THE PENGUIN Debuts On HBO/Max With Biggest 4-Day Launch Since THE LAST OF US In 2023

THE PENGUIN Debuts On HBO/Max With Biggest 4-Day Launch Since THE LAST OF US In 2023

The Penguin is already a critical hit but we can now confirm that it's been a hit in terms of viewership as well because The Batman follow-up had the biggest 4-day launch since The Last of Us in 2023.

By JoshWilding - Sep 24, 2024 04:09 AM EST
Filed Under: The Batman
Source: Variety

The Penguin sits an incredible 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the best-reviewed DC Comics adaptations ever. Unsurprisingly, those positive reviews have led to massive viewership for The Batman spin-off/sequel. 

According to HBO, the show debuted with 5.3 million U.S. viewings across all platforms following its September 19 debut. For clarity, that includes repeat airings on HBO along with streaming viewership numbers from Max. 

This puts The Penguin above the final season premiere of Succession (4.9 million viewers) and The White Lotus' season 2 premiere (4.1 million), two of HBO's biggest hits. Impressively, it's a mere 400,000 viewers behind True Detective: Night Country's debut. 

We've also confirmed that this is Max's biggest 4-day audience for a new series since The Last of Us in January 2023.

With numbers like these, you'd best believe HBO is already mulling over a second season. It's unlikely that will fit into Matt Reeves' plans for "The Batman Epic Crime Saga" as he's said The Penguin leads directly into The Batman - Part II. However, we'd imagine more spin-offs will soon follow and that HBO is now more confident than ever in its decision to also bring Lanterns to the cable network.     

During a recent interview with Collider, The Penguin director Craig Zobel was asked about the premiere's memorable "9 to 5" needle drop.  

"That was a Lauren [LeFranc] thing. In the screenplay it had...when he picks up the car, we knew that there was going to be some slightly embarrassing song, or incongruous song playing when he got in the car," he explained. "We knew that Victor was going to have to acknowledge that slightly, which I think he does so brilliantly. It's one of my favorite little beats in the episode."

"What the song was was up for debate for a good bit. Colin had ideas, I had ideas, and Lauren had ideas, and we tried a bunch of different things, a bunch of different universes of things. But then, Lauren was the one that was like, 'I've got it.'"

Stay tuned for updates on The Penguin.   

The Penguin's cast includes Colin Farrell (Oz Cobblepot), Cristin Milioti (Sofia Falcone), Rhenzy Feliz (Victor Aguilar), Michael Kelly (Johnny Viti), Shohreh Aghdashloo (Nadia Maroni), Deirdre O’Connell (Francis Cobb), Clancy Brown (Salvatore Maroni), James Madio (Milos Grapa), Scott Cohen (Luca Falcone), Michael Zegen (Alberto Falcone), Carmen Ejogo (Eve Karlo), and Theo Rossi (Dr. Julian Rush).

The series is executive produced by Matt Reeves, Dylan Clark, Colin Farrell, Lauren LeFranc, who writes and serves as showrunner, Craig Zobel, who directs the first three episodes, and Bill Carraro.

Based on characters created for DC by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, The Penguin is produced by Reeves' 6th & Idaho Productions and Dylan Clark Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, where Reeves and 6th & Idaho are under an overall deal. Daniel Pipski also serves as executive producer.

The Penguin premieres on HBO and Max on September 19.

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Doomsday8888
Doomsday8888 - 9/24/2024, 5:17 AM
It was an ok premiere i guess.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 9/24/2024, 1:12 PM
@Doomsday8888 - Dude that was an incredible pilot. No idea who Lauren LeFranc is but this girl can write her ass off. There is so much subtlety and nuance in both the screenplay and performances. Callbacks to different beats from earlier in the episode like the air freshener.

Victor is a brilliant character who parallels post Crisis on Infinite Earths Jason Todd, whom Batman discovers stealing tires off a car. Victor is the Robin to Oz's Penguin! I mean this is a truly epic and engaging first episode of a new series.

It's like Sopranos meets Breaking Bad
ModHaterSLADE
ModHaterSLADE - 9/24/2024, 5:18 AM
Farrell is just gold as this character.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 9/24/2024, 5:35 AM
Oz Conb vs Baman and De Diddler
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/24/2024, 5:42 AM
Cool , it was a good premeire imo so well deserved!!.

However I think it is premature to already say that HBO and DC/WB might be mulling over a second season (though I’m sure more spin-offs are in consideration anyway)…

It might likely lose some viewership as all tv shows pretty much tend to do after the premeire but if it remains consistent & stable through the remaining 7 episodes then I think there’s a very good chance that we get a second season post The Batman 2.

If this season is about Oz’s rise to power , S2 could be him trying to keep it as he faces a dangerous external threat etc.

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JustAWaffle
JustAWaffle - 9/24/2024, 6:20 AM
Well deserved. This is the kind of show I’d watch this with each ep. release, and then again all at once.
lazlodaytona
lazlodaytona - 9/24/2024, 9:52 AM
@JustAWaffle - that's good to know. I think I'll watch it when the whole series is out.
ComicBandit
ComicBandit - 9/24/2024, 6:36 AM
Penguin or no, it was just good.
Thing94
Thing94 - 9/24/2024, 7:22 AM
Excited for episode 2! Really enjoyed it
WEAPONXOXOXO
WEAPONXOXOXO - 9/24/2024, 8:01 AM
Great first episode. I loved it. My only problem is Vic. For a street kid in Gotham he comes off as too timid.
mountainman
mountainman - 9/24/2024, 8:57 AM
@WEAPONXOXOXO - I agreed at first until we learned about his stutter (I just thought he was nervous in that first scene) and that he lost his family in the flood. We will probably get more backstory. Maybe he was from the hood but had a good and in tact family unit. Could have only turned to crime after his parents were gone and at the behest of his friends.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 9/24/2024, 1:14 PM
@WEAPONXOXOXO - he's got a stutter, and it's partially why Oz sees something in him....he's got a physical handicap of sorts like himself.
TheFinestSmack
TheFinestSmack - 9/24/2024, 8:06 AM
I guess that's good, but I always laugh at these comparisons that something did as good as something that just came out a year prior.
Nolanite
Nolanite - 9/24/2024, 8:51 AM
Bring on the rest of the season!
Nolanite out
mountainman
mountainman - 9/24/2024, 8:58 AM
Excellent show so far. If the whole season is as good as that first episode, we are in for another HBO crime classic.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 9/24/2024, 1:15 PM
@mountainman - this could end up far better than Reeves' the Batman if it keeps up
mountainman
mountainman - 9/24/2024, 1:44 PM
@McMurdo - I agree. My wife and I were talking after it and we both agreed that getting to see the rise of Penguin from henchman to kingpin could be really special if done well.

I trust the network that gave us The Sopranos, The Wire, and Boardwalk Empire.

Plus if they execute this well, a mob boss Penguin in the next movie will be so cool because we will have gotten a great origin for his rise to the top.
IAmAHoot
IAmAHoot - 9/24/2024, 9:08 AM
"No, it's not just good, it's better. It's the f***ing best."

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Forthas
Forthas - 9/24/2024, 10:28 AM
Well look at that! Warner Brothers makes yet another grounded character driven film/show and their audience responds positively. Just another instance in the LONG line of them - The Dark Knight Trilogy, Man of Steel, Joker, and The Batman that every time has been successful. And yet this company wastes its resources on things like the upcoming Superman (Comedy) or Joker 2 (Musical). Looking at its current stock price which is a unbeleivable $8.20 as I write this, all of the failures of the DCEU were self inflicted. They should have built a shared universe eleven years ago using the Man of Steel and The Dark knight Trilogy and they would be in the same league as Marvel right now. I hope the stockholder are happy with the mess they allowed to happen.
McMurdo
McMurdo - 9/24/2024, 1:16 PM
@Forthas - I genuinely think you need professional therapy at this point. And I say this with love.
Forthas
Forthas - 9/24/2024, 2:09 PM
@McMurdo -

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marvel72
marvel72 - 9/24/2024, 1:04 PM
I wonder how bad Agatha did over 4 days.

I bet Disney cook some numbers and claim it did 6 million in 3 days.

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