Netflix Owns the Latest Streaming Rankings, While ‘Lanterns’ Faces a Surprising Reality Check

The latest streaming rankings show how quickly audience attention can move from one big release to another. Netflix has several titles fighting for the spotlight right now, while ‘Lanterns‘ is finding itself in a much different position than its huge debut might have suggested.

The DC Studios series arrived with plenty of attention and a major cast led by Aaron Pierre and Kyle Chandler. It also had the advantage of being part of the new DC Universe, giving the show extra interest from comic book fans and viewers curious about where the franchise was heading.

That early interest was very real. According to figures from Warner Bros. Discovery reported by TheWrap, ‘Lanterns’ attracted 9.3 million global viewers across HBO and HBO Max during its first 3 days, including 6.6 million viewers in the U.S. The debut ranked among HBO Max’s top 5 series premieres and became the biggest premiere for a DC Studios series on the platform.

The more interesting part of the story came later. The weekly rankings cited by Variety’s Boardroom show Netflix taking 4 of the top 5 spots for the August 28 through September 3 viewing period, based on estimated minutes watched. ‘Beauty in Black’ Season 3 led the group with 1.6 billion minutes, followed by ‘Death of the Pastor’s Wife’ with 1.5 billion.

‘Beauty in Black’ has clearly become one of Netflix’s biggest draws. Netflix’s own Tudum coverage confirms that the third season arrived after the previous season ended with the FBI raiding the Bellarie offices, leaving the family facing another major crisis. The new season continued the story around Kimmie and the powerful Bellarie family.

‘Death of the Pastor’s Wife’ also had a strong week, showing just how much interest true-crime documentaries can generate on streaming. Netflix describes the 3-part series as an examination of Mica Miller’s life, her marriage to pastor John-Paul Miller and the circumstances surrounding her death, with firsthand accounts and previously unseen footage included in the documentary.

Prime Video managed to break Netflix’s run with ‘Reacher’ Season 4, which reached 1.1 billion estimated minutes during the same period. That puts Alan Ritchson’s action series in a strong position, especially considering how crowded the streaming market has become and how many major returning shows are competing for viewers at the same time.

Netflix’s remaining spots went to ‘Leanne’ Season 2 and ‘Outer Banks’ Season 5, with the sitcom recording 669.4 million minutes and the teen drama reaching 647.8 million. Those numbers help show the depth of Netflix’s current lineup rather than relying on one single breakout title.

That is where the situation becomes especially interesting for ‘Lanterns.’ The DC series does not appear in the top 5 of the latest Variety Boardroom rankings, which could easily make its early success look less impressive at first glance. But the broader viewership data tells a more complicated story.

In fact, ‘Lanterns’ was still showing signs of growth around the same period. TheWrap reported that Episode 3 reached 10 million global viewers and 7 million in the U.S. during its first 3 days, making it the show’s biggest episode yet. That figure was higher than the 9.3 million global viewers recorded by the premiere, suggesting the audience had not simply disappeared after the first episode.

The difference comes down to what each measurement is actually tracking. The Variety Boardroom rankings use estimated minutes watched, while HBO’s reported figures for ‘Lanterns’ measure viewers across HBO and HBO Max during specific windows. They are useful numbers, but they are not directly interchangeable.

So, while Netflix is clearly dominating this particular weekly minutes-watched ranking, ‘Lanterns’ has not suddenly become a failure. Its latest episode actually reached a series high, giving HBO Max a strong reason to remain confident in the show’s ability to build an audience as the season continues.

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