James Gunn continues winning with DC, as his Peacemaker spin-off series for HBO Max is now the most popular streaming series.
Peacemaker takes place after the events of The Suicide Squad and stars John Cena as the titular anti-hero. Audiences are thrown into the merciless killer's past while also following him on his next missions, and it appears they are enjoying the experience.
According to Insider, the DC series is the most in-demand original streaming series in the world as of January 22, as measured by Parrot Analytics. The data firm measures audience demand, which reports say accounts for the interest in and engagement with a TV series. Peacemaker was 69.5 times more in demand than the average series, as it passed Netflix's The Witcher and Disney Plus' The Book of Boba Fett while also continuing HBO Max's growing success of producing engaging originals. Insider also shares that throughout 2021, demand for HBO Max series grew 39.2%, compared to Netflix's originals growing only 10.2% in the same year.
Not only is Peacemaker the most popular original streaming series as of now, but it also helps open up the doors to more DC content. The success of Peacemaker ensures that future series that are still in development like Green Lantern, Justice League Dark, and the Batgirl movie will very likely find the same fortune. On top of Peacemaker's success, with the recent announcement of The Batman being available to stream on HBO Max 45 days after its theatrical release, HBO Max is about to have an even bigger year.
It's no surprise that the series has become such a hit with so many fans, as it currently has a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and has received much praise for Cena's performance, Gunn's stylistic, over the top action, and the humor. In addition to his success with The Suicide Squad and Peacemaker, Gunn will be returning to more DC projects, but until that happens, fans can catch more of his work on Marvel Studios' upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Peacemaker also sees Jennifer Holland and Steve Agee reprise their roles as Emilia Harcourt and John Economos from The Suicide Squad. New additions include Robert Patrick as Auggie Smith (Peacemaker's father), Danielle Brooks as Leota Adebayo, Freddie Stroma as Adrian Chase / Vigilante, and Chukwudi Iwuji as Clemson Murn.
Peacemaker releases new episodes every Thursday on HBO Max.
Source: Insider