Jack Ryan made its debut well over a month ago, and we already have a picture of its success. As turns out, numbers show the action drama is a huge hit for Amazon. It could be the success story the streaming platform has been waiting for.
The stats come to us by way of 7Park Data. The company has also tracked viewership metrics for both Hulu and Netflix. According to their data, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan garnered interest from nearly 40% of Prime Video users, per The Wrap.
To drill down a bit, 7Park reported that 37% of Amazon Video's viewers watched the series in September. What makes those numbers all the more remarkable is that it puts Jack Ryan well-ahead of its peers. The average audience share is 9%. These numbers come as part of Jack Ryan's first month on the streamer. It debuted at the tail end of August.
In a masterful move, Amazon released it over Labor Day Weekend in a strategic decision that gave viewers an extra day out of their work week to binge the series. Netflix employed the same strategy with the second season premiere of its crime drama, Ozark. That start clearly worked its desired magic for Netflix's rival service, with Amazon subscribers choosing to spend time with the television adaptation of Tom Clancy's popular book character throughout September.
In a sign that Amazon was expecting this kind of result, the streamer got out in front of the show. Before Season 1 could even premiere, Amazon ordered a second season of the thriller. The series' ratings success comes as good news for Amazon, which has struggled to find a trademark series.
While it boasts a lot of high-quality content, none have notably risen to pop culture prominence. Jack Ryan may be the show to change that. Led by The Office's John Krasinski, the series received a lot of favorable critical notice.
As for the Jack Ryan franchise, news of the series' hit status is an overall positive sign for it. Before the television series, the last movie released featuring the character was 2014's Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit. The movie starred Star Trek's Chris Pine and Keira Knightley, as well as Yellowstone's Kevin Costner.
Despite the installment's star power, it failed to dazzle enough to warrant a sequel. Fast forward four years and the character is back, this time with a considerable credit of success to the franchise's name. Can this renewed interest in a character that has been adapted time and time again last?
Jack Ryan Season 1 is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. A release date for the show's second season has not been announced yet. Thankfully, there is a lot of new fall television to keep TV fans busy in the meantime.
