'The Punisher' Viewership Down 40% in Season 2, But That Isn't Necessarily a Bad Thing

It looks like Marvel's The Punisher had a significantly smaller audience tune in for the opening weekend of Season 2 than it did in Season 1, losing almost half of its freshman audience. Despite this slide however, it looks like Jon Bernthal's solo series is still holding onto its viewers better than the rest of its Marvel cohorts.

According to analytics from Jumpshot, provided to Business Insider, the viewership for The Punisher fell by 40 percent from its first season numbers. That might sound bad, but a look at the dips from Daredevil and the other Marvel/Netflix shows paints a different picture.

Luke Cage lost 63 percent of its opening weekend audience in Season 2, while Iron Fist lost 69 percent. While Daredevil Season 2 was a massive hit, viewership fell by 61 percent heading into its third season. These are all pretty staggering numbers, though some drop off was to be expected.

The Punisher was the most steady performer of them all. By losing only 40 percent of its audience, the show proved to Netflix that it still has plenty of holding power, and could be worth more than the other Marvel/Netflix shows.

Jumpshot's study shows that the second season of The Punisher had more viewers in its first weekend than the most recent seasons of Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. So after a couple of seasons of each series, The Punisher stands alone as the biggest, most consistent hit of the group.

As the relationships between Marvel and Netflix begin to shatter, the streaming service has cancelled Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daredevil, the last of which was a complete surprise to fans. Most are assuming that The Punisher will be next, and that Jessica Jones will get the axe when the third season arrives later this year. However, if these numbers are accurate, The Punisher might have a chance to survive.

There's no real way to know what's happening behind the scenes with this Netflix/Marvel relationship, but if viewership is the driving force behind the cancellations, The Punisher could actually make the cut. Of course, this could just be a rights issue, which would mean the show is a goner either way.

Do you think these numbers could make the case for Netflix to keep The Punisher going? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!