Games of Thrones vs Avengers: Which pop culture phenomenon is getting more interest?

Ruchira Kondepudi

April is an exciting month for the global entertainment industry, with HBO's fantasy series Game of Thrones' eighth and final season, and Marvel Cinematic Universe's magnum opus Avengers: Endgame premiering within two weeks of each other.

The final season of Game of Thrones begins on April 14 (April 15 in India), while superhero movie Avengers: Endgame releases worldwide on April 26.

So which of the two pop culture phenomena, both of which have evolved over years, is ahead when it comes to the public's search interest?

Data available on Google Trends searches show that in India, interest in the terms "Game of Thrones" and "Avengers" has been close, with the latter generally maintaining a slim lead.

While more people searched for "Game of Thrones" at the beginning of 2019, interest in "Avengers" and "Avengers Endgame" increased over the past 30 days.

When a search term's popularity hits a peak, Google Trends assigns it a value of 100.

(Data: Google Trends)

(Data: Google Trends)

It is worth noting that interest in the MCU's upcoming film increased after Captain Marvel, the franchise's first movie with a female lead, released on March 8.

The trends in India are similar to the patterns seen worldwide, though globally Game of Thrones seems to be a clearer winner.

(Data: Google Trends)

(Data: Google Trends)

HBO and the Disney, owner of the Marvel franchise, have been running massive promotional campaigns on social media, releasing a number of teasers, trailers, and posters.

Interest spikes when a trailer or teaser is released. Fans of both Game of Thrones and Avengers: Endgame are known to analyse fresh footage to look for clues about the ending.

In the past 30 days, other popular keywords Indian search for include "game of thrones season 8", "game of thrones season 1", "avengers endgame release date" and "avengers infinity war.

Game of Thrones fans in India were also curious about the episode leaks, with "game of thrones season 8 episode 1 leak" becoming a popular search term.

The first episode of the show's final season has reportedly been leaked by a Reddit user.

Though pre-sales are not available, Indians are also keenly waiting to book tickets for Avengers: Endgame, with keywords such as "avengers endgame tickets booking" and "book avengers endgame tickets" also attracting search interest.