Game of Thrones is dead, long live Game of Thrones.
It seems that the reports about the death of Game of Thrones have been greatly exaggerated. Why? Because House of the Dragon, the first spin-off show from HBO's live-action adaptation of George RR Martin's beloved fantasy novels, just became the most-watched series premiere in HBO history.
In a press release, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the owners of HBO and its sister channel HBO Max, revealed that the first episode of House of the Dragon drew 9,986 million viewers on opening night. Although this figure is for US households only, Warner Bros. Discovery also confirmed that House of the Dragon is HBO Max's biggest series launch in Latin America, as well as in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), territories where the transmitter is available. . There is currently no data available on how it fared on Sky Atlantic in the UK or Foxtel in Australia.
Additionally, interest in Game of Thrones grew among HBO Max subscribers in the weeks leading up to House of the Dragon's release. WBD has confirmed that the eight-season fantasy series has seen weekly growth since June, with total audience share 90% higher in the days leading up to House of the Dragon's premiere than it was seven weeks earlier.
So it's clear that audiences haven't completely turned their backs on the Game of Thrones franchise, which will be seen as a huge win for Warner Bros. Discovery, particularly in light of some industry commentators (it opens in a new tab), including us, who suggested that after Game of Thrones' much-criticized eighth season, global interest in House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones in general had waned.
The resounding success of House of the Dragon offers a brief respite to Warner Bros. Discovery - the brand resulting from the recent merger of the two companies - after weeks of bad press. The conglomerate faced backlash (and deservedly so) over the cancellation of the DCEU movie Batgirl, as well as the removal of many fan-favorite shows and movies (opens in a new tab) from HBO Max.
In the same way that Stranger Things season 4 relieved Netflix amid its recent financial and subscriber woes, House of the Dragon appears to have done the same for WBD. People talk about House of the Dragon's most brutal scenes instead of social issues: The HBO Max series was the top trending topic on Twitter for 14 straight hours after launch.
Martin's own involvement in the formation of House of the Dragon certainly also contributed to its overnight success. The acclaimed author recently revealed (via WSJ (opens in a new tab)) that he had a larger role in the spin-off show than he did in subsequent seasons of Game of Thrones. Given that we ranked three of the last four seasons of Game of Thrones as the worst of its run, Martin's influence on the original series' structuring, plot threads, mature themes, and character arcs all played a role. important to your initial success. House of the Dragon will have benefited from Martin's extensive advisory role in its development, and the show's first 10-episode run will benefit from his involvement.
It's still early days for House of the Dragon, but all signs point to it enjoying the same success Game of Thrones enjoyed a decade ago. Warner Bros. Discovery can rejoice in its promising start, and not just because it eases the pressure on the beleaguered organization. The company has other Game of Thrones spinoffs in development, a series centered on Jon Snow and The Sea Snake, among others, and the initial success of House of the Dragon shows that there is still an audience for Westeros-based programming.
In light of their recent struggles, WBD needed a big win, and House of the Dragon actually delivered two: one for society as a whole and one for its live-action Game of Thrones franchise. The death knell has yet to sound for the latter, and for that you have House Targaryens, their dragons, and their politically charged drama to thank.
For more HBO-based coverage, check out the best HBO Max movies. Otherwise, read what comes out of the streamer at the end of August.
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