Lanterns Saw the Biggest Premiere for a DC Studios Show on HBO Max, Ahead of The Penguin and Peacemaker

Lanterns got off to a strong start on HBO Max, with the biggest premiere for a DC Studios show ever on the platform.

Viewership figures reported by The Hollywood Reporter show that Lanterns had 9.3 million viewers worldwide in its first three days on HBO and HBO Max. 71% of that global total came from the U.S.

That puts the Lanterns premiere ahead of the premieres of The Penguin, Peacemaker, and animated series Creature Commandos, and makes it one of the top five premieres on HBO Max overall. The U.S. figure for Lanterns (6.6 million viewers) puts it ahead of premiere viewership for IT: Welcome to Derry and True Detective: Night Country, and just behind A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ 6.7 million viewers. But the true test will be in the viewing figures for Lanterns across its first 90 days of release.

Lanterns’ early days success will be welcome news to DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran following the disastrous box office performance of Supergirl, which has led to some questions about the viability of the fledgling DC Universe. It's too early to declare Lanterns a hit show, but showrunner Chris Mundy recently told THR that he's already mapping out a potential Season 2. Whether Warner Bros. green-lights Season 2 remains to be seen.

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“We feel good that we told the story in Season 1 well," Mundy said. "The question is whether [Season 2] is a story people are interested in. If that’s the case, then we’ll get to do another one. We’ll tell it in a slightly different way, so that it feels fresh, with characters you know and care about. We’re about six weeks into laying out a season, and then we’ll talk to folks about it really soon."

The Lanterns premiere itself sparked significant debate online, although Gunn recently stepped in to defend the show’s more adult and gritty tone following last year’s bright and breezy Superman movie. Of course, the tone is set to shift once again with this October’s body horror movie, Clayface. Man of Tomorrow, due out next summer, will no doubt return to the PG-13 tone established by Superman.

Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart will appear in Man of Tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see how the character is toned down for the family friendly adventure. But if Marvel Studios can make The Punisher work in a Spider-Man movie, I’m sure DC Studios can make John Stewart work in a Superman movie.

Check out IGN’s spoiler-free review of the first episode of Lanterns Season 1. The series debuts on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 16.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at [email protected] or confidentially at [email protected].