Mercedes Ron’s latest Prime Video adaptation has landed at No. 1 on the streamer’s film chart in its opening week, continuing a run that has made her one of the most reliable book-to-screen brands on the service.
Straight to the top
Drawn Together (Enfrentados: Marfil) topped both the overall film ranking and the non-English-language film chart for the week of September 7-13, according to Prime Video data reported by Deadline. It placed ahead of big-budget titles including Project Hail Mary in fourth and Masters of the Universe in fifth.
The Spanish-language original stars Ester Expósito as Marfil, daughter of a Spanish tycoon whose New York life is upended by a kidnapping, and Hugo Diego García as Sebastian, the bodyguard recruited to protect her after her release.
A franchise flywheel in non-English content
Ron’s track record on Prime Video is unusual. The adaptations of her Culpables books are the streamer’s most-watched international originals ever, with more than 100 million viewers. In the latest non-English film top 10, Ron titles dominate: Drawn Together sits at No. 1, the Culpables trilogy still ranks, and her Dímelo Bajito adaptation also appears.
That concentration explains the structural bet Amazon MGM Studios has made. Ron is locked into a first-look deal under the House of Ron banner. Nicole Clemens, VP and Head of International Originals at Amazon MGM Studios, said the studio is “beyond happy” that the new adaptation has been embraced with the same passion as the Culpables franchise.
What the data signals for streaming planners
- Local-language IP can drive global chart placement: a Spanish-language romance thriller outperformed major English-language titles in the overall movie chart.
- Book-to-screen pipelines are retention tools: each Ron adaptation brings a built-in fan base and feeds catalog viewing for earlier titles.
- Female-skewing genre blends widen reach: Ron credits the mix of romance, action and thriller for attracting a broad international audience.
- First-look deals matter: locking up a proven author can create a multi-title franchise instead of a one-off hit.
Ron said audiences respond to how her stories combine multiple genres, and that Drawn Together in particular offers “a more mature story” built around an independent, strong-willed female lead.
The film was produced by Pokeepsie Films, part of Banijay, the same label behind the Culpables films.
For entertainment marketers and streaming analysts, the chart result is a reminder that global viewing is not just about the biggest budgets or English-language IP. A well-developed author brand with recurring genre appeal can be a steady driver of first-week demand and catalog re-watching.
Source: Deadline
