The Dutch royal family series Maxima cemented its place as one of Europe’s post-peak TV sales blockbusters and has been licensed from Beta Films in more than 85 territories worldwide.
Often compared to “The Crown,” the series dramatizes the real-life adventures of Argentina’s Máxima Zorreguieta, from a fun-loving New York-based economist to becoming the titular Queen Máxima of the Netherlands.
News of the sales smash comes as Beta Films exclusively shared a new trailer for season 2 with Variety as the company prepares to offer 12 episodes of Maxima at a London TV screening in late February.
Among the new licensing deals, Betafilm has inked deals with France’s HBO Max for Maxima, South Korea’s leading SVOD service LG U+, and Arabic Dubai TV for the Middle East and North Africa. Communication channel Nova releases “Maxima” in Greece and Cyprus.
The proceeds join a slew of deals announced since 2024, when “Máxima” succumbed to the Cannes series, as well as deals with HBO Max for Latin America and Australia’s public broadcaster SBS, as well as multi-broadcaster deals with Scandinavia and other German-speaking countries. Season 2 is set to be released on March 14th on Videoland, RTL’s Dutch streaming service, and while season 1 broke records, it’s no surprise when it offers an intimate portrait of the country’s crowned queen.
But internationally, episode 1 drew more than 1 million viewers on Atresmedia’s SVOD service Atresplayer, ranked in the top 10 of international series on RaiPlay in Italy, broke records on HBO Max in Latin America, and became the most-watched premiere of all time in Máxima’s home country of Argentina. It also ranked in the top 10 for several weeks across Latin America on HBO Max.
Based on Marcia Luiten’s Máxima Zorregieta: Homeland, produced by Millstreet Films (The Neighbors) in the Netherlands, and co-produced with FBO and Beta Films, Máxima’s story is, at least in its first two seasons, a perfect example of the universal story of the transition from youth to adulthood.
Season 1 sometimes played as a comedy of contrasts, as when the outgoing Máxima (Delfina Chávez) and the nagging Willem-Alexander (Martín Lakemire) first meet at the 1999 Seville Spring Fair. Maxima drags him out to dance. She has relaxed movements, and the future King of the Netherlands dances like a jerboa.
But this series is above all a royal love story from Máxima’s point of view. Máxima is then introduced to the kindly Queen Beatrix, a shrewd advert from the Netherlands who tries to put her at ease. However, the past of Máxima’s father, Jorge Zorreguieta, one of the longest-serving civilian ministers in Argentina’s brutal military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983, led to a spat between Máxima and Willem-Alexander, which was reported in the Dutch press. Season 1 climaxes with the couple’s engagement.
As Variety reported, some fairy tales end with a royal wedding. Season 2 of “Maxima” begins with a scene shown in the new trailer. Maxima, outwardly calm, is a bundle of nerves. There is a deeper reason than fear of ceremonial snafu. “Are we really ready to serve 17 million people?” Maxima asks himself. “I don’t know,” she answered frankly.
Scenes in the second half of season 2, directed by Saskia Deesing and Jouche Douk and produced by Rachel Van Bommel of Millstreet Films, show Máxima becoming pregnant and then a young mother. It seems that she still loves Willem-Alexander very much. Season 2 will also feature a replica of Maxima’s legendary Valentino wedding dress. But marriage is not a bed of roses. Máxima is exposed to intense public scrutiny and sometimes criticism. “They are trying to destroy me,” Máxima stormed the newspaper one day. “I want to be judged for everything I’ve fought for. For who I am,” added Máxima, a staunch defender of immigration and LGBTQ causes.
There are also tragedies. But the real drama is how Maxima will be able to fulfill her responsibilities as a wife, mother, and future queen while keeping her voice as season 2 races toward her coronation. “We all have to compromise,” says Queen Beatrix. Máxima seems to be trying to learn, sometimes the hard way.
