Remember last fall when there were new Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings series all rolling out around the same time? It’s clearly a great time to be a fantasy fan these days, but ever since LOTR: The Rings Of Power came out, it’s been unclear how successful the super expensive TV show actually was. Amazon Studios is touting it as a massive win, but what does the data say?
If you felt like The Rings Of Power went from being a hot topic in the first few weeks before conversation died down, the numbers seem to indicate as much. Per The Hollywood Reporter, only 37 percent of domestic viewers who started the show actually saw it to the end. Audiences overseas were more loyal to the Lord of the Rings prequel show, with a 45 percent completion rate of the series.
Given the data, the Amazon series did not hold the attention of a majority of people who wanted to try it. Nevertheless, Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke, shared a different perspective:
This desire to paint the show as anything less than a success — it’s not reflective of any conversation I’m having internally.
When The Rings Of Power debuted on September 1, 2022, the show delivered the best premiere for an Amazon Prime series ever. Jennifer Salke also called the series a “very culturally defining moment” for the streaming service. It’s already been greenlit for a second season, and has been in production since October 2022, just outside of London at Bray Studios in Berkshire. According to the Amazon Studios boss, there's a "huge opportunity" in the second season.
Created By: J. D. Payne & Patrick McKay
Starring: Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Megan Richards, Sara Zwangobani, Daniel Weyman, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Lenny Henry, and many more
Seasons: 1 (8 episodes)
How To Stream: Amazon Prime subscription
Per Jennifer Salke, Amazon Studios sounds very happy and supportive of the continuation of The Rings Of Power despite the data not necessarily pointing to a resounding success. The studio has certainly invested a lot into the series, with the first season reportedly costing over $700 million to produce, with a third of that price tag going into Amazon’s rights agreement with the Tolkien estate.
Salke said she looks forward to Season 2 having more “dramatic story turns” after the first eight episodes had a “lot of setting up” to do. Considering so many series can take a season or two to pick up steam with widespread audiences, it’s honestly nice to see the studio giving The Rings Of Power some space to break out with more audiences, perhaps with its Season 2 release. LOTR is such a massive property for Amazon Studios too, so of course they are going to want to give it a fair shot to really blow up.
Time will tell how The Rings Of Power fares alongside so many big streaming shows these days, especially when Season 2 drops. In recent weeks, it was reported that a fire broke out on the set of the series after news of a horse dying during production that led PETA to implore Amazon to not use real horses. The fantasy series also previously sparked online backlash regarding its diverse casting.
We’ll keep you posted here on CinemaBlend regarding developments for The Rings of Power and the future of the Lord of the Rings franchise in movies and TV as well.
