Is RINGS OF POWER Season 2 Viewership Holding Up to Season 1?
By Movieguide® Contributor
Newly released viewership numbers show strong ratings for Amazon’s second season of THE RINGS OF POWER.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon reported “40 million viewers worldwide have watched at least some of the first three new RINGS OF POWER episodes through the sophomore season’s first 11 days.”
The outlet noted that Amazon didn’t clarify “how much of the season, or an episode, those 40 million people viewed.”
The streaming service also reported that RINGS OF POWER “is a Top 5 all-time season for Prime Video (compared to the first 11 days of other shows), and has been No. 1 for the service since its return.”
In an internal memo, Head of Amazon MGM Studios Jennifer Salke wrote, “We’ve seen an impressive amount of our RINGS OF POWER customers coming from outside of the U.S., which is a testament to the show’s resonance with global audiences and the remarkable growth of Prime Video customers worldwide.”
While Amazon is reporting high viewership numbers, third-party systems claim there has been a sharp drop-off in viewing numbers from Season 1 to Season 2.
“According to Samba TV, only about half as many U.S. households watched the season two premiere as did the series opener over their first three days of release,” The Hollywood Reporter wrote.
However, Deadline noted that “it is common for a series to lose some of its audience between seasons, especially given there were two years in between.”
The outlet also stated that HBO’s popular HOUSE OF THE DRAGON series saw a similar decline for its Season 2 premiere “but was able to grow over the course of the season to finish strong.”
Movieguide® previously reported on RINGS OF POWER’s high viewer numbers:
Streaming data showed that THE LORD OF THE RINGS: RINGS OF POWER was the second most popular show over Labor Day weekend, falling only to Netflix’s WORST EX EVER.
RINGS OF POWER was streamed for 553.5 million minutes for an estimated 2.7 million viewers, per Variety. WORST EX EVER, meanwhile, ended with an estimated 2.8 million views. RINGS OF POWER Season 2 has gotten off to a strong start after receiving a rocky reception during its first go around.
Season 1 established the characters and the world before finally getting on with the story but lost a decent number of fans in the exposition. The final episodes of the season, however, were well received by fans, and Season 2 has shown to follow in their direction.
While improving on the weaknesses of Season 1, Season 2 has also remained faithful to the positive aspects of the show, namely its commitment to Tolkien’s world and the strong Christian values he extolled throughout his story.