Forget Baby Yoda. ‘Hamilton’ is Disney+’s best new weapon

Musical’s arrival on the relatively new streaming service provided huge boost in downloads

Walt Disney Co. did not throw away its shot with the streaming debut of “Hamilton.”

The filmed version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway smash drove a surge in downloads of the streaming service Disney+ during the Fourth of July weekend, according to data firm Sensor Tower.

Preliminary estimates show that the Disney+ app was installed for the first time by one million Apple App Store and Google Play users July 3-5, the San Francisco-based firm said Monday. That number represented an increase of about 79 per cent from the prior weekend, Sensor Tower said.

A Disney+ spokesperson said the company does not comment on third-party data and has no plans to immediately release its own figures.

The service was already in a strong position. Disney last released subscriber numbers in May, saying the streaming service had hit 54.5 million paying subscribers worldwide since its November launch. The company is expected to give another subscriber update Aug. 4 when it reports third-quarter earnings.

Disney paid $75 million for the rights to distribute the filmed version of the Tony-winning production, which was shot in New York with its original cast in 2016. The movie was directed by Thomas Kail and stars Miranda as one of the Founding Fathers, Alexander Hamilton. The cast also includes Leslie Odom Jr., Daveed Diggs and Phillipa Soo.

The Burbank-based entertainment giant had previously planned to release the movie in theatres in fall 2021, giving fans of the stage version, as well as those who hadn’t seen it yet, a chance to experience it on the big screen. Analysts expected the show to be a box office hit because of the continued interest in the cultural phenomenon.