OpenAI's Sora app is losing altitude fast. The AI video generation app that rocketed to No. 1 on the App Store in October has seen downloads crater 45% in January, while consumer spending dropped 32% month-over-month, according to new data from Appfigures. The decline signals that early hype around the TikTok-style AI video platform is evaporating as users grapple with copyright restrictions and competition from Google's Gemini and Meta's AI tools heats up.
OpenAI's Sora app is experiencing a harsh reality check. After hitting 100,000 installs on day one and reaching 1 million downloads faster than ChatGPT, the AI video generation platform is now watching its user base erode at an alarming pace.
The numbers tell a concerning story. Downloads fell 32% month-over-month in December - a particularly troubling sign since the holiday season typically pumps up mobile app adoption as people unwrap new smartphones and have extra downtime. January brought even steeper losses, with installs dropping 45% to just 1.2 million, according to market intelligence firm Appfigures.
Consumer spending followed the same trajectory, declining 32% in January to $367,000, down from December's peak of $540,000. Across its lifetime, Sora has generated $1.4 million in revenue from 9.6 million total downloads, with the U.S. accounting for $1.1 million of that figure. But the momentum that once had analysts calling Sora a potential disruption to social media seems to have stalled.
The app's chart performance reflects the slide. Sora now sits at No. 101 on the U.S. App Store's overall free apps ranking - outside the coveted Top 100 - with its highest placement at No. 7 in the Photo & Video category. On Google Play, it's faring worse at No. 181 overall.
Powered by OpenAI's Sora 2 model, the app works like an AI-flavored TikTok, letting users create videos from text prompts, cast themselves and friends as characters, and remix each other's creations with music, sound effects, and dialogue. The concept generated massive initial buzz when it launched as an invite-only iOS exclusive in October.
But a perfect storm of competitive and legal pressures appears to be sinking the ship. Google's Gemini emerged as fierce competition, particularly after the release of its Nano Banana image generation model, which helped Gemini top the App Store in September. Meta's AI app also launched an AI-powered Vibes video feature that spiked its downloads in October, right as Sora was gaining steam.
The copyright saga has proven particularly damaging. Initially, OpenAI told Hollywood studios they'd need to opt out of having their intellectual property used in Sora - a move that triggered immediate backlash from the Motion Picture Association. Without robust controls, users flooded the platform with AI-generated videos featuring popular characters like SpongeBob and Pikachu, driving early viral adoption.
Facing legal threats, OpenAI reversed course to an opt-in model and tightened restrictions. CEO Sam Altman promised more granular copyright controls, but the damage was done. The very content that made Sora feel exciting and shareable suddenly became off-limits.
Last month, OpenAI attempted to revive interest by announcing a deal with Disney that would allow users to generate videos with its characters. So far, that partnership hasn't translated into increased installs or spending - and the arrangement looks questionable given some of the disturbing videos users had already created with Disney characters before the official deal.
There's another fundamental problem: user behavior. Many people simply don't want others - even friends - using their likeness to create AI videos without their direct involvement. The app's core social mechanic of remixing and recasting faces has proven less appealing in practice than in theory. Without familiar faces and with strict limits on commercial IP, the creative possibilities that initially drew users to Sora have narrowed considerably.
The figures aren't catastrophic enough to write Sora off as dead, but they're worrying for an app that was supposed to be OpenAI's answer to TikTok. The company hasn't responded to requests for comment on the decline, leaving questions about its strategy to turn things around unanswered.
What happens next will likely determine whether Sora becomes another AI novelty that flamed out after the initial hype cycle, or whether OpenAI can engineer a comeback through new features, additional copyright partnerships, or a fundamental rethink of the app's social dynamics. For now, the trajectory isn't promising.
Sora's rapid descent from App Store darling to struggling also-ran illustrates how quickly AI hype can evaporate when products hit real-world friction. The app's challenges - navigating copyright law, competing against tech giants with deeper ecosystems, and convincing users that AI-generated social content is something they actually want - aren't going away. OpenAI needs more than incremental updates or individual studio deals to reverse this slide. Whether the company can reimagine Sora's value proposition before users move on entirely will be the test of whether AI video generation has a sustainable consumer market, or if it's destined to remain a novelty feature buried inside larger platforms like Gemini and Meta AI.
