The Last of Us Premiere Is HBO’s Second Largest Debut Behind House of the Dragon

It’s safe to say The Last of Us is a bonafide hit for HBO. The adaptation of the popular Naughty Dog game debuted on HBO and HBO Max Sunday night with an oversized episode, racking up a record viewership for the company. The success of video game adaptations has typically been mixed, with TV shows and movies attempting to bring fan-favorite characters and storylines to the small and big screens. The tide may be turning to a more positive note, however, as The Last of Us drew 4.7 million viewers across both linear and HBO Max platforms to kick off the week.

The 4.7 million viewers for The Last of Us is HBO’s second-largest debut, trailing only behind the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon, since Boardwalk Empire premiered on HBO back in 2010. This was before HBO programming could be subscribed to from a streaming app like HBO Max. The Last of Us premiere was also nearly double the Euphoria debut for Season 2, which went to an average of 19.5 million viewers per episode in the U.S. Sunday night viewership for an HBO series typically represents 20%-40% of the show’s total gross audience per episode.

If that wasn’t impressive enough, The Last of Us was also a hit on social media. The debut was the top trending topic in the U.S. and worldwide on Twitter Sunday night. The Last of Us teasers and trailers amassed more than 100 million views globally. The first episode of The Last of Us companion podcast also landed the #1 spot on Apple’s TV & Film chart in the U.S. within 24 hours of its release.

HBO and The Last of Us Execs Celebrate Massive Viewership for Premiere

“We are thrilled to see fans of the series and game alike experience this iconic story in a new way, and we extend our gratitude to them for helping to make it a success,” said Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO, HBO & HBO Max Content. “Congratulations to Craig, Neil and the brilliant cast and crew who worked tirelessly to bring this show to life. We look forward to fans around the world enjoying the rest of the season.”

“Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could,” said Executive Producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. “We are overjoyed to see how many fans, both old and new, have welcomed The Last of Us into their homes and their hearts.”

HBO Max has added a new spotlight page for The Last of Us, featuring behind-the-scenes content and access to the companion podcast, as well as an interactive flashlight to help fans find their next series to watch. The spotlight page also showcases a curated selection of movies and series from 2003, the year the life-altering outbreak occurred in the new HBO series.

New episodes of The Last of Us debut Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max, leading up to the finale on March 12th.