There’s been a lot of hype surrounding Behind The Candelabra, Steven Soderbergh’s Liberace biopic starring Matt Damon and Michael Douglas as the pianist and his lover. However with the movie airing on HBO in the US, the only real test of its success in the States is the ratings.
It’s turned out to be a big success, with 2.4 million viewers tuning in to its premiere telecast on Sunday night, with a repeat adding another 1.1 million. No HBO Film original has garnered a larger audience since“Something the Lord Made in 2004. That means its beaten the likes of the Julianne Moore starring Sarah Palin biopic, Game Change, and The Girl, the recent movie about the making of The Birds.
It’s seen a particularly impressive as Memorial Day weekend is normally seen as a weak one for TV, but HBO has proved you can get the viewers if you have something worth watching.
Behind The Candelabra rolls out around the world over the coming months, with a UK cinema release set for June 7th.