Giant dragon inflatable spotted on Empire State Building for latest ‘House of the Dragon’ marketing stunt
King Kong ain’t got nothing on this.
A giant inflatable green dragon took over the Empire State Building on Sunday to promote the second season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon,” which premieres later this evening.
Advertising for the show has appeared all over the city from Wall Street to the Brooklyn Bridge to boost buzz for the show.
But Sunday’s stunt was by far the biggest yet.
The huge version of — Vhagar, Aemond Targaryen’s dragon from Game of Thrones — appeared Sunday wrapped around the top of the iconic skyscraper. It was secured by 153 rigging points, 1,700 pattern pieces and more than 600,000 sewn stitches.
The Empire State Building also opened a pop-up temporary Game Of Thrones exhibit (starting at $46 for adults) which ends on June 18.
Entering the lobby, visitors are met with a larger-than-life Throne of Swords set up for Insta-worth snaps.
The 86th floor offers more special immersive exhibits related to the show, such as interactive activities and games along with a chance to get your own red carpet picture.
Stunning images of the inflatable dragon began popping up on X Sunday morning — days after the Empire State Building promoted its “House of the Dragon” takeover on social media — with some catching a glimpse of it from as far as Jersey City, N.J.
Visitors were impressed with the elaborate display — which recalled another fictional monster’s ascent of the skyscraper. The giant monkey King Kong famously scaled the building in the 1933 film.
E.K., from Philadelphia, stood in line to take a photo despite not yet finishing the show’s first season.
“I haven’t watched all of the Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon yet, but I’m excited,” E.K. said.
“I do hope they do it justice because from what people have said — the ‘Game of Thrones’ series ended badly.”
Some fans of the original show, which won 59 Emmy Awards in its eight-season run, said it’s been exciting to watch the ads take over the city in recent days.
“I’m a big, big fan,” said Ali Wong of Austin, Texas.
“It’s interesting to see all the banners and everything you know, in Grand Central Station even. There’s so much advertising in the city and everywhere you go you see it.”
However not every visitor was enamored with the attention-grabbing display.
Lark, who is visiting the Big Apple from Germany, was hoping to snag a picture of the outside of the Empire State Building but was disappointed to see it in the clutches of a blow-up dragon.
He said he’s seen some of the show, “but I’m annoyed with all the advertising up there. It’s too much.”
“For me it’s a little bit sad, with the dragon around the top of the Empire State, you can’t really see the original thing.”
House of the Dragon season 2 premieres tonight on HBO at 9 p.m.