‘Lanterns’ Premiere Lights Up Strong Ratings on HBO, HBO Max

The Hollywood Reporter Published Aug 20, 2026 Reviewed Aug 21, 2026 ✓ Reviewed by citations.press editors

Lanterns amassed 9.3 million viewers worldwide in its first three days on HBO and HBO Max.

9.3 viewers · worldwide figures from the sibling outlets, source

71 percent of Lanterns’ worldwide viewers, amounting to 6.6 million, came from the United States in its first three days on HBO and HBO Max.

71 percent · United States6.6 viewers · United States figures from the sibling outlets, source

The four shows IT: Welcome to Derry, The Penguin, True Detective: Night Country, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms averaged at least 17.5 million viewers over their first 90 days of release according to HBO’s audience measurement.

at least 17.5 viewers · those four shows HBO’s audience measurement, source

In brightest day, in blackest night … a fairly large number of people watched the premiere of Lanterns.

The DC Studios series based on the Green Lantern comics amassed 9.3 million viewers worldwide in its first three days on HBO and HBO Max, according to figures from the sibling outlets. About 71 percent of that total (6.6 million) came from the United States.

The U.S. total outperformed the series premieres of several recent-ish HBO shows, including IT: Welcome to Derry (5.7 million in October 2025), The Penguin (5.3 million over four days in September 2024) and True Detective: Night Country (2 million for its first night in January 2024). Lanterns‘ U.S. audience comes in just behind the 6.7 million viewers over three days for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in January.

Worldwide, those four shows all averaged at least 17.5 million viewers over their first 90 days of release (HBO’s cutoff date for audience measurement). Lanterns also becomes the biggest premiere for a DC Studios show on HBO Max, topping The Penguin, Peacemaker and animated series Creature Commandos.

Lanterns stars Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre as, respectively, Green Lantern Corps legend Hal Jordan and new recruit John Stewart. The series premiere follows the two to Nebraska to investigate a mass shooting that Jordan suspects involves aliens. The cast also includes Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Jason Ritter, Ulrich Thomsen, Paul Ben-Victor, J. Alphonse Nicholson and Jasmine Cephas Jones. Nathan Fillion will reprise his role as fellow Lantern Corps member Guy Gardner later in the season.

Chris Mundy (Ozark), Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, The Leftovers) and Eisner Award-winning comics writer Tom King co-created the series and wrote the first episode. Mundy is the showrunner and executive produces with Lindelof, King, DC Studios heads James Gunn and Peter Safran, Ron Schmidt and James Hawes, who directed the first two episodes.

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