'Game of Thrones’ 8th and final season is shaping up to be its most expensive yet, with each of its final episodes costing HBO at least $15 million each.
Variety reported that number does not include the price of re-shoots and additional special effects that will be needed. In total, the network may spend well over $90 million on this one season.
In the first season of the series, the show’s co-creators’ budget of about $6 million per episode was too small to show battles in full. There will only be six episodes in Season 8, but each will be feature-length, making season 7’s 80-minute finale look short. The season will premiere in late 2018 or early 2019.
To justify its hefty price tag, “Thrones” has also begun 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 program as HBO moves further into the “on demand” market with HBO Now.