Why is Amazon Lord of the Rings Season 1 costing $ 465 million?

The Lord of the Rings prequel spinoff series is currently in the works at Amazon Prime Video, and it was revealed last month that the first season would cost $ 465 million (roughly Rs.3,408 crore) to produce. In a new interview, Jennifer Salke, director of Amazon Studios, clarified that the Lord of the Rings’ astronomical budget was due to the enormous “world building” required – from Middle Earth scenery to costumes, props and more. . kind of characters involved in LOTR – and that it’s about “really building the infrastructure of what will support the whole series”.

Those who have been following Amazon’s Lord of the Rings from the start will know that this fits into the overall plans and estimates that have been known for over three years now. In April 2018, it was reported that Amazon had a five-season engagement on the prequel series The Lord of the Rings that would cost it over $ 1 billion during that series. This would be on top of the $ 250 million (roughly Rs. 1,832 crore) that Amazon paid Tolkien’s domain for the rights alone in November 2017. Since then, Amazon’s LOTR has been the most expensive series in the world. all the time.

“It’s a full season of a huge world building show,” Salke said. Hollywood journalist, asked about it grossed $ 465 million figure for The Lord of the Rings season 1 – and the number of viewers Prime Video will need to bring in to justify the expense. “The number is a sexy title or a crazy title that is fun to click on, but it really builds the infrastructure of what will support the whole series. […] As for how many people need to watch The Lord of the Rings? A lot. A giant global audience is due to show up on date TV, and we’re confident that will happen. “

Aside from the fact that the $ 464 million will set up the track that will be used for all seasons to come, you also have to consider that The Lord of the Rings season 1 is not like your typical prestige drama. While most big budget TV shows like Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian, The Crown, and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier run between six and 10 episodes per season, The Lord of the Rings season 1 will have 20 episodes. It’s like two seasons of Thrones or three seasons of a Marvel series. And when you consider that they cost between $ 15 and $ 25 million (around Rs 109 to 183 crore) per episode, LOTR’s budget is a bit more understandable.

But then again, they had stars returning in major roles. Game of Thrones cost $ 15 million per episode in its later years. Amazon’s Lord of the Rings costs more than when it first started. What will become of him as his stars become household names deep in his run?

---