One Piece, Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s monumentally profitable manga sequence a few crew of plucky pirates chasing their desires, is successful. The primary season dropped on Netflix in 2023 and shortly dominated the charts. The second season, which dropped on March 10 of this yr, additionally did very effectively, snatching 16.8 million views in its first 4 days of availability. Critics and followers love the present: season 2 has a uncommon 100% contemporary ranking on Rotten Tomatoes; and over on IMDb, followers fee the second season even greater than the primary. It is fairly uncommon to discover a live-action remake of an anime sequence that is not horrible, so One Piece is a uncommon and delightful beast.
However rankings are down from the primary season, which introduced in 18.5 million views in its first 4 days. Furthermore, the rankings aren’t coming from the place Netflix would really like them too, which might put the present’s future unsure.
One Piece topped the charts around the globe…
…however not in the US
When it debuted, One Piece took the primary spot in lots of main markets throughout the globe, together with Germany, Brazil, Mexico, France, and India. However Netflix markets aren’t created equal. Whereas Netflix has some 325 million paid subscribers worldwide, round 66.7 million come from the US, or about 20%. No different nation comes near that quantity. The UK is available in second with 18.4 million subscribers, then Brazil and Germany with 16.6 million every, then Mexico with 13.9 million, and so forth.
Which means that with regards to determining whether or not a Netflix present is doing effectively, views from the US matter greater than views from different nations, which is dangerous information for One Piece. Regardless that the present was simply essentially the most watched TV sequence worldwide throughout its debut week, it lagged behind within the US, the place it was bested by the likes of Love Is Blind: The Reunion, Virgin River, and Age of Attraction. (For the document, the motion film Struggle Machine outpaced all the pieces that week by way of views, though One Piece clocked extra hours, per Selection.)
Even now, nearly a month after One Piece season 2 dropped, it is nonetheless within the prime 5 most watched reveals on Netflix worldwide, in line with Flix Patrol, nevertheless it’s practically dropped out of the highest 10 in the US. That poses an attention-grabbing query for Netflix: can it proceed investing in One Piece on the hopes {that a} world viewers can buoy the present even because the US viewers appears to be shedding curiosity?
Why did US viewership for One Piece season 2 drop?
And what’s Netflix doing about it?
Netflix has an extended historical past of creating nice international language reveals. Squid Recreation, an motion drama out of South Korea, is the most-watched sequence within the streamer’s historical past. However the first season of Squid Recreation took the primary spot on the US charts for weeks on finish when it got here out in September of 2021. The state of affairs with One Piece is completely different.
Netflix ran a reasonably strong promotional marketing campaign for One Piece season 2, together with a Tremendous Bowl business, so the diminished curiosity from US audiences seemingly is not because of lack of knowledge. Neither is it seemingly because of a distaste for anime or One Piece normally; One Piece is globally well-liked, and there is extra demand for anime in the US than in any nation outdoors of Japan.
And but, it looks like One Piece did not preserve elements of its US viewers from season 1, suggesting that the novelty wore off, or that individuals misplaced curiosity throughout the lengthy, two-and-a-half-year wait between seasons. One Piece season 2 debuted when reveals like Bridgerton and The Evening Agent have been burning up the charts, and possibly US viewers thought these reveals have been extra price their time.
Lengthy waits between seasons are a standard downside for costly fantasy reveals like One Piece, and to Netflix’s credit score, it is an issue they’re making an attempt to deal with. The streamer began work on One Piece season 3 far before it did on season 2, which means we’ll very seemingly solely have to attend a yr earlier than seeing extra episodes. (I’ve at all times been of the opinion that it could assist if Netflix launched episodes of massive reveals weekly as a substitute of dropping each episode of a brand new season all of sudden, since that may assist the present keep prime of thoughts for longer. However that is one other story.)
One Piece season 3 (and past)
How a lot of the Grand Line will we see?
One Piece season 2 nonetheless did effectively, regardless of the drop in US rankings. However that drop might endanger the present’s future. Season 3 is already assured, however Netflix hasn’t renewed the present for season 4. In the event that they’re ready to see how season 3 does, that would imply one other lengthy wait, which might get the present caught in a spiral.
Lengthy waits are particularly damaging to a present like One Piece, which is predicated on a manga and anime sequence which have each been operating because the Nineteen Nineties; they’ve over 1,000 chapters and episodes respectively. If Netflix hopes to adapt even half of this story earlier than the solid members develop into senior residents, they should get a transfer on. However they will not be keen to try this if US rankings aren’t strong, and so they will not have one other take a look at case till season 3 drops subsequent yr. After which, even when rankings are nice, they would not be capable to get out one other season for an extended whereas after, which might depress rankings once more. Welcome to the spiral.
How lengthy will One Piece final?
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It is unclear what number of seasons One Piece might have in the long run; rumors have put it at wherever from six to 12. The present itself is a vivid, enjoyable journey sequence with a likable group of characters, a terrific sense of creativeness, and anime-style over-the-top motion that also feels rooted in actuality. It really is a uncommon present, and it might be a disgrace if Netflix blinked at this level. This is hoping they’ve some religion and decide to getting seasons out comparatively shortly. And if that does not lead to improved US rankings…effectively, they make billions of {dollars} in revenue yearly; they will be advantageous.
Launch Date
August 31, 2023
Community
Netflix
Showrunner
Matt Owens, Steven Maeda, Joe Tracz
Iñaki Godoy
Monkey D. Luffy
