Lanterns Officially Breaks DC & HBO Max Record With Debut Viewership

Credit: John Johnson/HBO Published Aug 20, 2026, 4:38 PM EDT Jennifer is a TV and Movie News Editor at ScreenRant. She started her journey in entertainment media in 2022 when she first joined Valnet at CBR before coming to ScreenRant. Jennifer loves TV, especially science fiction. She also loves late-night talk shows, due to her insomnia. Alien: Earth is definitely one of her favorite shows, and she jumps on any chance she gets to write about it. Even on her days off, she will claim an Alien Earth article if one is available. Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon are two of her favorite late-night hosts, and Conan O'Brien before he left his show. Her Alien: Earth coverage for ScreenRant is by far the work that she is most proud of so far. She was initially a finance and political editor, but her passion for pop culture convinced her to transition into entertainment journalism. During her off time, she loves to binge-watch cooking shows such as Kitchen Nightmares. Jennifer also loves spending time with her daughter and cherishes every moment of it. Sign in to your ScreenRant account This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.Lanterns sets a new record for HBO Max. DC Studios’ adaptation of the hit comic book franchise Green Lantern has gotten off to a strong start, ranking as one of HBO Max’s five biggest series launches. Led by Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler, the superhero drama drew 9.3 million viewers worldwide across HBO and HBO Max during its first three days. According to Warner Bros. Discovery, 6.6 million of the Lanterns viewers were from the United States. And its streaming performance places the DC Studios superhero drama among HBO Max’s five largest series debuts. Warner Bros. Discovery also reported that Lanterns launched with a bigger audience than IT: Welcome to Derry, The Penguin, and True Detective: Night Country. Those shows ultimately averaged 27.1 million, 19.8 million, and 17.5 million viewers worldwide, which bodes well for the potential audience growth the series could see as its first season continues. Lanterns has also maintained its momentum following its debut. At the time of this article's publication, the DC Studios show still has the number one spot on HBO Max’s Top 10 list since its premiere on Sunday. The HBO Max series centers on rookie Green Lantern John Stewart (Pierre) and the iconic veteran Lantern Hal Jordan (Chandler). They find themselves working together on a homicide investigation that gradually reveals connections to a much larger cosmic threat. Green Lantern is a major DC Comics franchise that has followed several superheroes who have taken on the mantle throughout the years. The character first appeared in All-American Comics #16 in 1940, although the lore surrounding Green Lantern has evolved a lot since his debut. The earliest version centered on a crimefighter whose powers came from a mystical ring. However, later stories transformed the title into a larger organization involving several cosmic peacekeepers. More to come...