It: Welcome to Derry Hits Global Streaming Charts
The HBO prequel to the It films has climbed the charts a year after its October 2025 premiere, ahead of a second season.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Television
It: Welcome to Derry, the HBO and HBO Max prequel to the It films, has become a global streaming hit one year after its October 2025 release. The show ranks No. 6 on U.S. and global streaming charts, and Season 2 was officially renewed in August 2026.
Why it matters
The series' rise a year after release shows that catalog titles can find new audiences well beyond their debut window. The season renewal and a special Halloween episode are cited as factors driving renewed viewing.
Streaming charts place the series at No. 6 in the U.S. and globally, with critics and audiences each giving it scores of 81% and 82% on Rotten Tomatoes. The source does not report raw viewership figures or how this ranking compares to the show's debut-period performance.
The players
HBO
HBO is the premium cable and streaming network that released It: Welcome to Derry on HBO and HBO Max.
Andy Muschietti
Andy Muschietti is a filmmaker who directed the 2017 and 2019 It films and co-created the prequel series.
Stephen King
Stephen King is the best-selling horror novelist whose 1986 novel It serves as the source material for the series.
The details
The eight-episode series is set in 1962 in the town of Derry and was created by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, drawing on the interludes of Stephen King's novel It. Viewers are rediscovering the show after a Halloween special episode and the season renewal announcement, and the cast includes Dick Halloran, the chef from The Shining.
Timeline
October 2025: Series released on HBO and HBO Max.
October 26, 2025: Series release date.
August 2026: Season 2 officially renewed.
November 2, 2026: Chart ranking reported.
Franchise Context
It: Welcome to Derry extends the It storyline backward to 1962, positioning it as a prequel to the 2017 and 2019 feature films. Its performance a year after release shows how a prequel can keep a horror franchise's audience engaged between theatrical installments.
Viewers can stream the full eight-episode first season on HBO Max, where the series is available alongside HBO. The renewal means the next season will continue on the same platform, giving existing subscribers a continuing storyline without a separate purchase.
The takeaway
A prequel that launched a year ago can still rise in the charts, suggesting that horror series with strong fan bases benefit from patient discovery. Viewers who missed the premiere can catch up on HBO Max before Season 2 arrives.
What happens next
Season 2 of It: Welcome to Derry, set in 1935 during the Great Depression and centered on the massacre of the Bradley Gang, is expected to follow the renewal announced in August 2026.
Further reading
Explore more Television coverage to see how series like this one are performing on streaming platforms.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Movieweb.
