Theo Whiteman

“House of the Dragon” drew 8.1 million viewers across HBO and Max in the U.S. for its fiery fourth episode of Season 2 on Sunday, just besting the audience size for the premiere last month.

On June 16, “House of the Dragon” debuted its second season to 7.8 million viewers, putting the Season 2 premiere 22% below the 10 million viewers that the “Game of Thrones” prequel series launched to in 2022.

Per Warner Bros. Discovery, the premiere of “House of the Dragon” Season 2 is now approaching 25 million viewers, and catch-up viewing over the Fourth of July holiday led “House of the Dragon” Season 2 to its “strongest week yet” on Max between July 1-7.

Sunday’s Episode 4, titled “The Red Dragon and the Gold,” featured an epic dragon battle scene. Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell) and his dragon Vhagar of the Greens, who is joined at the last minute by his usurper sibling King Aegon Targaryen II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his dragon Sunfyre, face off against Princess Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) — who takes her dragon Meleys to the fight at Rook’s Rest on behalf of her daughter-in-law Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy), the leader of the Targaryens’ Black faction.

Variety spoke with Best about shooting the episode and repercussion’s of its tragic ending sequence on future episodes of “House of the Dragon,” which viewers can read more about here.

“House of the Dragon” has already been renewed for a third season by HBO.

The returning cast for Season 2 includes Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno, Rhys Ifans, Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall and Matthew Needham.

Season 2 newcomers are Abubakar Salim as Alyn of Hull, Gayle Rankin as Alys Rivers, Freddie Fox as Ser Gwayne Hightower, Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.

Ryan Condal and “A Song of Ice and Fire” series author George R.R. Martin created the series. Condal serves as showrunner and executive produces alongside Sara Hess, Alan Taylor, Melissa Bernstein, Kevin de la Noy, Loni Peristere and Vince Gerardis.