Season 2 of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” made a remarkable impact during its first streaming weekend, securing the position as the second-most-watched streaming original series in the U.S. from August 30 to September 2, according to Luminate.
This evaluation covers the four-day stretch of Labor Day weekend, excluding the premiere date of August 29. With Amazon Prime Video releasing three episodes, totaling 204 minutes, the series amassed 553.5 million minutes viewed. This figure translates to an approximate 2.7 million views, based on episode length.
The only show surpassing “The Rings of Power” in this period was Netflix’s “Worst Ex Ever,” which garnered 633.3 million minutes watched. However, given that “Worst Ex Ever” spans 230 minutes compared to the 204 minutes of “Rings of Power,” the viewership numbers are more closely aligned, with “Worst Ex Ever” achieving around 2.8 million views.
Despite a strong debut, “The Rings of Power” faced a decline compared to its inaugural season. Season 1’s Labor Day opening was higher, with 1.2 billion minutes viewed over four days, equating to 8.9 million views from the initial two episodes, each 132 minutes long.
This drop-off is typical for major franchises; for instance, HBO’s “House of the Dragon” saw a reduction from 10 million viewers in its premiere to 7.8 million for its second season opener.
Vernon Sanders, head of U.S. and global TV at Amazon MGM Studios, highlighted that the considerable investment of $100 million to $150 million per season aims to boost engagement across Amazon’s platforms, including retail and music. While Amazon has yet to disclose specific viewership figures for Season 2, further insights from Luminate and Nielsen will provide a more comprehensive view in the coming weeks.