'House of the Dragon' smashes more viewership records!
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Game of Thrones' prequel ‘House of the Dragon’ has been garnering plaudits ever since its first episode aired on HBO and HBO Max last week. Critics have been raving about its stellar performances, and fans are equally delighted. The show, based on George RR Martin’s ‘Fire & Blood’, starts almost 172 years before the events of ‘Game of Thrones’ and chronicles the zenith-to-ashes journey of House Targaryen. A nasty civil war pits all the Targaryens against each other in a bloody race for the Iron Throne. At the core, it tells the poignant tale of Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen’s (Emma D’Arcy) journey against the traditionalist faction of Westeros to become her father King Viserys I Targaryen’s (Paddy Considine) true heir and the first female queen to inherit the Iron Throne of Westeros.
An exciting scoop for ardent fans who are now waiting for the third episode to air on HBO Max on September 4 is that the war saga is becoming a real unstoppable force. The series, which also got renewed for a second season a few days back, has ended up smashing viewership records for both the VoD platforms Foxtel and Binge in Australia.
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'House of the Dragon' has set a new viewing record on Foxtel and its entertainment streaming service Binge. The group said the first episode of the 'Game of Thrones' prequel had already amassed 1.2 million viewers since it premiered last Monday, August 22. It has thus become the biggest premiere for any show in history across Foxtel and Binge.
In an interview with Variety on August 29, Alison Hubert-Burns, executive director for Binge, said, “The show has launched to strong critical acclaim from reviewers here and around the world, and we are so thrilled that the series has reignited ‘Game of Thrones’ fans, and brought in a new audience as viewers tune in to see what all the hype is about.”
The cast of the prequel saga includes Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best, Sonoya Mizuno, Fabien Frankel and Rhys Ifans. The series also features Australian stars Milly Alcock as young Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Ryan Corr as Ser Harwin ‘Breakbones’ Strong.
Previously, the Australian premiere of the show generated local and international headlines when CEO of the Foxtel Group Patrick Delany branded 'Game of Thrones' actress Emilia Clarke a “short, dumpy girl” while explaining his experience with the program.
According to Variety, a spokesperson told Crikey that Delany’s comments were meant to be light-hearted. The quote read, “The aim was to convey that for him, “Game of Thrones” was something very different for television in 2011 and that Emilia Clarke went from relatively unknown to one of the most recognized and most-loved actors in television and film. On behalf of Mr Delany, the Foxtel Group apologizes if his remarks were misunderstood and caused any offense.”
