Howdy! Once again, it's time for The Monitor, WIRED's roundup of all things pop culture. Today's helping is heaping and includes news about Game of Thrones, Netflix, and Star Wars. Sound overwhelming? It is—but you should read it anyway.
If it seemed like everyone was watching Game of Thrones on Sunday night, that's probably because they were. According to HBO, 17.4 million people watched the Season 8 premiere. That number, which includes viewers who watched on HBO Go, HBO Now, and cable, exceeds the 16.9 million people who watched last season's finale. Jon Snow may not know much, but he definitely knows how to make people watch.
Speaking of things Jon Snow knows, Kit Harington doesn't know how to GAF about what critics write about the Game of Thrones' final season. The actor, who plays Snow, recently told Esquire, "Whatever critic spends half an hour writing about this season and makes their [negative] judgement on it … they can go fuck themselves. Cause I know how much work was put into this." In other news, GoT recappers everywhere are now wondering if they've been spending too much time on each review.
Even as Disney+ looms, Netflix is still adding new subscribers. The streaming service signed up 9.6 million people in the first three months of 2019. That brings Netflix's total up to 148.9 paying members. Not bad.
Turns out, Kit Harington isn't the only one speaking his mind lately. Mark Hamill, aka Luke Skywalker, recently noted that he has no worries about Disney/Lucasfilm seeking retribution when he trolls Star Wars fans on Twitter. "I love to tease the fans online," he told Seth Meyers on Late Night Tuesday. "I'm sure Disney is not happy about it, but what are they going to do, fire me? It's too late." Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters December 20.
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