'Percy Jackson And The Olympians' Is Suffering From A Sophomore Slump

TV & Film

Jan 10

IMAGE Percy Jackson and the Olympians — Image Source: The Game of Nerds

Percy Jackson and the Olympians was released just before Christmas, and now the viewing figures are in, it’s bad news for Disney. Audiences have dropped a massive 63% (11 million viewers vs 31 million over the same period for season 1) despite the two-year wait for this second instalment. Both season one and season two had a Christmas release,

There was the usual DEI fuss online about the casting of Annabeth Chase, just before release (who was blonde-haired and grey-eyed in the books), even though the switch was approved by the author. But the very positive reviews online (and lack of review bombing) suggest that this wasn’t the problem. Percy Jackson and the Olympians season 2 has a higher audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes (88%) than on season 1 (79%). Everyone who has tuned in seems to feel that it’s a solid show (see our episode-by-episode reviews here).

So, what’s the big difference between Percy Jackson and the Olympians seasons 1 & 2? Season 1 didn’t have to compete with the last season (or any season) of Stranger Things. And that’s dominated the viewing charts and social media over the festive period.

Disney hasn’t commented about the rating drop, and filming of season 3 is already underway, so it’s unlikely that it will be cancelled at this stage. Hopefully, someone at the House of Mouse is a little smarter with the release date for the next one.

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