Data released exclusively to Screen Rant confirms that The Boys actually maintained stronger demand in the US market than The Umbrella Academy through its entire first four weeks post-launch. According to Parrot Analytics, a third-party data company who measure online demand for TV shows, both are outliers in terms of general demand, with sustained interest that isn’t normal for binge-released titles. Here’s how the percentages look:
- Launch Day: The Boys was ahead of The Umbrella Academy by 32 percent 7 Days After Launch: The Boys was ahead by 23 percent 14 Days After Launch: The Boys was ahead by 33 percent 21 Days After Launch: The Boys was ahead by 20 percent 28 Days After Launch: The Boys was ahead by 10 percent
At present, it looks as though The Boys is outpacing the competition. There is, however, an important caveat; the gap is lessening. The Umbrella Academy has remained unusually popular - the chart shows demand up to 13 weeks after release where the show was still holding strong - and it will be interesting to see whether The Boys sustains its lead in the long run.
Regardless of which ends up the biggest, there’s a sense in which demand for both The Umbrella Academy and The Boys reflects the extent to which comic book adaptations have become mainstream. Both shows are based on comics that delight in upending the standard superhero tropes, essentially serving as commentaries on just how messed up the world would be if there really were superheroes. That kind of subversion can only work on the small screen if the general audience is steeped in comic book lore, able to fully appreciate the irony of the artistic approach being taken.
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