“Coming 2 America,” the long-awaited sequel to Eddie Murphy’s 1988 “Coming to America,” was the most-streamed title in the U.S. the week of its premiere, according to new Nielsen data.
The movie, released March 4 on Amazon Prime Video, drew 1.413 billion minutes of total viewing for the week of March 1-7 among U.S. viewers, per Nielsen’s SVOD Content Ratings estimates. African American viewers accounted for 40% of the film’s audience, according to the media measurement firm.
That put “Coming 2 America” ahead of every other TV show or movie on major streaming subscription services for the period, according to Nielsen — and represents Prime Video’s first No. 1 spot on the rankings.
The next most-viewed title for that week was Netflix original series “Ginny & Georgia” with 1.16 billion minutes over 10 episodes, followed by reruns of “Criminal Minds” on Netflix (929 million minutes) and Disney Plus’ “WandaVision” (924 million minutes). Also notable was the performance of Disney Plus’ “Raya and the Last Dragon,” which despite the $30 premium charge, racked up 355 million viewing minutes in the first three days of its release.
“Coming 2 America” is the third movie to top Nielsen’s SVOD Top 10 since it began releasing the rankings — the other two being Netflix’s “Spenser Confidential” (1.25 billion minutes for week of March 16-22, 2020) and HBO Max’s “Wonder Woman 1984,” which pulled in a whopping 2.25 billion minutes within three days of its Dec. 25 bow.
Last month, Amazon touted “Coming 2 America” as the most-streamed movie over its opening weekend — and the biggest opening for a move on streaming in the previous 12 months — citing Screen Engine/ASI’s weekly PostVOD rankings.
“The premiere of ‘Coming 2 America’ has far exceeded any of our wildest expectations,” Jen Salke, head of Amazon Studios, said in a statement at the time. “It’s clear an entire new generation of fans have joined the enormous loyal fanbase who already adored the magical world created by global phenom Eddie Murphy, the incredibly talented filmmaking team and the hilarious, all-star cast of existing and newly-cemented legends.”
Nielsen’s SVOD rankings currently measure Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and Amazon Prime Video in the U.S. only. The estimates are extrapolated based on viewing data on connected TVs, excluding mobile devices and computers, pulled from Nielsen’s national TV panel.
In “Coming 2 America,” Murphy reprises his role as the newly crowned King Akeem of Zamunda alongside and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall). The duo once again embark on an all-new adventure that brings them back to the borough of Queens, New York — where it all began.
Ahead of the film’s March 4 debut, Amazon ran a spot in Super Bowl LV and relaunched the original 1988 movie on Prime Video. Additionally, Amazon Studios and Prime Video produced infomercials showcasing iconic elements from the original movie like Soul Glo, Randy Watson and Sexual Chocolate and My-T-Sharp Barbershop.
Along with Murphy and Hall, original cast from “Coming to America” returning for the sequel includes James Earl Jones (King Jaffe Joffer), Shari Headley (Queen Lisa), John Amos (Cleo McDowell), Louie Anderson (Maurice) and the motley barbershop crew. The movie’s ensemble cast also includes Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Jermaine Fowler, Bella Murphy, Rotimi, KiKi Layne, Nomzamo Mbatha and Teyana Taylor.
Originally set for release in theaters from Paramount Pictures, the studio sold the film’s distribution rights to Amazon last October due to the pandemic. “Coming 2 America” is directed by Craig Brewer, from Paramount in association with New Republic Pictures, and produced by Eddie Murphy Productions and Misher Films.
