On Monday, August 27, 2023, fans learned about the budget for Netflix's upcoming One Piece live-action series. It was reported that each episode of the upcoming series is more expensive than Game of Thrones' episodes. This was a central part of the speculations online, which have now been confirmed by the German site for Netflix, known as Netflixwoche.
The budget for each episode of the series is reported to be over $17 million. The latest news peaked fans' excitement for the premiere and they are eager to see what the title brings to the table.
One Piece live-action series' budget stands at $17.27 million per episode
According to the latest news from Netflixwoche, episodes of Netflix's One Piece live-action series are set to be more expensive than the episodes of the critically acclaimed HBO series, Game of Thrones. The per-episode budget for Game of Thrones was $14.79 million, compared to the live-action adaptation's $17.27 million budget.
It is important to note that Netflixwoche doesn't specify if it's referring to the overall per-episode budget of Game of Thrones or just that of the eighth and final season. For context, the numbers for season 8 are strikingly similar to what's being referenced by the publication, with the overall budget being roughly $90 million across six episodes of the season.
As a result, many are taking this to mean that the per-episode budget refers to season 8 of the HBO show and not the entire series. This is further supported by the fact that the series' eighth season reportedly had the most expensive episodes in the series. As a result, if the numbers being discussed pertain to the entire series, it would likely be significantly lower.
However, this is purely speculative, as no confirmation has been issued about the same.
The One Piece live-action series is set to premiere internationally on Netflix on Thursday, August 31, 2023. While Netflix hasn't officially announced a time-specific release date for the series, the platform typically launches its original/exclusive content at 12 am Pacific Time.
While the fanbase of author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda's original manga series has had mixed views about the adaptation, a vast majority are optimistic and excited about the release. Some who were initially pessimistic are now convinced about the series' potential based on early reviews, trailers, additional promotional material, and more.
Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.