‘Lanterns’ Achieves Record Premiere Numbers for DC Studios as Season 2 Plans Emerge
DC Studios has been striving to establish its new streaming era as a competitor to major players like HBO Max, with mixed results thus far. Following a challenging summer at the box office, the studio was in dire need of a success, and its latest series, ‘Lanterns’, seems to have delivered just that.
‘Lanterns’ premiered on HBO and HBO Max on August 16, featuring Kyle Chandler as the seasoned Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as the rookie John Stewart in a genre-blending murder mystery set in a cosmic landscape. The show faced some controversy due to a resurfaced podcast clip from co-creator Damon Lindelof, in which he joked about the title, leading to criticism from fans and comic writer Grant Morrison.
Despite the surrounding controversy, ‘Lanterns’ made a strong debut, attracting 9.3 million global viewers and 6.6 million in the U.S. within its first three days on HBO and HBO Max, according to Warner Bros. Discovery. This makes it the biggest series premiere for a DC Studios show, surpassing ‘Peacemaker’ and ‘The Penguin.’
The comparison is striking; ‘The Penguin’ took eleven days to reach 10.4 million viewers after its 2024 debut, while ‘Lanterns’ achieved a similar audience size in a fraction of that time. Additionally, the show ranks among the top five series premieres in HBO Max history, only behind the ‘House of the Dragon’ spinoff ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,’ which garnered 6.7 million U.S. viewers earlier this year.
The premiere numbers have translated into sustained interest, with ‘Lanterns’ maintaining the number one spot on HBO Max’s daily Top 10 chart since its debut, indicating that the audience attracted by the launch has largely continued to engage with subsequent episodes.
This early success has prompted the show’s creative team to think beyond the first season. Showrunner Chris Mundy, alongside ‘Halt and Catch Fire’ co-creator Christopher Cantwell, revealed that they are already planning for a second season, stating to The Hollywood Reporter, “We’re about six weeks into laying out a season, and then we’ll talk to folks about it really soon.”
Mundy’s comments are significant, especially since HBO has yet to officially renew the series. His remarks suggest that the writers’ room is preparing a fully mapped-out season to pitch to the network, potentially allowing for a quicker production turnaround if a second season is approved.
It’s also worth noting that Lindelof and co-creator Tom King are expected to step back from a potential second season, with Lindelof committed to ‘The Chain’ and King involved with ‘Mister Miracle.’ This leaves Mundy and Cantwell to guide the story forward without two of the original creators.
For a DC Studios series that launched with uncertain reception, primarily relying on the chemistry between Chandler and Pierre and a unique slow-burn mystery format, this level of early success is a significant indicator. Whether this momentum continues through the rest of the season and if a second season gets the green light remains to be seen.
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