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In fact, they werent even thinking it would be their biggest hit of the season.
MartinsGoTuniverse, and once again, the expectations for the project are sky-high.
And yet, this is still theGame of Thronesfranchise we are talking about.
More than 44 million Americans watched the shows finale, and its fandom remains incredibly active.
Ahead of its 9 p.m.
ET Sunday debut, heres a look at some of the pressing questions surrounding its launch.
How much is riding on the success or failure ofDragon?
Discovery execs really want it to pay off.
The natural agita that comes with a massive financial swing is also being intensified by a few other factors.
It nonetheless did huge at the box office and set the stage for a far better-received sequel.
Whatever the results of the streamers promotional campaign forDragon, no one can call it limited.
This is an event-level campaign for us, Enterlin adds.
It might not seem like it to everyone, of course.
Its different launching a tentpole show now than many years ago, Enterlin explains.
Weve become much more sophisticated in terms of targeting and how we speak directly to specific audiences.
That was also when HBO leaned into its new Warner Bros.
Discovery synergy by airing the entire three-minute spot during the first night ofShark Weekon the Discovery Channel.
Are viewers amped to return to theGame of Thronesuniverse?
No doubt some folks reallyaredone with Westeros and all of its bloody, gory, and dragon-y chaos.
Data, however, suggests plenty of others cant wait to return.
And according to Enterlin, Game of Thronesjust wrapped its biggest week of viewers since Max launched.
Third-party data backs up those boasts.
This doesnt meanDragonis destined to be a hit andLOTRis in trouble.
Will we get actual ratings, and if so, how will they compare toGame of Thrones?
Data nerds, rejoice.
Its a show on HBO, and we will put out an all-in number, he says.
This could be a blessing and a curse, of course.
It may be the first bit of data seen by the public, and it will be horribly misleading.
IfDragonopens to an all-in number south of 5 million viewers, a laGoT, it will be a disaster.
Anywhere in between will probably be open to debate, though it will still be important to be patient.
How will HBO measure success?
Success is defined as it is for any other show, with one caveat, he says.
With any show, you always look at how it performs.
Does it generate a lot of interest?
Do people sign up to see it?
How are the reviews?
But withDragon,he says the aforementioned boost the spinoff is giving to theGoTlibrary is also worth factoring in.
Thats also a measure of success.
But whatever the numbers show, dont be surprised if the streamer moves very quickly to giveDragona second-season order.
Will there be more spinoffs?
Despite internet speculation to the contrary,Dragonis the only new green-lit series from theGoTuniverse.
Beyond that, however, hes not willing to say much.
Part of making television is the development process, and not everything works, he explains.
Theres a lot of experimentation.
There are people who think were shooting literally shooting five to ten other series at the moment.
Were just trying to develop good scripts.
And if we feel very strongly about one and we think its great, well make another one.
