The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the biggest premiere in Prime Video’s history, attracting more than 25 million viewers on the first day of its release.
That number is on par with HBO Max’s House of the Dragon debut on Aug. 21, which was nearing 25 million viewers itself within one week of its availability. The premiere was also the largest in HBO history.
Prime Video released the first two episodes of the new series stateside on Sept. 1 at 9 p.m. ET, premiering simultaneously around the world. The remaining six episodes will be released weekly, with the finale airing on Oct. 14. HBO Max’s House of the Dragon’s Season 1 finale won’t air until later in October.
This epic drama, set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, centers on J.R.R. Tolkien’s famous Second Age of Middle-Earth’s history.
The eight-part first season will take viewers to several places, including the elf realms of Lindon and Eregion, the dwarven realm of Khazad-dûm, the Southlands, the Northernmost Wastes, the Sundering Seas and the island kingdom of Nmenór.
“It is somehow fitting that 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. “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.”