A&E's HOUDINI Premieres to 3.7 Million Total Viewers

Part one of HISTORY's miniseries event HOUDINI (#Houdini), starring Academy Award® winner Adrien Brody (The Pianist) as The Great Harry Houdini, mesmerized 3.7 million Total Viewers last night, making it cable's number one miniseries premiere of 2014. HOUDINI, which follows the epic tales of the master escape artist as he emerges as the world's first bonafide superstar, also averaged averaged 1.5 million Adults 25-54 viewers and 1.2 million Adults 18-49 viewers in its9:00pm time period, according to Nielsen Fast Cable Ratings.

At History.com, HOUDINI ranks as the site's best scripted premiere of 2014 for visits, and top three of all time, trailing only The Bibleand Hatfields & McCoys (source: Adobe Analytics).

From humble beginnings at circus sideshows to sold-out concert halls, Eastern European immigrant Ehrich Weiss rose to become a household name across the globe - Houdini. Brody stars as The Great Harry HOUDINI as he finds fame, engages in espionage, battles spiritualists, and encounters the greatest names of the era, from U.S. presidents to Arthur CONAN Doyle and Rasputin. A thrilling ride throughout Harry's psyche, HOUDINI delves deep behind the curtain into his life through his stunts, his visions, and his mastery of illusion.

Joining Brody is Kristen Connolly (House of Cards, The Cabin the Woods) as Bess Houdini, the love of Harry's life and right hand when it came to some of his most amazing feats, and Evan Jones (A Million Ways to Die in the West, The Book of Eli, Gangster Squad) as Jim Collins, Harry's assistant and confidant.

HOUDINI is a Lionsgate/A+E Studios Co-Production. Gerald W. Abrams (Nuremberg, Family of Spies) and Andras Hamori (Sunshine) serve as executive producers. Academy Award® nominated Nicholas Meyer (The Seven-Per-Cent Solution) is writer and Oscar® nominated director Uli Edel (The Baader Meinhof Complex, Hotel Adlon) helms HOUDINI. Academy Award® winning veteran Patrizia von Brandenstein (Amadeus) is production designer and Karl Walter Lindenlaub, whose work ranges from American blockbusters (Independence Day) to award-winning art house movies (Black Book) is cinematographer. Dirk Hoogstra and Julian P. Hobbs are Executives in Charge of Production for HISTORY.