Chapter 370: Breakout Hit

Following the premiere and subsequent two reruns of "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire," the series amassed over seven million views, setting a new record for Fox Network's drama premieres in the past five years. To ensure that the momentum continues with the airing of the second episode, Stanton Studio and Twentieth Century Fox spent the week gathering audience feedback for minor tweaks by Murphy for the next episode, while also ramping up their promotional efforts.

The first episode was a success, receiving great reviews from both audiences and the media, serving as effective promotional points.

The episode was discussed extensively across both internet platforms and traditional media outlets.

"Although only the tip of the iceberg, the first episode of 'Game of Thrones,' lasting an hour, not only showcased a taste of medieval history but also a beautifully fantastical poetic essence. It was enough to make the show prominent and atmospheric without losing its delicacy, perfectly fitting the epic label. It's fair to say, this was truly a perfect start. Anything produced by Murphy is bound to be of quality, and this certainly wasn't all talk."

At the same time, Murphy represented Stanton Studio and Kara Faith represented Twentieth Century Fox at a press conference to officially announce that given the excellent viewership of the first episode, both studios had decided to produce a second season of "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire."

"The second season will have a total of ten episodes," Murphy confidently told the press. "The total investment is currently estimated at 70 million USD, which means the production cost per episode is as high as 7 million USD! What? Will I direct? It's too early to say; I haven't made a decision yet."

In reality, Murphy had already decided that he and Kara Faith would continue as producers, while the directorial role would be handed over to Paul Wilson.

The longevity of "Game of Thrones" and the potential for an unfinished narrative were concerns for many American TV series, which many viewers worried about.

This issue was also raised by the media, to which Kara Faith assured them on behalf of Twentieth Century Fox and Stanton Studio.

"We assure our viewers, Fox will not cancel this show before its narrative conflicts are resolved. We've communicated this to George Martin, and as long as he continues to write, we will continue to film," Kara Faith declared earnestly. "I can guarantee that we won't abandon this series. I hope it can last for 20 years. The fans are very interested in it, and we are thrilled by the attention it's getting, something we've never seen before."

Murphy added, "To ensure the series' high quality, each season of 'Game of Thrones' will not exceed ten episodes."

Outwardly, this was about quality assurance, but internally, there was another consideration. Even after cutting out large war scenes, the series' production costs were still too high. Adding more episodes would also mean exponentially increasing the risk.

Announcing this news at this time undoubtedly served as a strong booster for the already highly anticipated series. However, just these efforts were not enough. Stanton Studio and Twentieth Century Fox were doing everything possible to generate news and attract more attention.

As the new week began, Fox News Channel and many websites reported gossip about "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire."

"Our station received the latest news from Stanton Studio that the scripts for the first two episodes of 'Game of Thrones' season one, intended for Murphy-Stanton from George Martin, were lost en route from New York to Los Angeles," reported the news.

"This popular fantasy author specifically posted a blog on Sunday afternoon, claiming that the shooting scripts for the last two episodes of the first season, 'Baelor' and 'Fire and Blood,' were lost while being mailed to Los Angeles."

"It was understood that George Martin had planned to mail these two scripts, signed by Sean Bean and Jessica Alba, to Stanton Studio for Murphy-Stanton to take to a charity auction at a comic-con this week. He mentioned that the scripts would fetch a considerable sum."

This incident immediately caught the attention of many fans of "Game of Thrones," causing a spike in traffic on George Martin's personal blog.

In the world of film and television, news is often created where there is none, as a movie or TV show, despite its quality, often fails if it merely waits to be discovered and watched.

Anyone with a basic understanding of the industry knows that while the quality of a film or series is fundamental, effective marketing and promotion are key to success.

As reported, George Martin also stepped forward, aiming to be America's Tolkien, not just through media praise, but also through the widespread dissemination of his works.

"I confirm the scripts have been lost," George Martin wrote on his blog.

In his blog post, he speculated that the thief might be an American postal worker and had already sought assistance from relevant authorities to prevent the thief from profiting from selling the scripts.

"The US Postal Department had wrapped the envelope in

 a plastic bag, which bore a pre-printed apology for any damage caused to your package," George Martin detailed. "However, they offered no explanation when delivering it to Stanton Studio; one end of the envelope was opened, and both scripts were lost, although the letter I had included in the scripts was still there."

George Martin also pleaded with his fans in the blog, urging them to contact him immediately if the scripts surfaced.

"I have thousands of eyes, and those are my fans," he wrote. "So let us wait quietly."

This matter garnered significant attention from both fans of the original works and other viewers, with some even calling the US Postal Service to inquire.

Ultimately, as time went on, the excitement generated by the first episode of "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire" successfully carried over to the airing day of the second episode.

With proactive efforts by Twentieth Century Fox, the May issue of "Vogue" magazine featured three key male characters from "Game of Thrones" as cover stars: Sean Bean as Ned Stark, Hank Jote as Jon Snow, and Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister.

"Vogue" also praised the service design in "Game of Thrones," noting that while it recreated a medieval ambiance, it also developed a unique style specific to the continent of Westeros...

Entering the first Friday of May, the second episode of "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire" aired promptly at 9 PM. As soon as the opening credits finished in the Los Angeles division of Fox Cable Network, the monitoring staff relayed good news to Murphy and Kara Faith, who were standing behind.

"The viewing has just started, and we've already reached 3.5 million viewers," reported the staff excitedly. As the official content of the second episode began, the viewership numbers increased by over ten thousand per minute, quickly matching the first episode's peak of 3.9 million viewers.

Series with a certain fan base, involving renowned directors and stars, often see a blockbuster first episode. However, if the quality falters, the second episode typically sees a significant drop in viewership.

"From what we see now," Kara Faith said, smiling, "viewership for the second episode won't be a problem."

Murphy nodded, "It's all about breaking the four million mark now."

"We definitely can!" Kara Faith said confidently.

It was now May, and North America's summer season had begun. Directed by Dave Skolla, "X-Men 3: Last Stand" was set to premiere at the end of the month during Memorial Day weekend. Considering all aspects, achieving the anticipated box office of 300 to 350 million USD in North America seemed challenging; reaching the production cost of 210 million USD would be considered good.

Dave Skolla's future seemed tied to this film, but it wasn't a given that Kara Faith would take over; she still needed excellent performance records.

If "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire" continued to attract such a large viewership, it would undoubtedly become an essential asset in her competition.

Kara Faith looked at Murphy, who remained calm compared to her excitement.

"Great news!" the staff up front said, unable to contain their excitement. "The latest stats show we've broken 4 million!"

"Good!" Kara Faith nodded vigorously, turning around to see Murphy extending his hand, which she slapped hard. The crisp high-five sounded as satisfying as their success.

Four million wasn't the endpoint, as the viewership continued to slowly climb. By the time the second episode was nearing its end, it reached a peak—close to 4.3 million!

With around 17 million subscribers across North America, this number represented nearly a quarter of Fox Cable Network's viewership for "Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire."

Following the 11 PM rerun and Saturday's daytime rerun, the second episode maintained its popularity, achieving nearly 3.5 million viewers again, with a total viewership for the second episode nearing 8 million!

This figure was quickly disclosed by Twentieth Century Fox, along with corroborations from professional viewership survey companies, making it clear to everyone that a phenomenal cable TV series was on the horizon.

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