OpenAI’s Sora app is struggling after its stellar launch

After rapidly hitting the apical of the App Store successful October, OpenAI’s video-generation app Sora is present struggling. New information suggests the app is seeing declines successful some app downloads and user spending, arsenic the aboriginal hype astir the AI video societal web wears off.

Powered by OpenAI’s video procreation exemplary Sora 2, the iOS mentation topped 100,000 installs connected time one, contempt being an invite-only experience. It soon hit the No. 1 spot on the U.S. App Store, and it reached the 1 cardinal downloads milestone faster than ChatGPT. At the time, Sora’s app was iOS-only and inactive required an invite, making its occurrence each the much impressive.

However, successful the weeks since Sora’s mobile debut, the app has begun to suffer traction.

Image Credits:Appfigures

According to information from marketplace quality supplier Appfigures, Sora’s downloads dropped 32% month-over-month successful December. That’s concerning due to the fact that the holidays are typically a boon for mobile apps, arsenic radical are talented caller smartphones and often person clip disconnected from work, allowing them to instal caller apps and games.

The diminution continued successful January 2026, with installs falling 45% month-over-month, to scope 1.2 million. Consumer spending has dropped arsenic well, down 32% month-over-month arsenic of January, Appfigures said.

OpenAI did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

Like an AI-flavored TikTok, Sora allows users to make AI videos utilizing prompts. A unsocial diagnostic allows users to formed themselves and their friends arsenic main characters successful the videos, if they choose, portion shared videos tin beryllium remixed by others who tin customize them further. The videos tin besides see music, dependable effects, and dialog to implicit the scenes users create.

In total, Sora’s app has seen 9.6 cardinal downloads crossed iOS and Android, and $1.4 cardinal successful user spending to date. The U.S. accounts for the bulk ($1.1 million) of that figure, followed by Japan, Canada, South Korea, and Thailand.

This month, customers spent $367,000 successful Sora’s app, down from December’s highest of $540,000.

Image Credits:Appfigures

On the U.S. App Store, Sora is nary longer ranked successful the Top 100 Overall escaped apps. It presently sits astatine No. 101. Its highest fertile is No. 7 successful the Photo & Video category. On Google Play successful the U.S., the app fares worse, arsenic it’s No. 181 wide among the apical escaped apps.

These figures are inactive excessively precocious to constitute disconnected the app arsenic “dead,” but they are worrying.

The diminution is apt owed to a fig of factors moving successful tandem.

For starters, Google’s Gemini, and particulary its Nano Banana model, has proven to beryllium fierce competition, helping its Gemini AI app summation popularity. Sora besides competes with Meta AI, whose app launched an AI-powered Vibes video, boosting its October downloads, conscionable arsenic Sora was taking off.

At the aforesaid time, OpenAI has struggled with containing copyright infringement successful Sora. Initially, the institution told Hollywood studios and agencies they would person to opt retired of having their IP utilized successful Sora, which people saw workplace backlash. But without robust copyright controls, users had been capable to make AI videos utilizing fashionable characters, similar SpongeBob and Pikachu, driving adoption. To appease Hollywood and stave disconnected ineligible threats, Sora moved from an opt-out to an opt-in model and accrued restrictions successful the app.

Last month, the doors opened up a spot much arsenic OpenAI announced a woody with Disney, which allowed users to make videos successful Sora with its characters. But truthful far, that quality hasn’t accrued Sora installs oregon user spending. (It’s besides not needfully a bully look for Disney, considering some of the depraved videos Sora users had made with its characters.)

Sora 2 was released to important hype, with immoderate calling it a disruption to societal media and the TikTok of AI. But galore users had nary involvement successful letting others — adjacent their friends — usage their likeness to marque AI videos. Without acquainted faces and with limits connected utilizing commercialized IP, people’s involvement successful Sora seems to person faded. Whether the app tin signifier a comeback with much copyright deals oregon caller features remains to beryllium seen.