Peacock's The 'Burbs series sets multiple streaming records within just weeks of its release

According to reports, Peacock's The 'Burbs, a remake of the classic 1989 comedy film, has achieved some of the major milestone metrics for streaming services after quickly becoming one of Peacock's highest-viewed program launches ever. Viewers have seen The 'Burbs generate an enormous amount of viewing time in just a matter of weeks, and its critical acclaim from viewers' reviews is also adding to the success of this particular streaming title.

From February 9 to 16, The 'Burbs recorded an astonishing 712 million minutes watched during its first full week of being available on the Peacock streaming service. This means that if this series can get close to reaching 1 billion total views, this will put it amongst those streaming programs that have accomplished that milestone. When it does reach 1 billion views, the show will break the all-time record for premiere views on Peacock.

Critics have also given The 'Burbs positive reviews with a score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is significantly higher than the original 1989 film, which was received poorly at the time of release and currently still has a low score. The audience ratings from both the original film and the new show are the same. However, the new show has made a greater impact on the critics' reviews and will ultimately help to draw more attention to this remake than would have been drawn otherwise by anyone who has not previously viewed either the original film or the new show.

What helped The 'Burbs break early streaming records?

The release strategy for The 'Burbs was a big factor in the series' success. It premiered on the same day as the Super Bowl, a major television event in America. The Super Bowl attracted approximately 125 million viewers this past year across NBC, Peacock and Telemundo. Using such a large viewer base as a platform to promote its new series through various commercials had a positive impact on the show since many of those who viewed the Super Bowl learned about The 'Burbs on the same day that they viewed the Super Bowl, thus giving it a large lift right out of the gate.

Also contributing to its success was the cast. Samira, played by Keke Palmer, relocates to the suburbs with her new husband and their new baby, but after seeing strange behavior from her new neighbors, she begins to suspect that there is something going on in this place where she expects to raise her family. As the show follows Samira and her neighbors as they work together to determine whether or not there is any link between the similarly strange occurrences in their community and a disappearance from a long time ago.

The humor and ambience of The 'Burbs were also factors in attracting viewers to the show. The film was originally conceived as a comedy, but the remake is a combination of comedy, mystery, and some suspense, which may have attracted viewers who like silly comedies, but also viewers who want to see something that has a tension or suspense element to it. Most of the audience have some familiarity with this type of setting and, therefore, will find the show a relatively easy-to-follow story while being able to experience new elements.

How does the remake of The 'Burbs compare to the original film?

The 1989 original film's cast included Tom Hanks, along with Bruce Dern and Carrie Fisher, as well as Corey Feldman. By 1989, Hanks had already established himself as a successful actor who had been featured in multiple box office smashes, and the movie did well, too, grossing $49 million from an estimated $18 million production budget. While this initial performance was considered solid for that time period, the movie itself was not well-received by most critics at the time of its release. Many indicated that much of the film's intended humor didn't quite hit the intended target.

Since the release of its television version, the current remake has done much better than the original. This could indicate that the story does, in fact, translate better into a longer format. Because the series has a total of 8 episodes, it is able to spend more time developing its respective neighborhood and characters. This leads to more opportunities to create suspenseful situations, to build solid relationships between the characters, and ultimately to unveil the show's mystery gradually. The extended series' format may be another reason viewers continue to support the show, and why The 'Burbs continues to lead in cumulative minutes viewed among Hulu original series.

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The original film also ended up playing an important role in Tom Hanks' career, as he soon went on to star in many major films that became classics. For long-time fans of the movie, the new series, The 'Burbs, may bring a sense of nostalgia, while new viewers are discovering the story for the first time.

Now, with all eight episodes available to stream on Peacock, The 'Burbs is continuing to attract new viewers every week. Whether it reaches the one-billion-minute mark or not, the show has clearly become one of Peacock's most successful releases so far.

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