The Last of Us Scares Up Huge Premiere Numbers for HBO

HBO's adaptation of The Last of Us is officially a hit.

The series premiered on Sunday, and the drama scared up huge numbers.

The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 1 secured 4.7 million viewers across linear and HBO Max platforms.

The strong numbers make the new drama the second-best series bow for HBO since Boardwalk Empire in September 2010.

House of the Dragon, which arrived with red-hot numbers in August, secured just under 10 million viewers.

The bigger numbers were to be expected for HOTD given its pedigree as a spinoff of Game of Thrones.

"We are thrilled to see fans of the series and game alike experience this iconic story in a new way, and we extend our gratitude to them for helping to make it a success," Casey Bloys, HBO & HBO Max Content Chairman, said in a statement.

"Congratulations to [executive producers] Craig [Mazin], Neil [Druckmann] and the brilliant cast and crew who worked tirelessly to bring this show to life."

"We look forward to fans around the world enjoying the rest of the season."

Mazin and Druckmann added in a joint statement.

"Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could."

"We are overjoyed to see how many fans, both old and new, have welcomed The Last of Us into their homes and their hearts."

The Last of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed.

Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.

What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.

The series stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, and Nick Offerman as Bill.

The cast also includes Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, and Elaine Miles as Florence.