Peacemaker Season 2 Surges In Viewership Compared To Season 1 Finale — Superman Reboot Impact?

Peacemaker’s second season has made a strong start, showing a significant increase in early viewership compared to its previous run.

- August 27, 2025 | 3:13 PM IST

John Cena’s Peacemaker Season 2 Breaks Past Season 1 Finale Numbers, Riding On Superman Reboot Hype. — Peacemaker Season 2 Opens Bigger Than Ever With Viewership Surge – Did The Superman Reboot Help? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

The first episode of Peacemaker Season 2, James Gunn’s superhero series, starring wrestler-turned-actor John Cena in the titular role, premiered on August 21, 2025, on HBO Max in the U.S. and Jio Hotstar in India. With a near-perfect 99% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes (Source: RT), the show now ranks among the best-reviewed DC titles of all time. Backed by impressive reviews and fresh viewership data, it’s clear that Peacemaker Season 2 has struck the right chord with audiences, especially in the U.S. Here’s how its debut compares to the performance of Season 1.

Peacemaker Season 2 vs. Season 1 – Viewership

According to Samba TV, Peacemaker Season 2 Episode 1 attracted 22% more U.S. households on HBO Max in its first four days than the Season 1 finale, which aired in 2022. These viewership figures suggest that James Gunn’s DCU is heading in the right direction. You can check out Samba TV’s official post here.

Fans have been waiting, and it’s finally here 🦅

Season two of #Peacemaker blasted onto #HBOMax with 22% more US households tuning in over its first four days than the season one finale in 2022.

Turns out the wait only made the hype stronger.#SambaTVInsights #PeacemakerS2… pic.twitter.com/d1sua07sai

— Samba TV (@samba_tv) August 25, 2025

Is This the Superman Reboot Effect?

When James Gunn’s Superman reboot, starring David Corenswet as the titular superhero, stormed into theaters worldwide on July 11, 2025, it became an instant hit among audiences. With a current global haul of over $605 million (Box Office Mojo), alongside strong reviews (83% critics’ score and 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), the film firmly established James Gunn’s DCU vision.

Riding on this momentum, many fans naturally turned to Peacemaker Season 2 as their next stop in the expanding DC universe. The timing of the show’s release, which was just days after Superman’s worldwide digital debut, appears to have led to its impressive viewership surge. All signs point to the Superman reboot playing a key role in drawing more audiences to the John Cena-led series.

What’s Peacemaker Season 2 All About

In the new season, John Cena reprises his role as Chris Smith, aka Peacemaker, who discovers a more desirable alternate world where his brother and father are alive and he is celebrated as a true superhero as he battles new foes and confronts his own shortcomings. The series also features Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland, Steve Agee, Robert Patrick, and Frank Grillo, among other actors.