‘Dune: Prophecy’ Premiere Audience Increases by 75% with Next-Day Views

Dune: Prophecy, a prequel to the 2021 Denis Villeneuve film Dune, which adapts the first half of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, and takes place some 10,000 years before the events of the film, premiered with a decent reception.

Rotten Tomatoes reported a 74% approval rating with an average rating of 6.3/10, based on 54 critic reviews. The audience rating is somewhat lower, though, at 65%. Regarding IMDb, the current score is 7.6, based on more than 4,000 reviews.

Now, regarding viewership numbers, it seems that Dune: Prophecy is off to a strong start, with its premiere episode drawing 1.2 million U.S. viewers across platforms on Sunday, according to Warner Bros. Discovery.

The audience grew another 75% the following day, bringing the total to 2.1 million viewers so far, the company reports.

This is a solid beginning for the prequel series, coming close to the premiere numbers of The Penguin, which had 1.4 million viewers. Dune: Prophecy has now taken over the Sunday slot from The Penguin, which continued to grow its audience throughout the season and reached 18 million U.S. viewers by the finale, according to HBO.

This positive start suggests that Dune: Prophecy could see its audience grow as well. In the age of streaming, same-day viewership doesn’t paint the full picture, as many viewers choose to watch later in the week. More data in the coming days will give a clearer idea of how the series is performing.

Set long before the events of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films, the show follows two Harkonnen sisters as they fight threats to humanity’s future and lay the foundation for the legendary Bene Gesserit.

Co-produced with Legendary Television, the series takes place 10,000 years before Paul Atreides’ rise, focusing on Valya and Tula Harkonnen (Emily Watson and Olivia Williams). Valya is determined to secure the Sisterhood’s influence by reaching the Imperial Throne, but others fear her ambition could bring danger to their order.

Have you watched Dune: Prophecy‘s first episode yet? How did you like it? Let us know in the comments below.

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