"The Last of Us" Clicks With Digital Audiences
HBO’s latest hit, the video game adaptation The Last of Us, has been making waves even beyond the streaming universe.
With the show’s release in January 2023, HBO’s website saw the highest levels of visitation since January 2022, when they launched a new season of the hugely popular show Euphoria and the Harry Potter reunion.
Comscore MMX, HBO, Jan 2022 – Feb 2023, U.S.
The Last of Us has made quite a splash on social as well. When we look at weekly rankings for streaming shows’ social engagement, The Last of Us is one of only two shows to be in the top 5 for eight weeks since its release. It is second only to Netflix’s Outer Banks and first among premiering shows for total weeks in the top 3 and average weekly actions.
Top Streaming Shows by Weekly Social Media Engagement, 2023 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Show | Platform | # of seasons | Weeks in top 5 | Weeks in top 3 | Average actions per week (Jan 9 – Mar 26) |
Outer Banks | Netflix | 3 | 8 | 8 | 6.9m |
The Last of Us | HBO Max | 1 | 8 | 6 | 1.8m |
You | Netflix | 4 | 6 | 3 | 995k |
The Mandalorian | Disney+ | 3 | 6 | 3 | 952k |
Ginny & Georgia | Netflix | 2 | 4 | 3 | 949k |
Wednesday | Netflix | 1 | 4 | 3 | 840k |
Bridgerton | Netflix | 2 | 3 | 1 | 594k |
Shadow and Bone | Netflix | 2 | 3 | 3 | 540k |
The Chosen | Prime Video | 2 | 2 | 1 | 361k |
And Just Like That | HBO Max | 1 | 2 | 0 | 338k |
Comscore Social PowerRankings, US Streaming & Premium Cable shows, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Jan 9 – Mar 26, 2023; weeks are defined as Monday – Sunday.
The show’s owned profiles on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook have racked up 20.4 million actions year to date. Posts mentioning The Last of Us generated 42.5 million actions and over 100 million video views across Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
Top posts about the series range from fans celebrating the cast to recreating characters with makeup to behind-the-scenes details. Several of the top posts are simply stats about the success of the show itself. The Last of Us fandom doesn't just care about the content; they are also invested in the show's success and popularity among viewers
Top Instagram Posts
Top TikToks
@latenightseth last of us is so saaaaaad omg #pedropascal #sethmeyers #lnsm #funny #lastofus #thelastofus #lol #snl #omg ♬ original sound - Late Night with Seth Meyers
@madeyewlooklex Possibly my most detailed SFX makeup yet. I've been wanting to make a Clicker from The Last of Us for forever! Man, I love being scary. | Audio IB: @hollymurraymakeup #makeup #sfx #bodypaint #lastofus #fyp #foryoupage ♬ possibly in michigan - shaywee
Top Tweets
I can't even enjoy the last of us cuz whenever that pedro guy is on screen I start giggling blushing kicking my feet and twirling my hair
— kurtis conner (@kurtisconner) January 31, 2023
'THE LAST OF US' debuts with a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from 26 reviews.
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 10, 2023
Read our review: https://t.co/qrdlPbXfO4 pic.twitter.com/uKtli0jIUK
Streaming studios are leaning into creating gaming adaptations: Bioshock, Assassin’s Creed, Tomb Raider, and more adaptations have been announced for release in the coming months. If The Last of Us is any indication of just how successful they can be for the gaming audience and beyond, this is a great genre for them to back.
That said, now is a great time to brush up on the gaming industry. Find out more about gamers and their behavior in our latest State of Gaming report.