New Series High

[sj4iy]

This is empirically false. See here.

Hilariously wishful thinking is more like it XD

[boojam]

I am assuming Lena Headey is going to have many, many scenes next season. I also would not be surprised if they brought the Sand Snakes to King's Landing at a much earlier point than in the books.

And Natalie Dormer, that cat fight is about the only thing they have and I think it will be honed better GRRM did it.

Tho it will be an interesting to see Mark Gatiss's interaction with Lena , since I am sure he will be sent by the IB, no need for a Noho Dimittis.

I dearly hope they mute the Faith Militant thing, George likes his sudden improvisations , but this is one that just seemed like a ta da! that sprang from the thigh of Zeus!

[boojam]

This is empirically false. See here.

Yes Faint, if what's going on keeps up LaffsAtBookReaders does not seem to read the news.

If this keeps up looks like HBO will have a new record breaker on it's hands.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/timeline/34e7c36a4e2610e4bde1184da6a79bb7.png

[boojam]

If ratings really go through the ceiling and if what George is implying ... that is that THE BIG CLIMAX needs a Peter Jackson treatment...

Time Warner might be eying a 200 million dollar movie looking for a world wide billion dollar box office.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/06/03/george-r-r-martin-ice-and-fire-publishing-plan-game-of-thrones/

[sj4iy]

If ratings really go through the ceiling and if what George is implying ... that is that THE BIG CLIMAX needs a Peter Jackson treatment...

Time Warner might be eying a 200 million dollar movie looking for a world wide billion dollar box office.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/06/03/george-r-r-martin-ice-and-fire-publishing-plan-game-of-thrones/

I hate, hate, HATE the movie idea, and I don't see TW and HBO giving up their profits from the pay wall, dvds releases, episode sales, etc etc, to make a movie series that would:

1. Cost more than making an entire series

2. Have less time and end up cutting many things short

3. Offer no reasonable improvement over the series, graphically or talent-wise

4. Have no real assurance that it would make back the money spent on it

I only see people tossing this idea around as if HBO actually cared about not outstripping Martin...which they don't. They won't go on a hiatus, they won't do 'prequels', and they won't draw out the last two books just to give Martin time to finish his story first. GoT was green lit in 2008...Martin's finished one novel since then. Now, I'm not saying Martin can't spend his time however he wants or write as slow as he wants- but if he gets upset that the show passes his books, he only has himself to blame.

[boojam]

I hate, hate, HATE the movie idea, and I don't see TW and HBO giving up their profits from the pay wall, dvds releases, episode sales, etc etc, to make a movie series that would:

1. Cost more than making an entire series

2. Have less time and end up cutting many things short

3. Offer no reasonable improvement over the series, graphically or talent-wise

4. Have no real assurance that it would make back the money spent on it

I only see people tossing this idea around as if HBO actually cared about not outstripping Martin...which they don't. They won't go on a hiatus, they won't do 'prequels', and they won't draw out the last two books just to give Martin time to finish his story first. GoT was green lit in 2008...Martin's finished one novel since then. Now, I'm not saying Martin can't spend his time however he wants or write as slow as he wants- but if he gets upset that the show passes his books, he only has himself to blame.

A billion dollars in profit cuts through a lot frets.

[DaveyJoe]

They'd have to renegotiate contracts for every actor at a much higher cost than a 7th or 8th season. They'd also have to share profits with movie theaters as opposed to collecting all of the profits from airing HBO. I just don't think it's very likely, they've got more to lose than wrapping things up in the series.

[sj4iy]

A billion dollars in profit cuts through a lot frets.

You're assuming that it would make that much in profits, when there's no guarantee at all of that.

GoT gets 7 million people watching on its first run...that's 7 million people who are already willing to pay to watch it. That's nowhere near enough to make the assumption that GoT could be another LotR and rake in hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.

[DaveyJoe]

A Game of Thrones episode costs $6 million to produce, a movie would cost $200 million easily.

[Konradsmith]

In that article GrrM said that the HBO higher ups don't want it to happen. I think it's safe to say that that means it won't happen. As GrrM recognises they've only let Sex and the City go to the big screen.

With all the news of these high ratings though (their biggest show of all time now), I think HBO may be more inclined to allow eight seasons.

[realbengalsfan]

Game of Thrones becomes most popular series in HBO history.

Current (4th) season averaging a gross audience of 18.4 million. Tops the 2002 (4th season) Sopranos which had 18.2.

Crazy.

[Frey Pies]

Game of Thrones becomes most popular series in HBO history.

Current (4th) season averaging a gross audience of 18.4 million. Tops the 2002 (4th season) Sopranos which had 18.2.

Crazy.

Yeah, it's amazing. This series has truly grown exponentially, and is now probably the biggest TV success-story. One of the few where the quality matches the hype. And to think that I'd dismissed the announcement of the show the moment it was announced (believing in Martin's statement of it being "unfilmable"), and didn't get around to watching it till last season... :/ What was I thinking?

[boojam]

You're assuming that it would make that much in profits, when there's no guarantee at all of that.

GoT gets 7 million people watching on its first run...that's 7 million people who are already willing to pay to watch it. That's nowhere near enough to make the assumption that GoT could be another LotR and rake in hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.

Well first showing night it's actually been running a total of ~ 8 million.

We never but never (and I don't know why) see non USA viewings , I don't even think Canada is included in the numbers, much less any overseas numbers , except sometimes the UK.

As to a movie, it all depends , if it was really well done it would be a way different story than Lord of the Rings... but it would have to be a PG 13.

Consider this, really crazy stuff going on with movie money.

Leaving aside Hollywood accounting , which would make one believe that no movie, ever!, made a profit,..., in fact all studios should be in chapter 11 right now!

Roland Emmerich piece of crap film 2012 was made for 200 million (add ~ 15 % for promotion) at the box-office , domestically, it made ~166 million, a bomb, right?

No worldwide it made ~ 604 million for a total of about 770 million, out of that somebody made a profit.

Tim Burton (who I used to like) made the 2010 Alice in Wonderland (converted to 1 and 1/2 D) , 200 million production, made 334 million domestic , not too bad , nothing to write home about.

(It is really lackluster turkey of a film.)

However worldwide added in that film made ... 1 billion dollars!

A number of 200 to 250 US million dollar films , these days, are not doing so good at home but are doing ~1 billion dollars in world wide take.

(Studios will claim they don't see all of the profit, but who wants the IRS to see what the real take is?)

[Rockroi]

http://variety.com/2014/tv/ratings/its-official-game-of-thrones-is-hbos-most-popular-series-ever-1201214357/

Its been posted before but it bares repeating: the story most of us have loved for the last eighteen years (or so) is now the most popular TV show in the history of the most respected pay-cable station ever. More than The Wire, more than Deadwood, more than that show about three hookers and their mother and more than the Sopranos.

Five years ago, there was a mild debate on these boards about the success of the show (even though none of us had seen a pilot much less anything else) and how- *GASP* - Martin would have to write more books in order to keep pace with the show etc. Ran- at the time- made the statement that in order for any of us to be really concerned with GoT the TV show outpacing the books would be if the show ran for seven seasons or more.

And the only way it could do that would be if the show was- and these are nearly his exact words - if the show was the most popular show in HBO History or at least as popular as the Sopranos.

Well, we're here. And given the choice I would rather have this problem than watch the show falter in the ratings and HBO wondering if they will renew the series for another season etc.

And, it legitimizes what many of us have been saying for well over ten years: the books are good. They are really, really good. Its not some silly story about goblins and wizards, but about people and power. Its a story that has dragons, but also has the problems associated with having dragons. Its a story about family and loss and struggle and bravery and humanity. And its something that is- objectively - very, very good. And now the masses have spoken and, well, here we all are.

[sj4iy]

http://variety.com/2014/tv/ratings/its-official-game-of-thrones-is-hbos-most-popular-series-ever-1201214357/

Its been posted before but it bares repeating: the story most of us have loved for the last eighteen years (or so) is now the most popular TV show in the history of the most respected pay-cable station ever. More than The Wire, more than Deadwood, more than that show about three hookers and their mother and more than the Sopranos.

Five years ago, there was a mild debate on these boards about the success of the show (even though none of us had seen a pilot much less anything else) and how- *GASP* - Martin would have to write more books in order to keep pace with the show etc. Ran- at the time- made the statement that in order for any of us to be really concerned with GoT the TV show outpacing the books would be if the show ran for seven seasons or more.

And the only way it could do that would be if the show was- and these are nearly his exact words - if the show was the most popular show in HBO History or at least as popular as the Sopranos.

Well, we're here. And given the choice I would rather have this problem than watch the show falter in the ratings and HBO wondering if they will renew the series for another season etc.

And, it legitimizes what many of us have been saying for well over ten years: the books are good. They are really, really good. Its not some silly story about goblins and wizards, but about people and power. Its a story that has dragons, but also has the problems associated with having dragons. Its a story about family and loss and struggle and bravery and humanity. And its something that is- objectively - very, very good. And now the masses have spoken and, well, here we all are.

To me (and many others), this isn't even a problem. If the show outpaces the books, I will continue watching. If the books outpace the show, I will continue reading. And I will continue watching or reading whatever is behind- it makes no difference to me, I'm just excited to see the story continue in some form or another. I know some people want to read the books first, but that's not a must with me. I have enjoyed the changes and surprises of the show just as much as I enjoyed the surprises while reading the books, so I would actually quite enjoy seeing where the story takes us past ADWD in the show if TWOW is not out by then.

[Half Man]

Not sure if anyone has seen this but

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/1930651/tv_talk_game_of_thrones_passes_the_sopranos_as_hbos_biggest_show_ever/

[King Aegon The Conqueror]

http://variety.com/2014/tv/ratings/its-official-game-of-thrones-is-hbos-most-popular-series-ever-1201214357/

Its been posted before but it bares repeating: the story most of us have loved for the last eighteen years (or so) is now the most popular TV show in the history of the most respected pay-cable station ever. More than The Wire, more than Deadwood, more than that show about three hookers and their mother and more than the Sopranos.

Five years ago, there was a mild debate on these boards about the success of the show (even though none of us had seen a pilot much less anything else) and how- *GASP* - Martin would have to write more books in order to keep pace with the show etc. Ran- at the time- made the statement that in order for any of us to be really concerned with GoT the TV show outpacing the books would be if the show ran for seven seasons or more.

And the only way it could do that would be if the show was- and these are nearly his exact words - if the show was the most popular show in HBO History or at least as popular as the Sopranos.

Well, we're here. And given the choice I would rather have this problem than watch the show falter in the ratings and HBO wondering if they will renew the series for another season etc.

And, it legitimizes what many of us have been saying for well over ten years: the books are good. They are really, really good. Its not some silly story about goblins and wizards, but about people and power. Its a story that has dragons, but also has the problems associated with having dragons. Its a story about family and loss and struggle and bravery and humanity. And its something that is- objectively - very, very good. And now the masses have spoken and, well, here we all are.

*bump*

[raj34]

arrrgghhhhhhhhhhh my eyes!

[Faint]

With all the news of these high ratings though (their biggest show of all time now), I think HBO may be more inclined to allow eight seasons.

As I keep pointing out, I think this is more a case of whether Benioff and Weiss want to make eight seasons or if they prefer finishing the series in seven. Too many assume straight away that, just because HBO is willing to pay for an extra season, this is precisely what the showrunners want. From their public comments thus far, that does not appear to be the case.

[dbunting]

I wonder if any of the books only people are now thinking they should start watching the HBO series. A lot of them refuse to watch bacause "GRRM did it perfect and the show will just suck"! Whoops...ratings juggernaut....most pirated..... I guess maybe HBO and the show runners can do the books some justice.