Hidden in a lengthy report detailing Prime Video’s misadventures , some of the first ratings figures for the expensive Lord of the Rings series are hidden away. Rings of Power , an adaptation that turned out to be one of the most expensive series ever made, is said to have only managed to retain a third of the viewers who started the season until the season one finale .
An article from The Hollywood Reporter portrayed the series as a failure, saying that only 37 percent of people who watched the series premiere made it to the end. According to Prime insiders, a “solid” but not groundbreaking performance on the platform retains at least 50 percent of the audience.
Wanting to paint the show as anything less than a success – it doesn’t reflect any conversation I have internally. This is a great opportunity for us. The first season required a lot of preparation. I never said [to the creative community]: We need five action sitcoms and three sitcoms in the workplace. It’s the kiss of death. (…) We program for over 250 million households around the world. We’d say we have a large, broad audience and we’re looking for content that entertains the four quarters.
– said the head of Amazon Studios, Jennifer Salke
Soon, the series will have to compete with Warner Bros. Discovery has acquired the film rights to The Lord of the Rings.
David made a promise, quote without quote, very early on to revive some of this iconic, insecure IP, and we’re starting to make progress. It’s exciting to see people come and go and the creative community taking advantage of the opportunity to work with us. This will bear fruit over time.
said WBD CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels about the film’s development
Apart from serious mishaps, the creators of The Lord of the Rings have planned five seasons of the series, the second of which is currently being shot.
