Hidden in a larger piece about the faltering Amazon Studios is the not-so-surprising confirmation that the insufferably woke (and boring) Rings of Power lost 63 percent of its audience.
If you recall, Rings of Power is the widely derided and loathed Lord of the Rings prequel launched last September. Amazon has committed a billion—with a “B”— dollars to the project, which includes a commitment for a five-season run.
The first season—an eight-episode snorer more concerned with affirmative action, virtue-signaling, and feminist Mary Sue-ing than logic, character development, and engrossing storytelling—attracted an impressive number of viewers…at first.
Then, after people realized just how awful and stridently political it was, this happened…
Last September, Rings of Power began with a bang, delivering the biggest debut ever on the streamer in what Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke called “a very culturally defining moment” for the company. But when season one wrapped, the show was less defining than hoped, falling short of being the breakout hit that Amazon had envisioned.
While Amazon, like other streamers, provides only limited data — and internally, it held information even more closely than usual on the series — sources confirm that The Rings of Power had a 37 percent domestic completion rate (customers who watched the entire series). Overseas, it reached 45 percent. (A 50 percent completion rate would be a solid but not spectacular result, according to insiders). The show has not been a major awards contender, either, overlooked by the major guilds with the exception of one SAG-AFTRA nomination for stunt ensemble.
So, even though the series was a mere eight episodes long, only 37 percent of those who started the show bothered to finish it. I literally fell asleep during the second episode, and life was just too short to watch the other six.
I will agree with Salke’s spin on one point. Yes, this certainly was a “culturally defining moment,” just not the one the Amazon chief hoped for. The culturally defining moment is this…
Rings of Power’s failure proves that woke is so hated, so off-putting, so anti-art, and such a drag that the most powerful company in the world can pour a billion dollars into one of the most beloved brands in the world, and it will still flop.
The news gets even worse… “Data from Nielsen on minutes watched reveals that when it comes to original shows generally, Amazon has lagged.” Rings of Power not only came in 15th place, it came in behind Amazon’s own The Boys, which placed 11th.
And now we come to my favorite part…
“This desire to paint [Rings of Power] as anything less than a success — it’s not reflective of any conversation I’m having internally,” Amazon Studios chief Salke argued.
She must be a graduate of the Kathleen Kennedy School of Feminist Denial.
Rings of Power lost 63 percent of its audience over only eight episodes.
Cultural phenomena don’t lose 63 percent of their audience. They don’t lose any audience. On the contrary, they gain steam over time, picking up more and more viewers.
Salke assures us that the upcoming second season will be more exciting. “That’s a huge opportunity for us,” she said. “The first season required a lot of setting up.”
“Setting up” your story should be the fun part, the easy part. In the first act, you get to introduce your characters, show off your world, and tease what’s to come. It’s in the second act where stories go to die.
Rings of Power sucks because its characters suck, and it’s more concerned with hitting woke sweet spots than telling the best story possible with intriguing, compelling, complicated, and relatable characters.
Season one should have ended with America panting for season two, not pointing and laughing at it.
Hey, Amazon, I guess somewhere between episodes one and eight, 63 percent of your viewers turned into racists.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.
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