Akasha’s (Aaliyah) bloody reign finally receives some much-needed respect, as the 2002 follow-up to Interview with the Vampire (1994) is now a Top 10 hit on Tubi. It’s been over 20 years since the much-maligned Queen of the Damned opened in theaters, but the Stuart Townsend and Aaliyah-led horror flick currently ranks among some of the most-watched films in the United States on the free streaming service. And Queen of the Damned holds an average ranking of No. 9 for the week. So, why did so many originally shun director Michael Rymer’s film?
First, Interview with the Vampire stars, Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, were noticeably absent from Queen of the Damned. Cruise’s Lestat de Lioncourt was portrayed by Townsend, while Pitt’s Louis de Pointe du Lac didn’t figure into the sequel’s plot at all. Part of what made the original movie so memorable was Cruise and Pitt’s unforgettable performances and their undeniable on-screen chemistry. Sadly, those integral performers were missing from Queen of the Damned.
Second, and perhaps most damaging, many liberties were taken with Queen of the Damned when it came to adapting the late Anne Rice’s novels to the big screen. Warner Bros. Pictures wrongly tried to cram content from two full-length novels, The Vampire Lestat (1985) and The Queen of the Damned (1988), into a 104-minute movie. Plus, Townsend’s Lestat looked nothing like the blonde-haired and grayish-blue-eyed vampire from the source material. And most egregious of all, the filmmakers changed Lestat’s maker from Magnus to Marius (Vincent Perez) for seemingly no reason at all.
‘Queen of the Damned’ Scores on Tubi, Not With Critics
Today, Interview with the Vampire is enjoying a renaissance thanks to the success of the AMC television series, which will more accurately portray The Vampire Lestat novel in Season 3, with rock star Lestat de Lioncourt (Sam Reid). However, in 2002, critics drove their collective stakes through the heart of Queen of the Damned. And, as a result, the sequel only registers a dismal 17% against 130 reviews currently posted to Rotten Tomatoes.
Despite all the drastic changes to Queen of the Damned, fans were more forgiving, likely because Stuart Townsend and the late music sensation, Aaliyah, brought their best acting games when it came to portraying Lestat and Akasha respectively. Thus, the Interview with the Vampire follow-up registers much higher at 66% on the Popcornmeter, formerly the RT audience score. In addition, theatergoers gave Queen of the Damned a “C+” CinemaScore. Now, observe the disparity when the follow-up is compared with the higher Interview with the Vampire ratings: Tomatometer (63%), Popcornmeter (86%), CinemaScore (B+).
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It’s not surprising that Queen of the Damned finally found an audience on streaming. Aaliyah, who tragically died six months before the film began its theatrical run, gave a mesmerizing performance as the titular character. And when watched as a standalone movie, which had nothing to do with 1994’s Interview with the Vampire, the 2002 sequel was quite enjoyable — and it boasted an incredible soundtrack.
Queen of the Damned is now streaming absolutely free on Tubi. And for those who haven’t seen what has unquestionably become one of the must-see series on television today, be sure to check out the San Diego Comic-Con teaser for AMC’s Interview with the Vampire Season 3.
