HBO's future depends on 'House of the Dragon'

If there was one winner in the August 4th Warner Bros. Discovery call for investors, it was HBO. Premium Cable From his channel to a legacy brand, the brand has been repeatedly hailed as the company's "Crown Jewel" by CEO David Zaslav and his team. . HBO head Casey Bloys was called a"unicorn."Also, while rumors about cost-cutting measures are flying, Zaslav isn't going to downplay his future plans for HBO, stating: and the year before last.

All this good news for HBO comes with a caveat, though. Through investor calls, HBO's future has been repeatedly entrapped by the presumed success ofHouse of the Dragon.Game of ThronesHBO is embarking on its biggest and most expensive marketing campaign to date to make the show a big hit, revealing 'Game of Thrones'. Thrones' itself is Batman, Superman, Harry Potter, Shark Week, and the90 Day Fiancé Universecorporate future.

House of the Dragons is based on the "Dance of the Dragons", the civil war that tore Westeros apart nearly 200 years before the events ofGame of Thrones. I'm here. At this time, House Targaryen ruled over his seven kingdoms (excluding Dawn) with the help of magnificent dragons. But a bitter dispute over who should succeed Viserys I (Paddy Considine) on the Iron Throne escalates into a devastating war. Combat takes place on land, sea and air. The dragons clash and eventually kill each other. Game of Thrones was originally marketed as a meeting of The Sopranos and Lord of the Rings, thenHouse of the Dragons was Lore, but there are dragons, swords, and bloodshed.

On the surface like House of the Dragon I can see. It has all the ingredients of a sure hit. After all, who wouldn't want to see an incestuous Dragon Lord try to rule a medieval kingdom? Well, maybe there are many people. Game of Thrones may have been one of the most watched TV shows of all time, but its final season polarized both critics and fans (Including superfan Aaron Rodgersa cameo appearance in the penultimate episode). The show's approach tosexual violence has been the target ofcriticism from critics, so the showrunners ofHouse of the Dragonssaidthat their show We needed to make it clear that we were dealing with sexual violence.And in an age when television is flooded with high-budget high-fantasy series,House of the Dragons will be hard to distinguish from the rest.

} Less than two weeks after House of the Dragons premieres,Prime Video launches Lord of the Rings: Ring of PowerTolkien's series,poses two unique threats to the potential success of House of the Dragons. One is whether viewers are willing to embrace his two gorgeous fantasy series at the same time. Or how one outperforms the other, as in the 1998 disaster film Armegeddon beating out the similarly-themed Deep Impact at the box office that year. Is not it. Secondly, Amazon head (in spirit if not title) Jeff Bezos is a huge fan of Tolkien and his 1 trillion likeThe Rings of Power hits. A dollar-sized business works hard. House of the Dragons has clear and definite competition.

Also, theHouse of the Dragons is not from HBO. There's also the issue ofGame of Thrones's first sting in the spin-off. According to The Hollywood Reporter,the network tentatively Bloodmoonwill cost him $30 million to film a pilot for the series, and he will spend $35 million at the Academy. The award starred her two-time nominee Naomi Watts. The show was setthousands of years before Game of Thronesand would have delved into the circumstances that gave rise to the original Long Knight. Rumor has it that the pilot will focus on the marriage of the Princess of Stark to Casterly, the last of her locks, and during the wedding there will be a celestial event that causes the Long Night. that it happened. HBO passed and instead gave House of the Dragonsa full season-by-season order. 109} and paid big bucks to create the version that audiences today know and love.

Much like his Amazon effort on The Lord of the Rings, Warner Bros. Discovery is putting all its weight intoHouse of the Dragon116}, Zaslav said: This is the biggest campaign in HBO's history. In addition to traditional marketing, Zaslav uses his Discovery network to promote the show. Discovery aired the exclusive premiere of House of the Dragon during Shark Week, andAT&T promoted the show on their social media channels. Zaslav said the campaign is "already paying off. Rewatches of the original Game of Thrones have increased dramatically on HBO Max." 125} suggests that Zaslav has every reason to believe that House of the Dragonswill be a success. Audience is still there.

House of the Dragon Zaslav and his board hit big Given that, what does that mean for the future of Game of Thrones? All signs point to Martin's book as the launching pad for a never-ending fantasy franchise. Recently,Martin worked with HBO to confirm he has four more potential live-action spin-offs: Sea Snakeor Nine Voyages. }. Young Corlys Velaryon explores the wider world of Westeros. 10,000 Shipstells the story of Nymeria, the refugee queen who led her people from the banks of Essos to the shores of Dorne. The Hedge Knight, or Knight of the Seven Kingdomsis an adaptation of Martin's beloved Dunk & Egg short story. And finally Snow, the sequel series toGame of Thrones, is in development to star Kit Harrington. An anime series is also in the works. So ifHouse of the Dragonbecomes a hit, George RR Martin fans will be able to enjoy more shows set in his world.

Fans beyond his services, however, HBO needsHouse of the Dragonto be a big hit, and Warner Bros. Discovery needs more of it. If House of the Dragonlives up to expectations, it will not only boost a multi-year media strategy across the enterprise, but alsoGeorge RR Martin'sA Song of Ice and Fire world. The door to make will open. is an enduring brand in our lives. When viewers feel burnt out by the polarizing finale of Game of Thronesor are bored with high fantasy and reject the series, some of theGame of Thrones in development , but HBO's place as the favorite kid in the Warner Bros. Discovery portfolio.