One of the biggest breakout TV shows of 2025 has now found success at the box office. The “Heated Rivalry” Season 1 finale ended last year with a barnburner and the show’s popularity has only continued to grow since then. While fans eagerly await Season 2, Regal Cinemas partnered with HBO Max and Crave to bring the first season to theaters. Fans turned up to see Shane and Ilya on the silver screen.
As “Godzilla Minus Zero” ruled the box office with a $30.5 million opening, much further down on the weekend’s chart, “Heated Rivalry” pulled in a respectable $1.4 million on just over 1,000 screens, making for a solid $1,409 per-screen average. That’s certainly not bad for a show that anyone could stream right now from the comfort of home with the price of a subscription they likely already pay for. But this speaks to the rabid fanbase that has developed around the romantic hockey show.
“Heated Rivalry” focuses on two rival hockey stars at the top of their game who develop feelings for each other, complicating their careers and the sport’s expectations. It’s based on the book series by Rachel Reid. Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie lead the cast as Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov, respectively.
To say that the show took off in a way that surprised people would be a bit of an understatement. It dominated HBO Max’s charts and became a downright cultural sensation. So much so that a former NHL player hopes “Heated Rivalry” can change pro hockey culture. It made a real impact.
Heated Rivalry is the latest hit TV show to find success on the big screen
For Regal, Crave, and all involved, the millions the show makes in its theatrical release is a cherry on top of the sundae. Regal is charging $9.99 for two episode blocks of the series, which fans can watch in order if they choose to go three times to watch all six episodes.
This is just the latest example of an already successful TV show finding success on the big screen. Netflix’s “Stranger Things” finale was a huge hit for theaters even if it didn’t impact the box office, as those tickets were for “concessions vouchers” and not actual tickets. But lots of people still turned up nonetheless. “Doctor Who” has also had multiple theatrical events for various episodes over the years, sticking in the sci-fi realm.
More recently, an unlikely savior emerged at the box office in 2024, with two very different shows doing meaningful business. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba — To the Hashira Training,” which is just several episodes of the TV show fashioned into a feature, helped establish anime as a true, blue way to sell a lot of tickets. At the same time, the faith-based series “The Chosen” was finding lots of success by screening episodes in theaters. All together, those episodes have grossed more than $100 million worldwide.
Not every show is a good fit for this sort of thing but the right show at the right time can certainly benefit from catering to more hardcore fans. Meanwhile, “Heated Rivalry” Season 2 is in the works, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Deadline recently reported that Season 3 is also being filmed, along with a movie. So there’s much for fans to look forward to.
