The Rings Of Power Viewership Numbers Confirm What We Suspected About Amazon Prime's Historic Bet

Thursday, September 1 saw Amazon Prime release their long-awaited high fantasy series "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power," sending the jaws of critics and audiences crashing to the floor. The show follows the creation of the Rings of Power and sees the Dark Lord Sauron cause devastation throughout Middle Earth. Based on the works of fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien, the series is set in the Second Age of Middle Earth and takes place thousands of years prior the events of "The Hobbit" or prior "The Lord of the Rings" stories. The show is a massive effort, as Amazon — which was looking for a high fantasy show to match the success of HBO's "Game of Thrones" (via Deadline) — made a five-season commitment to create the ambitious show at a cost of $1 billion, making it the most expensive television series to ever be made (via The Hollywood Reporter). 

With a sizable cast that includes the likes of Morfydd Clark, Will Fletcher, Fabian McCallum, Ismael Cruz Córdova, amongst many others — not to mention incredibly high expectations from fans everywhere — the show has been getting a lot of buzz, but it goes without saying that it was a huge risk for Amazon. Thankfully, all that hard work seems to be paying off.

Amazon's major gamble with the high fantasy franchise has already proven successful. 

According to recent reports by Deadline, "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" raked in 25 million viewers on its first day from over 240 countries across the world upon its release on September 1, 2022. The launch saw the first two episodes of the series get released on the streamer. This makes the show rank as the biggest premiere in the history of Amazon Prime. "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," says Jennifer Slate, head of Amazon Studios. 

While it is difficult to compare the numbers of "Rings of Power" to other Amazon Prime shows as the platform does not typically release the numbers for its other hit series such as "The Boys" or "Reacher" (via Variety), it's safe to assume that with the esteem of the franchise at hand, the success of the show is no exaggeration. That's good news for Amazon and viewers alike, as "The Rings of Power" was renewed for a second season before the first episodes aired, though there has been no release date given yet, as of now (via Deadline).