Whether it was the brightest day or the blackest night, audiences worldwide gathered to watch new episodes of the DC Universe's latest installment, Lanterns. The acclaimed HBO Max series has made waves due to its intriguing central mystery, likeable characters, and unique take on the Green Lantern mythos. Week after week, we witnessed Hal Jordan and John Stewart try to solve an intergalactic conspiracy that will have big repercussions for the franchise as a whole. And with every new release, more and more viewers started to tune in.
Lanterns was off to a fantastic start, as its opening episode drew 9.3 million viewers in its first three days on HBO Max. Since then, those numbers have only gone up as audiences got deeper into the rabbit hole. While the DCU had an underwhelming defeat with the release of Supergirl, the saga has now soared higher than ever thanks to two Green Lanterns attempting to keep Earth safe. Now, the final numbers are in, and it's safe to say Lanterns achieved a huge milestone throughout its entire run.
Lanterns averaged nearly 19 million viewers per episode
As reported by Variety, Lanterns has averaged above 12 million U.S. viewers per episode and nearly 19 million globally seven weeks after its release. That figure didn't account for the season finale, which means the average number of viewers is bound to grow as more fans binge-watch the show in the weeks to come.
To put this number into perspective, the series finale of the HBO hit Game of Thrones drew in 19.3 million viewers when it aired. Moreover, the opening episode of It: Welcome to Derry was viewed by 5.7 million people during its first three days on air (which was 3.6 million fewer than Lanterns), and it eventually averaged 19.7 million viewers. That means the most recent DC Universe project is bound to have an even greater average over time.
DC is no stranger to big success stories on the small screen, given that The Penguin had an average of over 27 million viewers per episode. While Lanterns seems a little behind in comparison, it is worth pointing out that Hal and John's latest adventure drew an additional 1.5 million viewers during the week leading up to its finale, which means its overall audience will keep growing.
With Lanterns' recent success, DC is already opening a writers' room for a potential season 2. While a new batch of episodes hasn't been confirmed just yet, it is likely it will come our way, considering the viewership numbers of the first season. Furthermore, John Stewart has been confirmed to appear in the Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, meaning he will have a big role in the DCU going forward.
With the latest iteration of the DC Universe just starting, and Lanterns becoming one of its most-viewed projects, it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume the studio will capitalize on the show's success and expand on Hal Jordan and John Stewart's story. There have been rumors suggesting that a Green Lantern movie is also in the cards, starring John Stewart and Guy Gardner.
Most of the projects unveiled as part of the DCU's first chapter, Gods and Monsters, have either been released or canceled. Hopefully, this means it won't be long before the studio unveils its next wave of movies and TV shows. And when that day comes, it's likely that we'll finally know when and where John Stewart will return, but it wouldn't be surprising to learn that it will be during a second season of his stand-alone show.
All episodes of Lanterns are out now on HBO Max.
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