OpenAI’s video generation app Sora is facing significant challenges just months after its launch. Downloads have plummeted 45% in January 2026, while consumer spending dropped 32% during the same period.
Sarah Perez reports for TechCrunch that the app initially achieved remarkable success, surpassing 100,000 installs on its first day and reaching one million downloads faster than ChatGPT. Sora quickly claimed the top spot on the U.S. App Store despite being invite-only at launch.
The app allows users to create AI-generated videos using text prompts and features the ability to cast themselves and friends as characters. Videos can include music, sound effects, and dialogue, with other users able to remix shared content.
To date, Sora has accumulated 9.6 million downloads across iOS and Android platforms and generated $1.4 million in consumer spending. However, the app has dropped to 101st place in the U.S. App Store’s overall free apps ranking and performs even worse on Google Play at 181st place.
Multiple factors appear to contribute to the decline. Competition from Google’s Gemini app and Meta AI has intensified. OpenAI has also struggled with copyright issues, initially allowing users to create videos featuring popular characters like SpongeBob and Pikachu before implementing stricter controls to avoid legal action from Hollywood studios.
A recent deal with Disney permits users to generate videos with its characters, but this partnership has not yet reversed the downward trend in installs or spending.
