House of the Dragon was HBO’s most successful premiere yet and water is wet

After the anti-climactic Game of Thrones finale, fans have been clamouring for more content set in the A Song of Ice and Fire universe. So, it comes as no surprise that the Targaryen-centric House of the Dragon pulled in massive numbers, to the point where the HBO Max website crashed due to excessive traffic.

Variety has learned from HBO that nearly 10 million people watched the House of the Dragon premiere through its official channels. That number is likely much higher, given that the episode was leaked a day before it aired. It is impossible to keep a track of the number of people who pirated the episode, but it isn’t an insignificant number.

To put things in perspective, that figure is more than double the 4.2 million viewers that Game of Thrones’ premiere pulled in. Then again, access to HBO was remarkably more limited in 2011 when the show first aired. Even the show’s now-reviled finale had about 18 million viewers hooked to their seats.

House of the Dragon can potentially draw in a much larger audience once a few episodes are out and about. While the overall reception to the premier has been positive, many skeptics are waiting for House of The Dragon to pan out for a few more episodes before giving it a chance.

Fans’ skepticism around House of the Dragon is understandable, given the horrible turn Game of Thrones took towards the end. However, they can take solace in the fact that HBO got rid of the infamous “D and D” duo and went for better showrunners, who will hopefully do House of the Dragon the justice it deserves.

Also read: Fans react to the shocking birthing scene in House of The Dragon Episode 1