Despite catastrophic viewership declines, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Amazon is moving forward with Season 3 of The Rings of Power. This news comes as the series faces harsh criticism and dwindling audience interest following dismal performances from both its first and second seasons.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Season 3 is now in pre-production, with filming set to begin this spring at Shepperton Studios in the United Kingdom. Fans have been promised a major time jump, with Sauron forging the One Ring and the story shifting to the War of the Elves and Sauron.
Owain Arthur as Prince Durin IV; Sophia Nomvete as Disa in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024), Amazon MGM Studios
The exclusive logline reads, “Jumping forward several years from the events of season 2, season 3 takes place at the height of the War of the Elves and Sauron, as the Dark Lord seeks to craft the One Ring that will give him the edge he needs to win the war and conquer all Middle-earth at last.”
However, this renewal announcement arrives under the shadow of failure. The Luminate TV and Film Report for 2024 revealed a disastrous 60% drop in viewership between Seasons 1 and 2. The first season, while labeled Amazon Prime Video’s biggest premiere, only had 37% of viewers finish the series, with the majority abandoning it mid-season. Season 2 fared even worse, plummeting from nearly 8 billion minutes watched to around 3 billion minutes, barely beating out Disney disasters like The Acolyte.
One would think that a show with a billion dollar budget would at least be reflected in the streaming top 10 original shows, but Rings of Power came nowhere close with season 2. Even the lowest show on that list clocked in at over 7 billion minutes watched, more than double the viewership for Amazon’s Tolkien catastrophe.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 15: Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios attends “The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power” Los Angeles Red Carpet Premiere & Screening on August 15, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
Despite these abysmal numbers, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke has continued to push a delusional narrative of success. She recently claimed that over 170 million viewers worldwide have “checked out the show,” adding that it remains one of Prime Video’s top drivers for new subscriptions.
Salke insisted, “This is a long-term investment in that franchise,” further asserting that Amazon measures success on a different timeline than traditional TV metrics.
However, her statements are at odds with the viewership collapse and mass layoffs Amazon enacted after the first season’s failure. It’s clear that counting every fleeting view as a ‘viewer’ inflates reality, masking the massive audience exodus between Seasons 1 and 2.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – JULY 25: (L-R) Showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay speak onstage during The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power SDCC Press Preview Event at Venue 808 on July 25, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Jerod Harris/Getty Images for Amazon MGM Studios)
Meanwhile, J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, the inexperienced showrunners heavily criticized for their DEI-driven storytelling and mishandling of Tolkien’s lore, remain at the helm.
Speaking to Screen Rant, the Rings of Power head honchos enthusiastically declared, “We’re working on [Season 3] very, very intensely… It’s gonna be awesome.” Yet, these assurances ring hollow for many Tolkien fans, who have long accused the series of prioritizing identity politics over substance.
The Rings of Power Season 3 director lineup was also revealed, including returning directors Charlotte Brandstrom (Shōgun) and Sanaa Hamri (The Wheel of Time), along with newcomer Stefan Schwartz (The Boys, The Walking Dead). However, even the addition of experienced directors is unlikely to salvage a series that has consistently alienated its core audience.
Charlie Vickers as Sauron and Morfydd Clark as Galadriel n The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2024), Amazon MGM Studios
In sum, while Amazon presses on with Season 3 of The Rings of Power, the reality is stark: the series has hemorrhaged viewers, faced industry ridicule, and stands as a warning of what happens when billion-dollar budgets collide with bad creative choices. Whether Rings of Power Season 3 can reverse the show’s fortunes or simply add another chapter to its billion-dollar disaster remains to be seen.
Do you think Rings of Power Season 3 will see another major dropoff? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!
