Game of Thrones is almost over, and the world will soon be looking for something to replace it. HBO is hoping fans will take solace in its multitude of Game of Thrones prequel series, but commerce giant Amazon is also throwing its hat into the ring with a show based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings universe. And based on how much money Amazon is planning to spend on the show, it’s serious about dominating this space.
To be specific, according to a source at Reuters, Amazon could spend up to as much $500 million or more on the first two seasons of its Lord of the Rings show. By the sound of it, that includes the $250 million Amazon reportedly spent on the rights to make the series in the first place, $250 million already being a stupid-high number. To put this in context, the most expensive season of Game of Thrones made thus far is season 6, which cost HBO a cool $100 million to produce. And that’s only after Thrones spent five years building a following. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, meanwhile, cost a combined $281 million. Amazon is planning to top those numbers, and handily, right out of the gate.
The Lord of the Rings brand is a popular property pretty much guaranteed to draw interest, but this is still a new show, and spending this much money on it could result in a huge loss. Still, if any company can afford to take that sort of risk, it’s Amazon. Also, even if the Lord of the Rings series doesn’t set the world on fire, Amazon can make money off it in other ways. Per Reuters, part of Amazon’s business model with its shows is to attract viewers who will then buy merchandise on the site. Think of Amazon like the Iron Bank. One way or another, it always gets a return on its investment.
When you think about it from Amazon’s perspective, whether the Lord of the Rings show is actually good is almost besides the point. Still, we can hope. At any rate, once Game of Thrones vacates the fantasy show throne, the battle for the crown is going to be interesting.
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