About 240 people sporting golden paper crowns filled Cosford Cinema Thursday for the anticipated pre-screening of the first episode of “Game of Thrones” Season 5.
The hit HBO series officially airs Sunday, April 12, but the University of Miami was the first of 20 schools to host a pre-screening thanks to HBO College, a marketing branch of HBO that promotes the network’s programming on college campuses.
The crowns were one of a slew of giveaways given to viewers who waited in line as early as 3:30 p.m. (The screening began at 7 p.m.) Other prizes included large posters, calendars and DVD sets.
In line, fans including senior Stephanie Erichsen proudly showed off their “Game of Thrones” attire. Erichsen wore a dress patterned with the show’s fictional geography.
“The screening was a fantastic opportunity and very well organized,” she said. “And it was fun to make new friends.”
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Before the screening began, sophomore Danny New emceed a small pre-show to warm up the already excited crowd. He led a mock “Family-Feud”-style game show that pitted House Stark against House Lannister – a central rivalry in the “Game of Thrones” universe.
At New’s request, contestants answered trivia questions in a British accent. This poked fun at the cast, which includes Americans speaking in British accents.
Freshman Mustafa Azeem represented House Stark as Jon Snow (played by Kit Harrington) in the game show.
Azeem was especially excited to find out the fate of Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), who ran away from his home at King’s Landing during the Season 4 finale.
“He’s short but stands tall,” said Azeem about Tyrion who is mocked for his height throughout “Game of Thrones.”
House Stark triumphed after a bonus round. Two contestants from each team had to give its best impressions of fan favorite Hodor.
New chose junior Caroline Lorenzo’s rendition of the character, who only knows how to say “Hodor.” [Listen to what Hodor sounds like here.]
“I picked House Stark because their side wanted the comeback so badly. They were just so much louder,” he said. “And her [Lorenzo’s] was so spot-on it made me question why they still have a guy playing Hodor.”
Senior Maggie McMahon and junior Andrea Brook helped organize the event. They are UM’s HBO College agents who promote HBO programming on campus. They said there are two more events scheduled before the end of the semester.
“Game of Thrones” is one of HBO’s most popular shows. An average of 19.1 million viewers tuned in per episode last season.