Scores of people were waiting on that dragon.
At 8 p.m. Wednesday, Game of Thrones fans had Dilworth Park buzzing. To commemorate the release of the fifth season of the smash series on DVD, HBO has planned dragon landings in four cities over three days — New York, Los Angeles, Philly and San Francisco — with morning giveaways and nighttime 3D animations. Fans were still at the crash site of the landing as one dragon “took flight” at 13th and Market. The second projection was set for the Masonic Temple, so crowds formed around the north side of City Hall. Between Market Street and Dilworth, hundreds had gathered.
“When was it supposed to go down?” “Do you think [REDACTED] really died last season?” Devotees discussed the show anxiously as the animation was just a smidge behind schedule.
Then, there it was. This lizard didn’t really look like one of dragons on the show, it was more like something out of the X-Men Phoenix saga in dragon form. Cute enough, but not quite what folks seemed to have in mind.
The crowd booed.
“People were legit expecting a dragon,” Philadelphia Police detective Joseph Murray tweeted. Maybe so. But here’s the thing: The promo had advertised 3D; from what we saw, that seemed like a stretch.
Also, the crash site set up earlier in the middle of Dilworth Park may have elevated expectations— it looked more sophisticated in comparison and awesome in the dark.
“Is this it?” one woman asked as the dragon flew on the Temple. “Well that was disappointing.”
When the show’s logo appeared, some fans applauded. The booers piped up again though.
“Glad we waited 20 minutes for that,” one man told a friend sarcastically.
After only a couple minutes, many fans began to leave.
“They got us,” another man said on his way out of the plaza. “They got us good.”
