Despite the massive leak on Saturday night, "Game of Thrones" fans stayed loyal to the series, as HBO's biggest hit continued to break records. You would have thought fewer people will watch on HBO during the Season 5 premiere, but as it turned out, the leaks did nothing to lessen ratings as it scored an all-time high with a reported 8 million viewership on April 12.

According to Vulture, the season premiere drew a 21 percent increase in viewership: from 6.6 million of last season's premiere, and over a million more than its highest numbers in the past (7.2 million). The website also noted that among viewers under the age of 50, the series soared to a high 4.2 rating, matching the demo average for other networks combined.

Vulture also noted that once audience from DVR replays, reruns, and streaming platforms are included, numbers get as high as 19 million, not counting the illegal torrent download. With those numbers in mind, it is possible that GOT can reach up to 20 million viewers this season. In case you're wondering, GOT has been the most-pirated series for a couple of seasons now.

The high viewership, however, did not stop outlets like The Guardian from noticing that the season started off slow --- not that it's a bad thing, considering that life is not exactly grand for the people in Westeros these days. Tyrion went from being one of the richest men in the realm to a fugitive from the law. Daenerys Targaryen went from being the Queen of Dragons to a newbie ruler who has no idea how to control her subjects, or her dragons, for that matter.

As The Atlantic noted, however, Tyrion Lannister wrapped up what is coming for the next season in one short sentence: "Our future is sh*t."

The International Business Times noted that the fifth season will have a lot to work on in respect to the established story lines of the characters. While the premiere episode focused on Daenerys, Jon Snow and Stannis Baratheon, Brienne and Podrick, Sansa and Little Finger, and the rest of the Lannisters, the second episode, titled "The House of Black and White" will focus on Arya Stark's journey to Braavos and the introduction of the kingdom of Dorne. The preview even shows that Oberyn Martell's daughters, collectively known as the Sand Snakes, were unhappy about the death of their father, and sent a threat to Cersei regarding her daughter, Myrcella, who was sent off to Dorne in Season 2.

There's a lot to look forward to in the next episode. Check out the trailer here: