Prime Video’s New 8-Part Series Based On A Bestselling Novel Finally Fixes A Star-Studded $61M Box Office Flop

This new 8-part drama series on Prime Video is revitalizing a forgotten bestselling novel after its star-studded movie adaptation flopped at the box office more than three decades ago. Not only did the 1993 film – starring Meryl Streep, Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Antonio Banderas, and Winona Ryder – only earn $61 million worldwide against a $40 million budget, but it was also critically panned and received a Rotten Tomatoes score of just 32%.

Despite its box office failure, which was felt most of all in the United States and North America, receiving a domestic box office total of roughly $6 million, this forgotten period drama did earn mostly favorable feedback from viewers, as evidenced by its much higher audience score of 71%. Still, with such an incredible slate of award-winning actors and a landmark achievement as its source material, The House of the Spirits was destined to be a masterpiece, and Prime Video’s new series aims to prove just that.

Prime Video’s New 8-Part Series Revitalizes A Forgotten Bestseller

The House of the Spirits on Prime Video marks the first telling of the acclaimed 1982 novel of the same name by Isabel Allende in a streaming format. Following its three-episode premiere on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, the series will expand to eight total parts, with episodes 4 and 5 arriving on May 6, and the three-part finale dropping on May 13. Based on the international acclaim of the original novel, The House of the Spirits should be one of Prime Video’s top streaming hits this May.

Both the novel and the new streaming adaptation of The House of the Spirits tell a generation-spanning tale that takes place over the course of one century. Centering on the Trubea family, the series depicts the social movements and political change of an unidentified South American country, which is modeled after Chilé. The epic family saga portrays three women within the Trubea family: the grandmother, Clara, the daughter, Blanca, and the granddaughter, Alba, who each possess a spiritual, even magical, connection and awareness.

In the first episode of Prime Video’s The House of the Spirits, Alba returns to her family home and reads through her grandmother, Clara’s, personal journals. Through these diaries, Alba learns how her family came to be and the restrictive forces that opposed all forms of rebellion and revolution, enforced by her own patriarchal grandfather, Esteban. Throughout episodes 2 and 3, viewers discover how Esteban and Clara’s marriage initially begins, and how Blanca is born, before Clara unveils a dark web of secrets Esteban has been hiding.

Why The Star-Studded Movie With Meryl Streep Failed 32 Years Ago

Most viewers would attest that 1993’s star-studded film adaptation of The House of the Spirits was not as much of a misfire as its RT critic score and box office reception made it seem to be. Even if the film is flawed, it still marks one of Hollywood’s most stacked casts in history, making it worth viewing for that reason alone.

A majority of critics at the time, however, thought that the magnificent cast was nearly wasted on such a poorly executed adaptation. Legendary film critic Roger Ebert wrote in 1999, “All of the characters have the right names, all of the necessary events occur, and indeed the very best local actors have been engaged. But the soul has been mislaid,” giving the film 2/4 stars.

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Another common point critics made against The House of the Spirits was the film’s inability to capture the sharp sense of magical realism within the original novel, which is part of what made it so initially iconic. Other notes on flat directorial choices and an ineffective, pretentious tone. The LA Times even went so far as to say that it was “a misstep in the careers of pretty much everyone involved.”

Now, some 32 years after the botched film was released, Prime Video is officially ready to give The House of the Spirits another go with an extended 8-part format. Viewers who are looking for something with a vast scale, political intrigue, supernatural themes, and a remarkable source material will want to invest in The House of the Spirits this week as it seeks redemption.

The House of the Spirits

Release Date

April 29, 2026

Network

Prime Video

Writers

Isabel Allende

Cast

• 

  Alfonso Herrera

  Esteban Trueba

• 

  Nicole Wallace

  Clara del Valle Trueba – as a Child

• 

  Dolores Fonzi

  Clara del Valle Trueba

• 

  Fernanda Castillo

  Férula