Prime Video yesterday revealed that the Indian Original spy series ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’, born from the world of ‘Citadel’, was the most watched series on Prime Video worldwide in its launch weekend.

The Indian series directed by Raj & DK, and starring Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, has drawn in huge global audiences, streamed in 200 countries worldwide, the streamer said in a media statement.

The series was in the Top 10 in almost 150 countries, including the US, the UK, France, Italy, Australia, Canada, Brazil and UAE, proving the trend that consumers are continuing to enjoy non-English language content. It was also #1 in the Prime Video charts in India and in over 30 countries worldwide on launch day.

“The success of ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’ shows that our non-English language International Originals continue to find fans globally through Prime Video’s huge worldwide audience,” said James Farrell, VP International Originals, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios.

“ ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’ success is another example of Indian content increasingly being appreciated by audiences worldwide,” said Nikhil Madhok, Head of Originals, Prime Video India.

“It shows that local narratives can have universal appeal and engage customers across borders. The series has received an extremely positive response in India and we are thrilled that this action spy thriller is also the most watched series on Prime Video worldwide in its launch weekend,” he added.

According to  Raj & DK, it was an enriching experience on a challenging project that gave an unique opportunity to collaborate with some of the biggest names in global entertainment and build on a larger connected world of spies, which “goes beyond the conventional storytelling formats”.

 “We have enjoyed weaving in Easter eggs and nostalgic throwbacks to 90s’ cinema into the world of ‘Honey Bunny’. And we are thrilled at the amazing response both from our home turf and from around the world,” the duo said in a statement.

“We continue to be immensely proud of our global partners on ‘Citadel’ and the success of each installment in the series. DK and Raj’s ‘Citadel: Honey Bunny’ is a truly fun, propulsive, and subversive spy show. Writer Sita Menon has crafted outstanding scripts that our talented leads, Samantha and Varun Dhawan, bring to life through shining performances,” said Angela Russo-Otstot, Executive Producer and Chief Creative Officer, AGBO.

Citadel: Honey Bunny is directed by Raj & DK and written by Menon, along with Raj & DK. The series is produced by D2R Films, Amazon MGM Studios, and executive produced by the Russo Brothers’ AGBO.

The first season of ‘Citadel’, starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas alongside Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville, premiered to global success in 2023, becoming Prime Video’s second most-watched new original series outside the US, and fourth most-watched worldwide, after 24 days.

Executive produced by the Russo Brothers’ AGBO, ‘Citadel’ and its subsequent action-espionage Original Series traverse the globe, evolving the story of spy agency Citadel and its powerful enemy syndicate, Manticore. Each series born from the world of ‘Citadel’ stars top local talent and is created, produced and filmed in region—bringing about stylistically unique shows with strong cultural identities rooted in their respective country of origin.

The Indian Original series adds to Prime Video’s breadth of Indian-produced hits, such as ‘Mirzapur’, ‘Farzi’, ‘The Family Man’, and upcoming Season 2 of ‘Paatal Lok’, Season 4 of ‘Panchayat’ and ‘Matka King’.