Stephen King's 2024 Vampire Movie Becomes Streaming Hit Despite 45% RT Score

Salem's Lot (2024) has become a streaming hit even though the Stephen King adaptation has only a 45% Rotten Tomatoes score. Directed by Gary Dauberman, the Max exclusive film is the second adaptation of King's 1975 horror novel, chronicling the story of author Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) as he returns to his hometown and discovers the presence of a blood-thirty vampire. Reviews for Salem's Lot have been mixed from critics since the film's release on October 3, with criticism aimed at the film's lack of scares and surprises.

New data from Reelgood now reveals that Salem's Lot ranks as the second most popular title on streaming overall in the U.S. for the week of October 3 – 9, beaten only by Nobody Wants This (2024). When looking only at movies on streaming, the King adaptation claims the number one spot. In the overall list, Salem's Lot beats titles like It's What's Inside (2024), The Penguin (2024–), and Wolfs (2024). Check out the full top 10 list below:

Reelgood's Top 10 Streaming Movies & TV Shows (Week of Oct. 3 – 9) Rank Title 1 Nobody Wants This (2024) 2 Salem's Lot (2024) 3 The Penguin (2024–) 4 Wolfs (2024) 5 Agatha All Along (2024–) 6 Only Murders In The Building (2021–) 7 Hold Your Breath (2024) 8 Hold Your Breath (2024) 9 High Potential (2024–) 10 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–)

What Salem's Lot's Streaming Success Means For The Movie

How Much Will Viewership Drop In The Coming Weeks?

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The Reelgood data above covers Salem's Lot's first week of availability on the service, and it's not unusual to see new titles pop up on these lists, regardless of their quality. Metrics like Rotten Tomatoes scores, however, can be useful in judging how a film will fare over the coming weeks. While those interested in King adaptations – and this is a large group – were surely quick to watch the movie during its first week, more casual viewers could be dissuaded from checking the film out if it doesn't have a positive reception online.

In addition to a poor critics' score, Salem's Lot's audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is a lackluster 40%. Combined with the critics' score, this would suggest that Salem's Lot leaves much to be desired. It's possible that this lackluster reception will lead to Salem's Lot ranking lower in Reelgood's charts next week, as there may not be positive word-of-mouth to give it a boost.

1979's Salem's Lot features an 89% critics' score and a 65% audience score.

Related Salem's Lot Ending Explained: What Happens To Ben Mears & The Town A new adaptation of Stephen King's classic horror story, Salem's Lot, is out, and there's plenty of material to break down from the climactic ending.

That being said, Salem's Lot remains one of the more well-known King works, and it's possible that King's name alone will help the film continue to succeed in the coming weeks. It's not clear what the budget is for the movie, but the adaptation has evidently gotten off to a strong start in terms of viewership.

Our Take On Salem's Lot's Streaming Success

King Adaptations Continue To Be An Audience Draw

Adaptations of King's work have been a mixed bag for decades. Though the upcoming The Life of Chuck (2025) has earned positive reviews thus far, many other adaptations, such as Mr. Harrigan's Phone (2022), Firestarter (2022), and Children of the Corn (2020) have been poorly received. Salem's Lot, then, isn't an outlier in terms of its mixed reception. Though Salem's Lot's streaming success speaks to the continued interest that exists for King adaptations, the mixed reviews suggest that the 1979 adaptation from director Tobe Hooper will remain the definitive adaptation of this story, at least for now.

Source: Reelgood