There are not very many people that wouldn’t argue that Game of Thrones is easily one of the most popular TV shows that is currently airing. However, a lot of people don’t really stop to think about how much it costs to make a show that is so authentic. It is really not just about building elaborate sets or creating wardrobes that are convincing, although that is definitely part of the budget and in this case, it is undoubtedly a particularly large part. Most of the cost associated with making the show comes down to location shooting costs, not to mention the salaries of the individuals who star in the show itself.
So, how much does it really cost to make a single episode of Game of Thrones? You might be surprised to know that typically, the budget runs in the neighborhood of somewhere around $6 million per episode. That is a staggering amount of money, especially when you consider the fact that other popular television shows typically operate on a budget that might be a third of the cost associated with making Game of Thrones. That might make you wonder why the cost for this particular show runs so high, especially when you consider the fact that a couple of episodes have gone over that budget by as much as $2 million.
Without a doubt, a lot of it is associated with the desire to film on location. It really comes down to making the show as realistic as possible. It would be prohibitively expensive to build realistic sets for that many different locations and make them believable. It would also take an enormous amount of time, something that is in relatively short supply when it comes to filming a television series. Therefore, the producers opted to build some sets that can be used for more than one shot and then do location filming, which typically takes place in several different countries at the same time. Therefore, there might be one camera crew that is operating in Ireland while another is operating halfway around the globe. Obviously, this is going to run up a lot of costs and it will do so relatively quickly. When you add the sets and the elaborate costumes, it only stands to reason that this show would cost more to produce.
In addition to the big budget associated with filming locations and everything else that has already been mentioned, it is also important to note that the cast members get a sizable amount of money. Most sources put their salaries in the range of $2-3 million for each episode filmed. Obviously, that is a lot of money but you also have to take into consideration the fact that this is easily one of the most popular shows on television today. The more popular the show and the more in demand the actor or actress in question, the more money is likely to be be involved. This show is no exception, so you shouldn’t be surprised to see the amount of money the actors are making or even the overall budget for each episode go up in the future, as long as the show continues to be as popular as it currently is.
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