Will 'The Rings of Power' Be Profitable For Amazon?
It's not always about the money... or is it?
'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power ' appears to already be the world's most expensive TV show with its whopping $465 million designated for the first season alone.
This makes one episode cost around $58 million – out of the first season's eight chapters. It surely seems that the show is not going to lack money to implement virtually anything the creators can think about.
But the million dollar question is whether this budget will pay off. After all, in order to make it work, the show has to draw the maximum amount of attention it can – and, of course, be enjoyable enough for fans to crave another season.
However, some Redditors were quick to do some math – and it seems that Amazon's 'The Lord of the Rings' prequel is going to add up even without widespread support from the Tolkien community.
"Prime video has 56 million subscribers (or thereabouts), with a subscription cost of $119 per year. 56 million x $119 = $6,664,000,000 a year. Not to mention money from investors, merchandising, advertising deals, etc. And that's just one of Amazon's many departments, and not its most profitable at all." – /Worried_Landscape965
Many people noted that the success of 'The Rings of Power' will not necessarily be estimated in terms of "cost in – profit out".
"Think of it in terms of market share growth, brand expansion, the ability to get eyes on product, and driving new subscriptions," another fan wrote, pointing out that "90% of people who subscribe to Prime are doing it for the shipping benefits, not the media content."
Which is why the artistic value of the end product, some people believe, might not even matter – it might all be about visibility and engagement, and not honoring John R.R. Tolkien's legacy.
However, this doesn't necessarily mean that 'The Rings of Power' are not going to do any good to the LoTR universe. The best way to know is to wait until the September 2 premiere of the show on Prime Video.