Last year, The Rings of Power series – the expanded universe of Lord of the Rings on the small screen – was announced as the most expensive series in history and was expected to win all the votes in the public. Despite the huge hype and more Amazon spent $450 million (for the rights and the first season), the report revealed The Hollywood Reporter It claims that less than half of the viewers who watched the first episode finished the season.
Prime Video, like all major streaming platforms, invests in lavish productions to convince millions of fans to follow their work. This competition in the streaming world is increasing, movies and series are flooding the platforms, subscription costs are increasing and it is becoming more and more difficult for the public to subscribe everywhere and watch everything.
A report published by The Hollywood Reporter reveals that only 37% of American viewers who watched the first episode of The Rings of Power, the highest-grossing series of all time, stayed to watch the entire series. For international viewers, this figure increases to 45%. A disappointing percentage, especially when you consider that the minimum Amazon wants for a series of this scale is closer to 50%.
Through this report, we understand that the costs of Amazon Studios are not profitable at this time. Also, according to the document, Amazon Studios director Jennifer Salke isn’t shying away from making big deals with big names to develop Amazon’s talent pool. But many of these programs don’t live up to their promises, such as the $140 million Daisy Jones & The Six series.
While the series did well, sources told THR that it wasn’t “A brilliant success“What they were hoping for compared to other less expensive Prime Video series that did better. At the same time, the report says that Jennifer Salke remains at the top of the trends and Amazon wants “It definitely hits“Like Reacher.
Other bad news
The galleries continue on the set of Rings of Power Season 2. After the horse died of heart failure during rehearsals, our colleagues variety Now we learn that it was a fire that halted production.
Indeed, the fire broke out on set as Season 2 is filming in the UK, after filming in New Zealand for the first season. It was confirmed that the fire was electrical, the incident took place in a warehouse and filming was interrupted for only an hour. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service issued a statement to British newspaper Metro:
“At 12.26pm on Monday 3rd April we were called to a fire at Bray Studios near Windsor. Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Bracknell, Slough and Maidenhead Barracks were sent to the scene. Upon arrival, crews discovered a fire in a one-story warehouse. Firefighters are still at the scene. More information will be announced as it becomes available.“
The horse’s death on set was condemned by PETA – an animal rights group – which insisted on the use of CG horses in the future. However, the use of practical effects for the fight sequences means that the series simply wouldn’t have the identity it does if CGI horses were used instead.
Despite this recent mishap, the series is still on track to return in 2024, with the promise of plenty of character development. Rings of Power season 2 will also feature a multi-episode battle, which was announced by showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay before production on the second season began.
Source: Allocine
Camila Luna is a writer at Gossipify, where she covers the latest movies and television series. With a passion for all things entertainment, Camila brings her unique perspective to her writing and offers readers an inside look at the industry. Camila is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a degree in English and is also a avid movie watcher.
