Is Loki’s Wednesday Release Backfiring? Why Disney+ Should Change The Plan

Marvel and Disney+ switched tracks with Loki, releasing the show on Wednesdays instead of Fridays—here’s why it may already be backfiring and should potentially be switched back. For Phase 4, the Marvel Cinematic Universe famously expanded its scope beyond cinematic releases to the world of streaming television. More integrated with the upcoming MCU movies than previous Marvel TV efforts, the Disney+ shows also allowed a deeper dive into traditionally more supporting characters. First came WandaVision and then followed The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, both of which released new episodes once a week on Fridays.

Loki followed soon after, centering on Tom Hiddleston’s titular God of Mischief. The new series officially debuted on June 9, 2021, telling a story scheduled to run across a total of six episodes. As befitting the time-twisting nature of Loki‘s story, it was announced prior to launch that the release date would shift from Fridays to Wednesdays, a plan that Disney+ intends to follow with other original programming. Granted, Marvel has since gone to great lengths to prevent the experience from being ruined. They even created posters that discourage spoilers for the Loki show from being spread around.

Unfortunately, Marvel has wildly underestimated the rampant discourse that MCU shows provoke. And, ultimately, it’s proven a contributing factor to why switching release days might’ve been a mistake. On one hand, it seemed like a shrewd move to adopt a more traditional TV schedule format. Having different shows released on different days prevents releases from being lost in the shuffle of MCU tentpoles like the Loki series. It would even allow fellow MCU offerings like Black Widow not to be overshadowed or vice versa. Equally, it was easy to see what Disney and Marvel Studios intended with the release day change. It was a fun addition to what’s colloquially known as “Hump Day” and made such as the easter egg-laden Loki episode 5 more literal watercooler moments. Conversely, however, it served as a double-edged sword that cut the other way entirely—forcing people to leave themselves or generally be left out.

For many, staying up until midnight (or later in some states) has just not been possible. That’s especially true on a Wednesday, right slap bang in the middle of a workweek. It was tough enough for many on a Friday but completely unthinkable on a Wednesday. The same goes for the rest of the world, with Loki released at 8 a.m. in the United Kingdom and other disparate hours in the rest of the world. As such, trying to squeeze it in around work and other commitments is either not possible or ultimately consumes many a lunch break. More often than not, most people have no choice but to wait to watch. That, however, likely proves more chaotic than the army of Loki variants in Loki episode 5 and as tough to overcome.

From the moment a new Loki episode is released, fans able to watch it immediately go straight into wanting to discuss, debate, and theorize on what transpired. For those that aren’t able to watch, it became a desperate dance to avoid such discussions and a wave of potential spoilers. With such as Loki released on Friday, that meant fans only had to avoid things for one day before the weekend started. Now that Marvel Studios and Disney have seemingly settled on Wednesdays, that put even more days between some fans and their opportunity to watch. As such, the risk of being spoiled grew exponentially. It has remained unknown whether the plan is one being steadfastly clung to or if Loki served as something of an experimental trial. Whatever the case, for their upcoming Disney+ Marvel shows, and Kevin Feige and the other powers that be should definitely consider switching back (or exploring other options).

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