House of the Dragon Season 2’s Huge Ratings Still Fell Short of Its Series Debut

House of the Dragon is back (with a third season now on the way, too), and it’s roared onto HBO and Max with the commanding presence of Vhagar, King’s Landing’s fire-breathing new bodyguard. But while the season two premiere was a triumph, it came up short compared to the Game of Thrones prequel’s record-breaking 2022 debut.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, House of the Dragon’s season two premiere lured 7.8 million viewers “across all platforms in the U.S.” Sunday night, which is “about 22 percent below the show’s record-setting series premiere in August 2022,” which raked in nearly 10 million viewers. (It was, the trade notes, “the most-watched series opener in HBO’s history.”) On average, each episode in season one pulled in 9 to 9.5 million viewers on Sunday nights; its 90-day average for each episode in season one was 29 million across all platforms. House of the Dragon was the post-Game of Thrones HBO ratings champ until The Last of Us (which averaged more than 30 million viewers per episode).

Still, as both THR and Variety point out, House of the Dragon’s numbers are still cause for celebration. As THR writes, HBO and Max are claiming “Max had its biggest single day globally since its launch;” what’s more, the streamer also enjoyed a bump on season one House of the Dragons episodes, as fans presumably decided to refresh their memories on which dastardly and/or scheming Targaryen was which ahead of the show’s return.

New episodes of House of the Dragon arrive Sunday nights on HBO and Max.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel and Star Wars releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about House of the Dragon and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.