Game of Thrones final season set to be most expensive yet
According to Variety, the budget per episode is $15 million. While this number may seem high, it’s actually not surprising in order to make the show more lavish.To put this into more perspective, the first season of Game of Thrones costed $6 million per episode. In addition, drama series tend to get more expensive as cast and crew members’ salaries increase with each contract negotiation. (Many of the primary cast members have received substantial boosts in salary during the show’s run.)
No matter the reason, this figure is impressive considering studios typically spend around $15 million for the pilot episode of shows that require lavish sets, costumes, and props. After the pilot episode the budget per episode decreases, making the creators creative in how they want to budget the remaining episodes.
The good news for Game of Thrones is that there’s never been a show quite like it with a dedicated fanbase which includes actors, critics, and subscribers. The series has garnered numerous Emmys and broke ratings records across the board. So it’s no wonder why the show has received such lavish treatment from HBO. The series made the network a contender at the Emmys and many other awards shows. Don’t get us wrong, HBO has been a player long before Game of Thrones, but now more than ever it has the “it” show of the entire industry. All people can talk about is Game of Thrones. For example, it was constantly mentioned at the 2017 Emmys even though it wasn’t eligible to be nominated, proving that everyone is watching and everyone knows it has revolutionized the way we watch stories.
The series also a collection of merchandise and international distribution owned by HBO that allows dividends to be paid later. This all goes toward making the eighth and final season an epic event and one that the world will remember. Remember that there are also many different spin-off ideas currently in development.
In addition to the increase in budget, the series has added two top directors, Miguel Sapochinik and David Nutter. Fans will have to wait a little while for the the final season as it isn’t set for release until late 2018 or early 2019. A more specific date will be announced later down the road.
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This story was written by Samantha D’Amico. If you want to follow her on Twitter, you can do so at SAM_iamXO.