Despite being one of the most anticipated series last year, Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power were unfortunately taunted with so many criticisms. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy novel, the television adaptation was poorly received by fans.
Amazon has been keeping its viewership data, although sources claim that only 37% of its US viewers watched the series from start to finish. Meanwhile, 45% of its international audiences reportedly finished season one. This is quite alarming due to the industry standards that a show needs at least 50% of viewer retention to be called a success.
Amazon Executives’ Confidence In The Rings of Power’s Success Remains Unshaken
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon Studios CEO Jennifer Salke remains confident in the franchise’s future success, and this report on low performance won’t discourage the team to give in to every futile attempt at belittling the project:
“This desire to paint the show as anything less than a success — it’s not reflective of any conversation I’m having internally. That’s a huge opportunity for us. The first season required a lot of setting up.”
Indeed, the second season will feature more exciting plots and schemes, with an even more dramatic narrative to introduce and bigger battles to execute. Amazon Studio’s Head of Global TV Vernon Sanders’ interview with Deadline also agreed with Salke’s sentiments pertaining to the success of the show:
“It’s been a tremendous success for us, it performed incredibly well around the globe. It is by far our biggest scripted series, it is the most acquisitive show that we’ve put out.”
Sanders also acknowledged the impact of the show on fans rekindling their love for the novels:
“We are really proud that the show drove renewed interest in the books, we saw spikes in book sales. It’s just been a company-wide success and as significant as our investment has been, it has more than paid off for us.”
Season 2 has already commenced production, although the recent reports are not as pleasant as fans expected. Last March, a horse suffered a cardiac arrest on set, which prompted PETA to tell the producers to make all horses computer-generated. Not long after this incident, a warehouse was accidentally set on fire.
RELATED: “This is a labor of love”: The Rings Of Power Showrunners Address Criticisms Toward Season 1
Can The Rings Of Power Season 2 Save Amazon’s Most Expensive Franchise?
Many viewers found the problem with The Rings of Power in its lore. Amazon must be aware that LOTR fans take the source material to a different level. Making changes in the canon would definitely stir the pot.
Amazon feared that these fans who were unhappy with the direction of the project would review-bomb the show. The studio had to pause the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes to avoid such a fiasco. Still, the score remained not-so-stellar throughout the season, indicating that the show failed to impress the public.
With Sanders promising Amazon would “put more money on screen” and Salke hailing the series as “a very culturally defining moment” for the studio, there will be an increase in pressure now more than ever as they try to gain back lost viewers and retain the ones that supported the show despite the backlash.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 is now streaming on Prime Video.
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