Mercedes Ron’s hot streak on Prime Video is continuing. Drawn Together (Enfrentados: Marfil) has gone straight in at No. 1 on the streamer’s viewing top 10.
The Prime Video original tops both the overall and non-English-language rankings. Ron is no stranger to success on Prime Video; the adaptations of her Culpables books are the streamer’s most-watched international originals ever, hitting over 100 million viewers.
“Every time one of my books is brought to life as an adaptation I feel the pressure, so my reaction when I found out we were No. 1 was, first and foremost, an immense feeling of happiness, both for me and for the incredible team who made this possible,” Ron told Deadline.
The Spanish-language film launched last week. It stars Ester Expósito and Hugo Diego García and is the book-to-film adaptation of Marfil, which is the first installment in the two-book Enfrentados series by Ron. Expósito (Élite) plays Marfil, the daughter of a Spanish tycoon whose New York lifestyle is shaken after she is kidnapped and then released. García (The Substance) is Sebastian, who is recruited as her bodyguard.
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Drawn Together placed first, above blockbusters such as Project Hail Mary in fourth and Masters of the Universe in fifth, in the latest Prime Video film ranking, for the week of September 7-13.
In the ranking of non-English-language films, Ron adaptations dominate. Drawn Together is in top spot and the Culpables trilogy – Culpa Mia, Culpa Nuestra and Culpa Tuya – all still figure in the top 10, as does the adaptation of Ron’s Dímelo Bajito.
Unsurprisingly given the success of adaptations of Ron novels, Amazon MGM Studios has her locked into a first-look deal; her work is housed under the House of Ron banner. “Her stories have an incomparable ability to connect with Prime Video audiences all over the world,” Nicole Clemens, VP and Head of International Originals at Amazon MGM Studios, told Deadline.
“We’re beyond happy that our Drawn Together adaptation has been embraced with the same passion as the Culpables franchise before it. Witnessing the hundreds of passionate fans react at last week’s premiere in Madrid, we’re not surprised this fervor has translated into viewers worldwide.”
Ron said that audiences connect with her books because of how they mesh romance, action, thriller and other genres, which attracts a broad and international audience.
“Drawn Together, in particular, is a more mature story, featuring an independent, strong-willed and committed female character,” she said. “She’s not just beautiful; she’s strong and determined, making her an aspirational character.”
Drawn Together is produced by Pokeepsie Films, part of Banijay and the same label that made the Culpables films.
