The final “Game of Thrones” season will cost nearly $100 million to produce.
Variety broke the news Thursday that the six episodes of season eight will cost $15 million each.
The famous entertainment publication reported in part:
And then there’s “Game of Thrones,” the reigning king of big-budget dramas. The $15 million-plus price tag is due in part to a shooting schedule that more resembles that of a feature film than an episodic series. But “Thrones” is an anomaly. When it debuted, its price tag was in line with what HBO typically spends on dramas, around $6 million or so. But as the program grew into a four-continent behemoth with multiple production units shooting at once, it also began to generate dozens of healthy revenue streams for HBO. Its merchandising lines and foreign sales have brought plenty of gold to the network, and it’s been an effective branding flagship as the premium cabler transitions into the nonlinear age with HBO Now.
I’m a huge “Game of Thrones” fan, and this has me very hyped for the final season. Hopefully this massive production budget means we’re in for a lot of battles.
How many castles can you destroy, how many dragon scenes can you get, how many massive ground battles and how many White Walkers can be cut down for a price tag of $90 million? I’m guessing you can get a lot of everything for that insane price.
Everybody has high expectations for the final season, and this is a major indication that we aren’t going to be disappointed. Burn Westeros to the ground!