HBO’s ‘House of the Dragon’ Reportedly Costs Under $20 Million Per Episode

By Maddy Casale @madhoops
Published April 22, 2022, 2:56 p.m. ET

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According to a recent report from Variety, House of the Dragon cost under $20 million per episode to produce. The highly-anticipated HBO Original fantasy drama series is a prequel to beloved HBO Original Game of Thrones, and will premiere the first episode of its debut season this summer on August 21. And while $20 million may sound like (and is) an insane chunk of change, when compared to some other big name titles coming soon to competing streaming services, it’s actually fairly impressive that the show didn’t cost even more to make.

In their article, Variety wrote that Game of Thrones “cost HBO around $100 million to per season. Its per-episode price tag began at roughly $6 million in Season 1 and rose to $15 million for the show’s eighth and final season.” The show grew so popular around the world throughout its run that it’s almost impressive that House of the Dragon‘s cost is not even higher, considering the anticipation that has been building around its release since it was first ordered in 2019, and the additional about of CGI dragons that this new series requires.

HBO is known for its premium TV and has even shelled out $30 million for a Game of Thrones spinoff pilot that never made it to air, but they seem to have learned their lesson since then, prioritizing world and character building over flashy effects in order to create memorable, award-winning hits like Succession, Watchmen, Mare of Easttown, and more.

To further put House of the Dragon‘s budget into perspective, we can compare it to two upcoming series out of major competing streaming platforms. Stranger Things: Season 4, which drops its first part on May 27, reportedly cost Netflix $30 million per episode to make. Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video‘s Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power, which premieres two weeks after House of the Dragon, on September 2, “will cost approximately $465 million to produce its eight-episode first season,” per Variety.

Based on George R.R. Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood, House of the Dragon takes place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The show tells the story of how the House Targaryen came to its bitter end through the House’s civil war, fittingly dubbed the “Dance of the Dragons.” It stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke, and Rhys Ifans.

House of the Dragon premieres on HBO on August 21.