The prequel film “Pet Sematary: Bloodlines” was a hit for Paramount+, as the streamer leveraged the success of its Peak Screaming horror collection in October to debut the original film to record-breaking viewership.
“Pet Sematary: Bloodlines” is the most-watched Paramount+ original film in its first 30 days of release, breaking the record previously set by “Teen Wolf: The Movie” when that fim-to-TV-to-film sequel was released in January. In fact, Paramount said “Pet Sematary” broke this record early – it surpassed “Teen Wolf” viewership in just a little over three weeks of release.
Cowritten and directed by Lindsey Anderson Beer, “Pet Sematary: Bloodlines” is a prequel to the 2019 adaptation of Stephen King’s iconic horror novel and takes place in 1969, following a young Jud Crandall (Jackson White) as he discovers a supernatural force in a nearby cemetery.
The Paramount Pictures production was released exclusively on Paramount+ on Oct. 6 as part of the streamer’s curated selection of horror films, in a play on words collection dubbed Peak Screaming.
In its third year, Peak Screaming pushed horror films ranging from “Scream” to “Pearl” and “The Ring,” as well as TV shows like “Yellowjackets” and “Evil,” to subscribers using curated carousels like Slash Hits, Suspenseful Series and Horror Heroines.
Paramount+ has frequently leveraged the success of theatrical horror titles that arrive on the streaming platform like “Smile” and “Scream VI,” and the success of “Pet Sematary: Bloodlines” speaks directly to the streamer’s robust number of horror-loving subscribers. (And for the spelling pedants out there, the reason for the odd spelling of “Sematary” is that it was inspired by the way kids spelled the sign for a real pet cemetery created behind King’s home.)
