'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' shatters Amazon's viewership records, draws 25M viewers in first 24 hours
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ had its premiere on Thursday, September 1 on Amazon Prime Video. Though several tried to review-bomb the title on various websites, real fans of JRR Tolkien’s work watched the premiere in large numbers, giving Amazon it’s biggest series debut ever. Yes, you heard it right. For the first time, the studio has revealed the numbers for its title and they have chosen the right one to start this practice.
According to the numbers released by Amazon, the first two episodes of the epic fantasy series were seen by 25 million viewers in the first 24 hours of their release. The streaming giant also shared that the premiere of ‘The Rings of Power’ is the biggest debut for Prime Video in its 15-year history, as per The Hollywood Reporter.
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Is 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' getting review-bombed?
According to FlixPatrol, ‘The Rings of Power’ has been Amazon’s #1 series in the US since its debut. Besides, the series has taken the top spot on Prime Video in countries such as Australia, Brazil, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and more. This indicates that despite all the review-bombing, the show is a massive success.
“It is somehow fitting that Tolkien’s stories – among the most popular of all time, and what many consider to be the true origin of the fantasy genre – have led us to this proud moment. I am so grateful to the Tolkien Estate – and to our showrunners, JD Payne and Patrick McKay, executive producer Lindsey Weber, cast and crew – for their tireless collaborative efforts and boundless creative energy,” Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.
Although it’s unclear how Amazon measured the viewership for ‘TROP’, the numbers come as a major boost to the show. The series received a lot of negative reactions from a certain section of fans who didn’t take to the “diverse cast” of the show and believed this was done to cater to a woke population.
The series is set thousands of years before ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings’, in the second age of Middle Earth. The premiere saw Galadriel embarking on a journey to find Sauron but failing to do so. As soon as she returns, the High King, Gil-Galad, sends her to the undying lands of Valinor for everything she has done for Middle Earth. Galadriel leaves for Valinor and her best friend, Elrond, feels that it’s hard to maintain the balance between duty and friendship.
However, Galadriel doesn’t give in and jumps off the ship to continue her pursuit. Elsewhere, Orcs have started showing up in Middle Earth again and a stranger has crash-landed in the region through a meteorite. Things have started to get intense and it seems it was not wise to send Galadriel to Valinor after all.
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ currently holds a rating of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
