The video generation app had amassed 920 million users since December 2025 and was for a while the number one app on the App Store, before declining to #165 recently.
Closing the free app, estimated to cost $15 million per day, frees up resources for OpenAI’s recent focus on coding and business, as it was labelled a «side quest» internally.
With Sora discontinued, OpenAI is also leaving behind a $1 billion deal with Disney — which had licensed some of its characters for use on the platform. Disney says they are open to new investments, and «respects» OpenAI’s decision.
Read more: The Wall Street Journal, Reuters and Tibor Blaho.