OpenAI's Sora app is hitting turbulence just months after its spectacular debut. The AI video generation app that rocketed to No. 1 on the App Store in October now faces a 45% download decline in January, with consumer spending tumbling 32% month-over-month according to new data from Appfigures. The sharp reversal signals trouble for what was once dubbed the "TikTok of AI" - a cautionary tale about sustaining momentum in the crowded consumer AI market where early hype doesn't guarantee staying power.
OpenAI's Sora is learning a hard lesson about the mobile app graveyard. After hitting 100,000 installs on day one and climbing to No. 1 on the U.S. App Store faster than ChatGPT managed, the AI video generation app is now in freefall. January downloads crashed 45% month-over-month to just 1.2 million installs, while consumer spending dropped 32% to $367,000, down from December's $540,000 peak, according to market intelligence firm Appfigures.
The timing couldn't be worse. December's 32% download decline came during the holiday season - typically a golden period for mobile apps as people unwrap new phones and have time to explore new software. That Sora shed users during this peak window suggests deeper structural problems than seasonal fluctuations.
The app's current rankings tell the story of a rapid descent. Sora now sits at No. 101 on the U.S. App Store's overall free apps chart, barely clinging to relevance after dominating the charts just three months ago. Its highest placement is No. 7 in the Photo & Video category. On Google Play, things look even grimmer - the app ranks No. 181 among top free apps in the U.S.
Powered by OpenAI's Sora 2 model, the app functions like an AI-flavored TikTok where users create videos through text prompts. A standout feature lets people cast themselves and friends as characters in generated scenes, with other users able to remix and customize shared content. Videos can include music, sound effects, and dialogue to flesh out AI-generated scenarios.
