It’s the month of April. You open up YouTube and click on a new video posted by your favorite vlogger. You stare at the buffering sign until an Game of Thrones ad shows up. You scroll through Instagram and suddenly an Avengers Endgame promo pops up on your screen. Everyone around you talk about the upcoming final season of GOT and the highly anticipated final Avengers movie: Endgame. You have never seen both films before and have only heard about some of the plots from your friends and family. But you don’t seem to feel as interested in both major films and wonder why and how did these massive popular films become famous in the US and worldwide?
As someone who indulges in the GOT show and Marvel Avengers movies, I could not conceal my excitement for the month of April. A month where the biggest villains aka the Night King and Thanos have a major comeback from the last season and infinity war was mindblowing and shocking for me. At school, the only subject I would be talking to my friends about was both films and obviously they got tired of it. When my friends asked me about the story of GOT, I could not explain it well due to the amount of detail and character involvement in the show so they lost interest within a few minutes. However, me being unable to combine the interlocking plots of the show into just a few sentences demonstrates the level of excellence of the show. Similarly, when someone asks me to describe Avengers into mere sentences, I would not be capable of doing so because of the sheer number of movies, characters, and plots that render the movie grand and remarkable. If one is able to describe a work of literature, art, or film easily and quickly, then the person would be interested within the first 20 seconds but will lose that interest because it sounds like another original work. However, if a major fan struggles to put the story in words and says “Arghhh! It is so complicated to describe it but ,trust me it is unbelievably good,” one would want to know more about the work because he/she knows it is unique.
Game of Thrones, a hit HBO series that premiered in 2011, gained a huge level of success over its 8 years being on air. The first season had an average of about 2 million views and season 7, the latest full season, averaged around 15.4 million views, breaking a series record for ratings. Fans from all over the world, with 17.8 million views, tuned in for the most recent and anticipated episode, The Long Night. The addition of about 15 million fans demonstrates the intriguing storyline, impressive writing, and other elements that make the show great. The character development of some of the characters makes the show worthwhile and emotional to watch. Seeing them kill innocent lives and behaving in a petty, prideful, and hateful way, to becoming wise, humble, and likeable characters is what hooks fans onto the show. Moreover, the show’s love of violence as well as frustration develops suspense and satisfaction for the audience. Since the frustration is hardly released, fans keep watching until they see their most hated characters die in a satisfying way. Also, since the show is based off of George RR. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series, the complex storyline allows the fans to predict the next event in the episodes, maintaining that curiosity, followed by shocking events. Lastly, the show has many women in power, whether it would be being the mother of dragons, a lady of a house, or a badass assassin. By having powerful and sharp women in a mainly patriarchal world, it inspires other women to be as confident as they are.
Avengers, a hugely popular movie series made by Marvel Studios, also gained a level of success that no other superhero franchise has achieved. The first Avengers movie, that opened on 2012, earned a total of about $200 million during its opening weekend. 7 years later, Avengers Endgame earned a total of $1.2 billion dollars during its opening weekend, with a the biggest opening in film history. The success of the Avengers franchise is familiar to everyone around the globe, although they might be unfamiliar with the storyline. Although the characters are mostly superheroes, the writing portrays them being humanly flawed, carrying a certain amount of emotional burden. These flaws contribute to the character development of these heroes, from being prideful and arrogant beings to humble and wise characters who place the interests of the people first. The “human” aspect of these movies is a major factor for the success of the movies. Even the villains such as Thanos and Zemo seem to demonstrate human emotions, enabling the fans to develop the same emotions as the heroes. Although there are convoluted character backgrounds and conflicts, the Avengers movies manage to combine all of these characteristics of the heroes together to allow for a satisfying or not (in case for infinity war) ending to the movie. Furthermore, Avengers also has female heroes such as Scarlet Witch, Gamora, Black Widow, Okoye, and more, who serve as role models to young girls to become more confident like them.
Game of Thrones and Avengers franchises complex storylines, human elements, and women in power contribute to the magnitude of success and amount of fans they possess. With GOT next episode premiering tomorrow, and Endgame in theaters, Valar morghulis and excelsior!
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