Mercedes-Platz always has something apocalyptic about it for many Berliners, but this mood took on new proportions last Monday evening. Storm gusts swept across the fountain field in front of the arena, where children and sweating adults usually jump over the jets. People held on to their summer hats, squinted their eyes to protect them from dust and dirt, fled to the chain restaurants around them, driven by the louder rumble of thunder.
Those who know the world of the American fantasy author George RR Martin know that the weather on the island of Dragonstone is always like this. Not bad conditions, then, to present the new series from the “Game of Thrones” universe, even if the Sky company would certainly have wished for more photos of fans in front of the dragon egg placed on the square especially for the premiere.
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The dragon egg placed by Sky at Mercedes-Platz
The scaly, red-lit structure was left mostly untouched by the soon-to-be-pelting rain, as were the black banners bearing the red three-headed dragon, the emblem of House Targaryen, whose tale is told in the House of the Dragon prequel series. In the UCI Luxe cinema, Sky broadcast the report from the red carpet at the premiere in London, probably also to advertise the newly renamed streaming service “WOW” (“Streaming has never been so WOW”), where singer and presenter Patrice next to the Shakespeare statue spoke to the cast and crew in Leicester Square.
You don’t have to have seen “Game of Thrones”.
The Berlin audience was a bit disappointed with its high influencer and low fan quota, far and wide there were no robes, platinum blonde wigs or stuffed dragons to be seen. Half of those interviewed in front of the WOW microphone in the UCI admitted that they had never seen an episode of “Game of Thrones”. “No problem at all” was always the answer, after all the new series was played about 200 years earlier and was therefore the perfect start.
The first hour-long episode kept that promise. Stylistically, the series is indistinguishable from the original, which should please most fans, as well as the significantly higher density of dragons. In the coming fall, they will not only fight for dominance over Westeros, but also for the streaming market. On September 2nd, Jeff Bezos will send you the Tolkien adaptation “The Rings of Power” on Amazon Prime.
The first episode of “House of the Dragon” will be available on the WOW streaming service and via Sky Q on the night of August 22nd and will run on Sky Atlantic at 8:15 p.m. in the evening.