Tonight's the night, and we're gonna need a dedicated thread.
There was an article last week from
Business Insider concerning the stakes of Amazon's Lord of the Rings and what it could mean for Prime Video going forward.
Quote:
Amazon is facing a moment of truth as it braces to premiere the $1 billion "Lord of the Rings" prequel series, "The Rings of Power," that will set its future course as a streamer.
Amazon Studios, founded in 2010, has made its mark with critical hits like "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" as well as broader fare ("Jack Ryan," "The Boys"). But in the mid-'10s the tech giant's founder raised the stakes: Jeff Bezos wanted Amazon's own "Game of Thrones."
And, to put it in Tolkien terms, the company has not yet closed its fingers, Gollum-like, around its precious: a major watercooler show that lures global viewers en masse.
"There's no doubt that Amazon has had success," Rich Greenfield, media analyst at Lightshed Management, told Insider. "[But] they haven't had a culturally defining show. There has been no massive breakout where everyone is talking about it."
With "Rings of Power," Amazon has given Hollywood something to talk about. No single season of television has ever cost as much. On top of the $250 million deal to secure the rights from JRR Tolkien's estate in 2017 — Amazon outbid rival big spenders HBO and Netflix — it's been widely reported that the studio spent north of $460 million on production in New Zealand. Add tens of millions of dollars in marketing, promotions, and global red-carpet events and you arrive at the $1 billion total estimated by industry observers — with four more seasons planned.
The show is expected to be a hit, but if it somehow misses the mark, several sources told Insider the studio may face an existential crisis.
"The reason why it's going to succeed is because the executives at Amazon need it to succeed. If it doesn't succeed, there's going to be a big question from [CEO] Andy Jassy and the board," said one former senior Amazon Studios exec. "If we can't take this piece of IP and make it successful, why is Amazon Studios even here?"
"It has to succeed," this person added. "There's no option."
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I'm a sucker for Sci-Fi/Fantasy, so I was sold long ago.