How Much Money Does The Game Of Thrones Make

When you talk about HBO television series with a far and wide reach, Game of Thrones will undoubtedly pop in your mind. This American fantasy drama series is an onscreen adaptation of George R. R. Martin's novels. The show spans eight seasons and has a total of 73 episodes under its belt.

Since it required a mammoth investment to get all the casts, locations, and props in the set, many estimated that the acquisition would put a void in HBO's dream vision and incur a loss.

So how much money did Game of Thrones make? How much money did HBO earn per season? How much money did HBO spend to produce Game of Thrones? If you are a fan of the GOT franchise and seek answers to these questions, this article is worth reading. Our post covers all the details about the GOT series and how much money did it make.

How much money did HBO spend on the project?

HBO had to churn out a considerable sum to make things possible for producing Game of Thrones. According to various news and media reports, it took an estimated $1,460,600,000 to make the television series. It is one of the costliest television series of all time and follows several storylines throughout the show.

The show combines shots from various locations around the world. Since GOT runs a fictional plot, the sites based in Canada, United Kingdom, Croatia, Iceland, Morocco, Spain, and Malta presented the perfect environment.

HBO also spends a considerable sum to bring together 556 characters to the storyline. Several cast members even had a $1 million per episode contract with HBO. From significant stars to additional support casts, HBO left no stones unturned to make Game of Thrones one of the best television series of all time.

How much money did Game of Thrones make per Episode?

Game of Thrones spans across eight seasons, with seasons six and eight being the most successful financially. HBO started with a small budget, but as the show grew in popularity among fans and critics, they increased the funding to provide better results.

Here is a summary of the earnings made by Game of Thrones across the eight seasons:

Season 1 – $171,541,501
Season 2 – $240,711,462
Season 3 – $378,498,023
Season 4 – $396,343,873
Season 5 – $419,169,960
Season 6 – $533,300,395
Season 7 – $453,754,940
Season 8 – $525,691,699

Despite witnessing a dip in the 7^th season, the makers came back strong, and the 8^th season earned similar figures like their 6^th installment.

According to media reports, several factors determine the success of the series. This epic television series earns its significant portion from subscription costs. Here is a rundown of how much HBO pays and makes from Game of Thrones.

HBO shells out only $2.37 a viewer per season because of the vast fan following and popularity Game of Thrones has gained over the years.
Like we mentioned earlier, HBO earns a significant portion of the earnings through subscriptions. Since GOT started, HBO has made a total of $3.1 Billion on subscription fees.
GOT season eight earned $88 million per episode from subscriptions only.

Game of Thrones has also been one of the highest grosser in terms of per episode earnings. GOT season eight grossed the highest across all the seasons, making an average of $88 million per episode. Below are the details of the average earnings made by HBO.

Season 1: $19 million
Season 2: $24 million
Season 3: $38 million
Season 4: $40 million
Season 5: $42 million
Season 6: $53 million
Season 7: $65 million
Season 8: $88 million

How much money GOT casts make?

Like we mentioned earlier, Game of Thrones employed a considerable amount of cast members. Till season eight, the show had aired 73 episodes and several plots to fill in different casts. There are 566 characters in this series, one of the largest castings for a television show.

Since Game of Thrones is a successful show financially, some of the cast members went in to rack millions for their role. For instance, Jon Snow made a total of $501 million on the show, which makes him one of the highest-paid television performers of all time.

We have lined up some of the prolific characters who have earned millions from the show. This evaluation combines their total earnings based on time on screen and minute on screen.

Highest-paid Actors based on time on screen

Kit Harington – $501 million
Tyrion Lannister played by Peter Dinklage – $476 million
Daenerys Targaryen played by Emilia Clarke – $386 million
Sansa Stark played by Sophie Turner – $323 million
Jamie Lannister by Nikolaj Coster- $310 million

Highest-paid characters based on minute on screen

Grey Worm played by Jacob Anderson – $953,378
Tormund Giantsbane by Kristofer Hivju – $946,051
Missandei played by Nathalie Emmanuel- $919,270
Davos Seaworth played by Liam Cunningham- $914,587
Brienne of Tarth played by Gwendoline Christie- $875,751

Why Game of Thrones became so popular?

Game of Thrones attracted fans worldwide with its engaging storyline and perfect execution by different characters. The fact that the show carries several characters throughout the storyline provided every viewer the chance to pick one. Martin's characters grew popular among fans as the story infused a perfect balance of violence, sex, and thrill to satisfy everyone's feelings.

According to a study, fans were able to relate to the different characters shown in the series. The show could seek viewer's attention with its impressive storyline and excellent event sequencing. Furthermore, the relationships between the characters could break into the real world and through fans' hearts, despite GOT being a fantasy series. Additionally, HBO's outstanding television adaptation added spark to the already fascinating storyline. With expert supervision, numerous shooting locations, and a highly qualified team of experts, ensuring that George R.R Martin's vision gets delivered the way he intended to the viewers.