By now it's safe to say Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has taken the world by storm. After premiering its eight-episode first season back in September, the series has been watched by more than 100 million people worldwide — including 25 million viewers on its premiere day — with more than 24 billion minutes streamed. If that sounds like a lot, it's because it is: the series became Prime Video's biggest premiere ever, breaking all previous records for the streamer and topped Neilsen's streaming chart the weekend of the premiere. The season that kicked off with a bang went out with one too, with the season finale trending in 27 countries for a cumulative 426 hours. And honestly, who can blame us? The first season was something to behold.
With a TV series based off a franchise as beloved as Lord of the Rings, surely the sheer number of people tuning in didn't come as a surprise to the studio? In a 1-on-1 interview with Collider's editor-in-chief Steve Weintraub, Amazon Studios head Vernon Sanders tried to recall what their initial hopes for the show had been, while calling the series a "tremendous success."
"We green-lit this, we made this investment, just on the rights, so long ago, that I don't even know what the hopes were. But it has been a tremendous success. It is, by far, our most-watched show, first-season scripted series, by far. It's our most acquisitive show. We still have millions of people coming to this show within the last month, millions and millions of people coming to the show for the first time, even in the last month."
Sanders went on to add that it was hard to recall their initial hopes, given how different the landscape was at the time of the acquisition of the rights, and also given how much Prime Video has changed in that service in that time. While calling Rings of Power' a "powerhouse," Sanders reflected on this, saying:
So, it's just been a powerhouse for us. And, as big of an investment as it's been, it has more than paid off for us. So, we're thrilled. But it's a great question. I don't even know what the initial hopes were, but we've also grown so significantly as a service, with both this and the NFL, over the fall. We've just seen a tremendous surge of new memberships, and I think there's been some press about how that's impacted our membership numbers and [driven] us to be number one in the US.
Who Is In Rings of Power Season 2?
If there's one thing that makes Rings of Power stand out, it's the sheer size of its phenomenal ensemble cast, playing a mix of characters we know from The Lord of the Rings films, the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, and some invented just for the show. For Season 2, the cast grows even larger, with the addition of Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour, Ben Daniels, Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle, Nicholas WoodesonOliver Alvin-Wilson, Stuart Bowman, Gavi Singh Chera, William Chubb, Kevin Eldon, Will Keen, Selina Lo, and Calam Lynch. Additionally, Sam Hazeldine has been tapped to replace Joseph Mawle as Orc leader Adar.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1 is streaming on Prime Video now. Look for more from our exclusive interview with Sanders soon.