HBO Max has set a new personal best, after nearly 10 million viewers came in droves for the House of the Dragon premiere this Sunday.
Starring Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy and Australian newcomer Milly Alcock, The Game of Thrones prequel marks the most successful debut ever for Warner Bros’ streaming service, and a welcome boost to flagging viewership numbers.
Although there were some reports of servers crashing as the network struggled to keep up, the successful premiere was a much-needed win for a struggling network that recently laid off 14% of its workforce and scrapped the nearly complete Batgirl feature film.
“It was wonderful to see millions of Game of Thrones fans return with us to Westeros last night,” said HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys, adding: “House of the Dragon features an incredibly talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into the production, and we’re ecstatic with viewers’ positive response.”
Barring Disney+, most streaming services are struggling to keep hold of subscribers at the moment, as households ditch non-essential services amid a cost-of-living crisis.
But with Amazon Prime’s own fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power due to premiere on September 2, the company is likely banking on a similar boost to falling subscription numbers.