Seeking more hockey romance, thirsty “Heated Rivalry” fans are turning to TikTok, where stories about fictional romantic entanglements within the sport have thrived for years.
Book lovers on the platform, many of whom are active in the “HockeyTok” community, had long anticipated the adaptation of the series by author Rachel Reid. The story follows two top hockey players, Shane Hollander (played by Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (played by Connor Storrie), who find themselves at odds on the ice but entangled in the bedroom.
Since the show’s Nov. 28 debut on the Canadian streaming service Crave and HBO Max, “Heated Rivalry,” produced by Accent Aigu Entertainment in Canada, has become the latest internet obsession, with hundreds of people posting fan edits that have racked up millions of views across social media.
“I’m nothing if not a yearner, and ‘Heated Rivalry’ had the yearning down,” said Amber Appelman, 24, who makes viral edit videos from her home in the Netherlands. “The rivalry and the sex between these characters is exciting for sure, but the cracks that start to form in their feelings towards one another through the years is what really sold me.”
Fan edits, or social media user-made compilations of clips from a show or movie, often set to music, are not a new phenomenon. But in recent years, their popularity has become an indicator that something has broken through to the mainstream. The format has become a way for Hollywood studios to see what resonates online authentically, and how they can leverage the fandom even further.
Lionsgate, which is behind the “John Wick” and “Hunger Games” franchises, revealed last year that it enlisted TikTok fan editors to help it market its movies, a strategy that the studio says has paid off.
The studio first capitalized on fan edits when it noticed fans were posting nostalgic videos of its popular franchise “Twilight.” Though the first installment, based on books by Stephenie Meyer, was released in 2008, the franchise found new fans in younger TikTok users who were just discovering it for the first time.
Felipe Mendez, the Gen Zer who was behind Lionsgate’s decision to hire editors, said he’s gotten feedback from fans that they feel the studio understands them.
“That’s meant a lot to me in the discourse in the comment section, because it’s like, no, I understand you because I am one of you, right?” he said. “I’m in the same group chats as the fans.”
Mendez hired a team of 18- to 27-year-old editors from around the globe to keep creating the type of content viewers were loving. He said he feels strongly that fan edits “are here to stay.”
Recently, after the addition of fan editors to its marketing team, Lionsgate tapped into what was resonating online to promote the latest installment of “Now You See Me.”
While on a press tour for “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” one of its stars, Isla Fisher, shared that she and her cast mates often commented on how attractive co-star Dave Franco looks when he is wet on screen, calling him “Wet Dave.”
Fans immediately homed in on that nickname, as did Lionsgate, which posted a video mixing Fisher’s comments with footage of Franco from the film. It has garnered nearly a million views as of this week.
When asked about it during an appearance on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” last month, Franco joked about seeing the video.
“Lionsgate … reached out with this TikTok video they made and wanted me to approve it before they put it on socials,” he said. “I was thinking it was going to be a cool behind-the-scenes look at us doing some difficult card tricks … and then I opened the video and it’s a thirst trap video of me and I’m wet, and I’m like this is living on Lionsgate official TikTok page? What are doing?”
Some TikTok users said fan edits have influenced what content they choose to consume.
Gwen Hugenberg, a 15-year-old in Indiana, said she has seen several trailers that have made her want to skip an outing to the theater or a binge watch at home. People’s fan edits, however, have swayed her.
“I think part of what really speaks to people is that a movie can be conveyed in a different lighting or sense than what they thought when they saw it,” said Hugenberg, who spends her free time in between school and playing sports making fan edits using the app CapCut.
Many online also said making fan edits has helped them forge a sense of community. With “Heated Rivalry” in particular, social media users said the gay love story, and its popularity online, has made them feel less alone.
“I’m a queer woman who was raised in a small, conservative town, so to see a gay, sex-forward show gain such a following has felt pretty important,” said Melissa, 19, who asked not to use her last name due to concerns her family would learn about her sexuality.
The teen, who goes by the TikTok username lissaxedits13, said she uses CapCut (“the free version, because I’m a broke college student”) to make edits about the show, which have garnered millions of views.
Madeline Cavna, 26, from Gaithersburg, Maryland, said she was “surprised” by the “overwhelming positive attention” surrounding her “Heated Rivalry” edits.
“It’s apparent this show was made with a lot of care for its audience,” she said. “And in a time in my country where there’s a great political and cultural shift towards hate, division and homophobia, this unifying cultural moment about a fictional gay love story feels unbelievably healing.”
HBO Max, which did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment, has already renewed “Heated Rivalry” for a second season.
And Williams and Storrie, the show’s stars, have become one of Hollywood’s favorite duos, with even fellow celebrities fawning over them.
