‘Heated Rivalry’ Fans Pack Sherman Oaks Theater for Season 1 Return

Fans packed the Regal Sherman Oaks Galleria on Sunday night for the theatrical release of Season 1 of “Heated Rivalry,” one year after the HBO Max-Crave series debuted. The crowd — largely women, with a scattering of men — erupted into raucous cheers during the penultimate and final episodes.

The series adapts Rachel Reid’s bestselling “Game Changers” books. Jacob Tierney adapted it for the screen. It follows the decades-spanning, illicit relationship between two rival hockey stars: Shane Hollander, played by Hudson Williams, and Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie. Season 2 is currently in production, and the theatrical release gave audiences their first chance to watch the love story on a big screen.

Why did fans show up?

Many attendees wore Boston Raiders or Montreal Metros T-shirts. Others carried special-edition popcorn buckets and soda cups. Several fans told Variety they came to support the show financially.

“I’m down to financially support the show’s success, and also both Hudson and Connor’s success as actors,” Aubrie Shadday, 29, said.

Crystal Naldi, 32, admitted she came late to the series. “I honestly wasn’t into the show at first, but my friends kept nagging at me to watch it,” she said, adding that she regretted missing “Red, White and Royal Blue” in theaters and refused to repeat the mistake: “I know I’m gonna kick my own ass if I don’t go. I better fucking go.”

What did the big screen add?

Fans said they had already watched the series several times, but the theater presentation revealed details they had missed at home.

“I’m getting goose bumps over scenes I’ve seen 30 times,” Anna, 44, said. “You can hear things you didn’t hear before, like Ilya’s necklace during certain scenes and see Hudson’s watery eyeballs this big.”

“Something about seeing it on the big screen is just insane,” Sam, 34, said. “I do think this is how I need to watch everything I like a lot.”

Yesenia Vargas, 28, valued the collective reaction. “Everyone watched it essentially by themselves, so hearing everyone giggle or laugh or sniffle here and there is really cool,” she said.

Why does the chemistry matter to viewers?

Fans repeatedly credited Williams and Storrie’s on-screen connection for the show’s global appeal. Shadday said the realism ruined other romances for her. “I don’t know how they did it. They’re very talented, but it just hits,” she said.

“It made me hopeful for romance,” Taylor Benson, 37, said.

“I don’t think we’ve seen a true love story like this, a queer love story, the diversity of it is really cool,” Vargas said.

Anna pushed back on reductive readings of the show. “A lot of people make lowbrow jokes like ‘Oh, gay and sexy.’ It’s so much more than that,” she said. “It’s seeing these two people fall in love and their relationship develop.”

“I’m pretty sure they invented chemistry,” Sam added. “I’m positive that it didn’t exist before them.”

How did the theater sound change the viewing?

The score and soundtrack drew praise. Benson, a former post-production music worker, credited Tierney directly. “He made it a beautiful show, and I used to work in post-production music and the music is amazing,” she said.

Vargas said the theater’s sound system “helps tell the story” in ways home viewing cannot.

What do fans expect from Season 2?

Many superfans have retroactively read the books, so they already know the Season 2 plot. Their expectations center on the couple rather than surprises.

“Them just being together as a united front, even though it’s still in secret, is definitely what I’m looking forward to,” Naldi said.

“I’m excited to see Connor and Hudson get even more into the thick of it emotionally,” Shadday said.

Anna wants “the continuation of their love story and being able to see queer joy continue to be explored and to be able to see them living in their truth.” With Season 2 in production, that continuation now has a production timeline — and a fanbase that has already proven it will buy a ticket.