The movie version of The Mandalorian. Hamilton dropped on the streaming service on July 3, 2020 and, just like on Broadway, proved to be a major hit. Coming at a time where new releases have been sparse, Hamilton felt like a major event, and that worked particularly well for Disney's in-house streaming service, which has been in need of new content.
When Disney+ launched in November 2019, The Mandalorian was its only major offering. The first ever live-action The Mandalorian was the most in-demand show in the U.S. in December 2020, showing just how popular it was proving to be for Disney+, but they have not been able to capitalize on that momentum - until Hamilton.
The problem for Disney+ has been a real lack of original content to draw in (or keep) subscribers. Disney+ hasn't been able to match The Mandalorian's success, but it's not had much to even compete. It's other original series at launch was High School Musical: The Musical: The Series which was mostly well-received, but wasn't a groundbreaking hit like The Mandalorian was. That's true for most of its other original offerings too: films such as Lady & the Tramp, Stargirl, and even Artemis Fowl, despite being a planned theatrical release at first, failed to make waves. Disney+ had greater success with movies that had already been released then hitting the streamer - Frozen 2 and The Rise of Skywalker were both given big pushes - but they don't really qualify as "new".
The release of Hamilton on Disney+, however, changes things, giving the service a much-needed win for the first time since The Mandalorian ended. One of the biggest musicals of all time and already a cultural phenomenon, Hamilton streaming on Disney+ dominated social media trends and discussions both online and in real life during its first weekend. As per Variety, Disney+ app s across the 4th of July weekend were up 72.4% on the average of each weekend in June, with 513,323 s globally (and potentially even more subscribers). It's clear, then, that Hamilton is the kind of event movie Disney+ has been lacking. It seems like everyone is watching and talking about it, which also means they're watching and talking about Disney+.
What's more, having Hamilton on Disney+ for good is the kind of big deal that can provide a strong longer-term boost too. The musical is incredibly popular, but getting tickets has been an extremely difficult proposition - and even then, it's no longer possible to see the show with the same cast performing in Disney+'s version. The more people talk about the show, the more people are going to want to see it, and Hamilton has already proved it has lasting appeal in theaters - that should go the same for Disney+, where it's going to be available for the foreseeable future. Even using metrics such as Google Trends, it's clear to see how interest in Hamilton has exploded with its release on Disney+ - and that's for something already popular.
There were suggestions that people were cancelling Disney+ after The Mandalorian ended, and that was understandable, as there was less for them to stick around for. With Hamilton dropping, which will then be followed by The Mandalorian season 2 and the service's first Marvel shows later in 2020, then the platform does look better set in of original content that should attract new subscribers and keep existing ones.