‘House of the Dragon’ Opening Credits Revealed, Keeping ‘Game of Thrones’ Fans Happy

House of the Dragon finally introduced its opening credits sequence, maintaining part of it that fans of Game of Thrones will appreciate. The new prequel series officially does more than just reuse a few sets from its preceding series.

Fans who tuned in on Sunday were greeted by the familiar sounds of the Game of Thrones theme song, followed by similar visuals that greeted viewers for 8 seasons. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and the opening credits were never a point of contention for fans.

View on X

The difference for House of the Dragon is how the map is a bit smaller, and blood paves a path around the titular house on the screen, while the familiar clockwork nature returns from the original series.

The premiere episode scored major ratings, netting around 10 million viewers and smashing records. It also smashed access to HBO Max for some fans, meaning their enjoyment of the premiere was a bit delayed. But the success quickly ensured a second season for the bloody Game of Thrones prequel.

“We are beyond proud of what the entire House of the Dragon team has accomplished with season one,” Francesca Orsi, the EVP of HBO Programming told Deadline. “Our phenomenal cast and crew undertook a massive challenge and exceeded all expectations, delivering a show that has already established itself as must-see-TV. A huge thank you to George, Ryan, and Miguel for leading us on this journey. We couldn’t be more excited to continue bringing to life the epic saga of House Targaryen with Season 2.”

That said, some wished that the series had a bit of a stronger trigger warning with its premiere. Despite it being Game of Thrones and rarely pulling any punches when it comes to violence and sexuality, viewers did not appreciate the graphic c-section and forced birth. The bloody moment sent viewers out of the room during the premiere and seemed to affect groups beyond just fans of the HBO series.

Still, there is no denying the show is a certified success and will continue to be so in the future. The series also proves that Game of Thrones still has a lot of positive surprises left for fans, giving hope to those seeking to avoid the issues with the original show’s final season.