Amazon’s ‘LOTR: The Rings of Power’ snags record-breaking viewing figures

The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power

Amazon has said its mega-budget drama, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, attracted more than 25 million global viewers on its first day, breaking all previous records for the retailer’s streamer.

The show’s debut marks the biggest premiere in the history of Prime Video, Amazon said, with viewers from across its 240 countries and territories footprint able to watch.

Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, said: “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 J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, executive producer Lindsey Weber, cast and crew – for their tireless collaborative efforts and boundless creative energy. And it is the tens of millions of fans watching – clearly as passionate about Middle-earth as we are – who are our true measure of success.”

Episodes of the show will launch weekly through to a 14 October season finale, with a second run soon to start production in the UK. A five-season deal was struck with the Tolkien estate when Amazon first picked up rights.

The show is the most expensive drama ever produced, with the first season costing a reported $465m. The story picks up thousands of years before the events of Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, following both familiar and new characters as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth.