The Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon, debuted on HBO Max (and Disney+ Hotstar in India) on Sunday. Given the enormous popularity of Game of Thrones, many people were unsure if the new programme would be able to match its success.

However, if recent HBO sales data are to be believed, House of the Dragon appears to have outperformed its predecessor and left it in the dust.

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HBO, which aired Game of Thrones from 2011 to 2019, is currently streaming House of the Dragon through its streaming service HBO Max. According to the most recent estimate, 9.986 million people in the United States alone watched the first episode of House of the Dragon, which began streaming on August 21. This figure includes both TV and OTT viewers. This makes it the biggest series debut in the industry’s history.

What’s remarkable about this figure is how much higher it is than the number of individuals who saw the first episode of Game of Thrones. According to HBO data, around 2.2 million people watched the Game of Thrones pilot when it aired on April 17, 2011. However, it should be noted that the popularity of Game of Thrones grew as the seasons progressed. Nielsen Media Research reports that 13.61 million people watched the season finale, which was broadcast on May 19, 2019. It will be interesting to see whether House of the Dragon can reach that figure.

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“It was fantastic that so many Game of Thrones fans joined us in Westeros last night. The House of the Dragon cast and crew put their hearts and souls into the project, and we are pleased by the positive reception from fans “Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer of HBO and HBO Max, said in a statement.

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House of the Dragon was inspired by a companion book to George RR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series, on which Game of Thrones was based. This book is titled Fire & Blood. It tells the story of the infamous Dance of the Dragons civil war under the Targaryen dynasty, which occurs around two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones.