‘Sharknado 2’ Sets Syfy Record With Nearly 4 Million Viewers

Some things truly are better the second time around — like Sharknado‘s ratings.

The Syfy original telepic Sharknado 2: The Second One set a network record on Wednesday night with 3.9 million viewers for its premiere telecast. That makes it the most-watched movie in network history. What’s more: It nabbed 1 billion Twitter impressions, according to the cable network.

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Both mark huge improvements from the first go-round last summer. In fact, the 1.6 million adults 18-49 actually eclipses the entire audience for the original. The sequel improved hugely over the original, up 190 percent in the key demographic.

Sharknado 2 topped most broadcast efforts as well, outrating CBS’ Extant and Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. Looking at Twitter, a Syfy release boasts that Sharknado 2 is “the most social movie on TV ever” — which, while likely true, is awfully vague.

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To be certain, the first Sharknado‘s audience never compared to its social media cachet. After a relatively middling 1.4 million viewers tuned in to the original telecast, awareness grew and encores eventually grossed 9.5 million viewers over six broadcasts last summer.

Syfy will likely have several more encores of Sharknado 2. Thus far, the only two on the calendar are set for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 2 and 3. 

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