The Penguin, HBO’s The Batman spinoff starring Colin Farrell, made an explosive debut, pulling in 5.3 million cross-platform U.S. viewers over its weekend premiere.
This figure surpasses the fourth and final season premiere of Succession (4.9 million viewers) and the average for The White Lotus Season 2 (4.1 million viewers), and nearly matched True Detective: Night Country’s Season 4 opener (5.7 million). No small feat for a villain spin-off.
The Penguin has drawn positive reception from critics, and currently holds a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. According to HBO, The Penguin boasted the largest four-day global audience on Max for a new series since The Last of Us stormed screens back in January 2023.
Furthermore, streaming interest in The Batman spiked by a jaw-dropping 350% on Max thanks to this gritty, mob-centric show. The success of The Penguin and renewed interest in Matt Reeves’ The Batman universe opens the doors to more spin-offs down the line. While the planned Gotham PD series and Arkham Asylum series were said to be put on hold, Reeves revealed in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly that the Arkham Asylum spin-off is alive and well, just not in the form that it was originally conceived.
Edwin has been writing about gaming and entertainment news for almost a decade, and has loved video games, comic books, and movies longer than that. He loves interesting stories, immersive world-building, and adorable monsters.
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