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HBO’s “Home of the Dragon” lacks the star energy of most pay cable hits.
Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Olivia Cooke and Rhys Ifans deliver respectable resumes to the present, little doubt. None have the identify recognition to “open” a sequence.
None of that mattered.
“Home of the Dragon’s” first episode drew practically 10 million viewers throughout linear and HBO Max platforms within the U.S. Sunday. That made it HBO’s hottest sequence premiere in its decades-long historical past.
The present additionally proved Twitter’s trending matter for 14 hours straight, in response to HBO’s press division.
How?
“Dragon” is a prequel to “Recreation of Thrones,” the HBO smash that created a cult-like following.
Simply hours earlier we realized that “Beast,” an unique motion yarn starring Idris Elba, carried out weakly throughout its U.S. field workplace debut. The movie earned simply $11.5 million stateside regardless of weak competitors.
An remoted incident? Not precisely.
Prequels, reboots and sequels routinely rating with audiences, at the very least at first. Curiosity and fan loyalty kick in, arduous, when these “new” titles emerge. Each MCU or “Star Wars” property leans on that inbuilt base to stoke its preliminary rankings or field workplace outcomes.
Hate “She-Hulk: Legal professional at Legislation?” Likelihood is it drew way more eyeballs than your common TV present debut.
Meaning even poorly acquired titles, like MCU’s “Eternals,” will snare extra field workplace money than 90+ p.c of unique fare.
It explains why we’ll quickly see a prequel to the “Starvation Video games” franchise. “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” received’t function star participant Jennifer Lawrence. As a substitute, we’ll spend time with Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler.
Who? Does it matter?
The franchise is the star, as is the case in most sequels, prequels and reboots.
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“Songbirds and Snakes” received’t arrive on film screens till Nov. 2023, however the advertising and marketing marketing campaign is already in full swing. That’s one other a part of brand-driven Hollywood – the drip, drip drip of knowledge tied to present properties.
Who would care if the staff behind “Beast” did the identical?
First Look: A picture of a personality we’ve by no means met earlier than in a narrative that’s completely new to us!
It simply doesn’t have the identical advertising and marketing sizzle.
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Unique movies do escape now and again. The 12 months’s greatest shock stays “Every little thing In all places All at As soon as,” the definition of a daring, unique property.
Hollywood continues to be skittish, notably on the theatrical stage, of investing money and time on tales we’ve by no means seen earlier than. Even a movie just like the upcoming “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, relies on a beloved model.
Studio fits have been burned too many instances. Assume “Jupiter Ascending” and “Valerian and the Metropolis of a Thousand Planets” as Displays A. and B.
If audiences take extra possibilities on contemporary tales, and provides prequels, sequels and reboots extra skepticism, then Hollywood’s artistic tides may lastly flip.
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