Three days after the series debut of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Amazon Studios has officially announced that the Tolkien prequel has broken a Prime Video record. It has been revealed that 25 million global viewers tuned in during the first 24 hours of The Rings of Power‘s release, making it the streamer’s most-watched series launch of all time. This also marks the first time that Prime Video has released an official viewing tally for one of its shows.
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“It is somehow fitting that [J.R.R.] 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,” Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said in a statement (via The Hollywood Reporter). “I am so grateful to the Tolkien Estate — and to our showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, executive producer Lindsey Weber, cast and crew — for their tireless collaborative efforts and boundless creative energy. And it is the tens of millions of fans watching — clearly as passionate about Middle-earth as we are — who are our true measure of success.”
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power features an ensemble cast led by Robert Aramayo as Elrond, Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Maxim Baldry as Isildur, Nazanin Boniadi as human village healer Bronwyn, Ismael Cruz Córdova as the Silvan elf Arondir, Charles Edwards as elven smith Celebrimbor, Sophia Nomvete as dwarven princess Disa, Charlie Vickers as Halbrand, Sir Lenny Henry as Sadoc Burrows, Dylan Smith as Largo Brandyfoot, Sara Zwangobani as Marigold Brandyfoot, Megan Richards as Poppy Proudfellow, Owain Arthur as Prince Durin IV, Benjamin Walker as High King Gil-galad, Tyroe Muhafidin as Theo, Markella Kavenagh as Nori Brandyfoot, and Daniel Weyman as The Stranger.
The high-profile fantasy drama is expected to cover multiple storylines, “from deep within the dwarf mines of the Misty Mountains to the high politics of the elven kingdom of Lindon and the humans’ powerful, Atlantis-like island, Númenor,” which will eventually converge on the creation of the titular powerful rings.
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Additional cast includes Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Trystan Gravelle, Ema Horvath, Joseph Mawle, Lloyd Owen, Leon Wadham, and Benjamin Walker, who are the only ones not yet given character names.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is developed and executive produced by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, who are serving as showrunners. Even before it went into production for the first season, Amazon Studios granted the project a second season renewal.
