Sora is another innovative AI-driven application developed by OpenAI. Since its launch, it has reached #1 on the U.S. App Store and been covered extensively—definitely an exciting time-new app! Sora was greeted with massive enthusiasm and quickly became the fastest app to reach one million downloads, beating its older sibling, ChatGPT. So far, it has achieved a staggering 9.6 million downloads on both iOS and Android, combined. For all its auspicious beginnings, Sora now finds itself woefully contending with a steep drop-off in user activity and dollars spent.
The app surged in popularity right out of the gate on the strength of its audacious claim to reset the social media landscape. Many today refer to it as the “TikTok of AI.” User excitement reached new heights with the release of Sora 2. New statewide numbers suggest the app is starting to lose that early momentum. In December 2023, Sora’s downloads dropped off a cliff at 32% less than the month prior. This trend only got worse when January 2026 rolled around, with installs dropping off astronomically 45%! In late January, Sora was averaging around 1.2 million installs.
Thanks to its launch, Sora has moved on to rake in a massive $1.4 million in consumer spending. The U.S. market is at the forefront, making up a substantial $1.1 million of that revenue. Economic conditions January 2024 The January statistics paint an alarming picture of a continuing decline in consumer spending. It fell from December’s peak of $540,000 to just $367,000—a 32% drop from the month prior.
As Sora tackles these trials, it has been forced to radically alter its operational paradigm. At the outset, the app made it so that Hollywood studios and talent agencies had to actively choose for their intellectual properties not to be used within Sora. The move comes after the company heard from users and implementation partners. Consequently, the EU changed it from an opt-out model to an opt-in model, placing greater restrictions on the app’s content creation abilities. This shift is intended to improve user trust and compliance and respond to the fact that many questions have arisen around content ownership.
Looking to boost users’ interest and engagement, OpenAI has entered into a partnership with Disney. This collaboration allows Sora users to generate videos featuring beloved Disney characters, potentially attracting new users and retaining existing ones. Sora’s overall ranking has fallen, even with these increases to availability. It currently sits at No. 7 in the Photo & Video category and 181st on the overall list of top free apps.
The potential impact of a simultaneous drop in downloads and consumer spending on Sora’s long-term prospects in a highly competitive app marketplace is concerning. Industry analysts note that early user enthusiasm was through the roof. They know that keeping users engaged requires constant reinvention and a deep sensitivity to how user needs are changing. With new competitors constantly cropping up in the fast-moving world of AI, staying relevant will be the key to Sora remaining alive.