaut Nielsen, the Pete Docter film rocketed to the number one position over the Christmas week, beating out the streaming favorite The Office, the hot newcomer Bridgerton, and the Christmas favorite How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

In Disney and Pixar’s “Soul,” a middle-school band teacher named Joe Gardner gets the chance of a lifetime to play the piano in a jazz quartet headed by the great Dorothea Williams. Featuring Jamie Foxx as the voice of Joe Gardner, and Angela Bassett as the voice of Dorothea, “Soul” opens in U.S. theaters on June 19, 2020.. © 2020 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

Soul, which starred Jaime Foxx and Tina Fey, was viewed for 1.7 billion minutes over the week of December 21st through the 27th. An impressive feat on the surface, but even more incredible when you consider the film was only available starting on the 25th. Meaning, the number one slot was obtained in only two days, while the rest of the list had the full week to rack up their numbers.

Nielsen has recently expanded to tracking both linear and streaming programs. They are only able to record the streaming minutes of those who use their television to stream, meaning, the minutes viewed on mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers are not accounted for in these totals. This means that the actual minute counts are substantially larger than what they can report. However, there is no reason to believe that the actual order of of most streamed programs would be any different.

This is a huge win for Disney Pixar and for Disney+. While the next Disney investor call will likely give us a glimpse as to the impact this movie had on subscriber counts, it will likely not be the full picture. The fiscal quarter that will be reported on February 11th and that will encompass the months of October, November and December. So while the first week of Soul’s release will be captured in that report, the full scope will likely not be available until the next investor report in May 2021.