Tag: The Lord of the Rings

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Amazon’s The Rings of Power cost $500 million, but less than half of viewers finished it: report

Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power hasn’t quite been the big hit the company was hoping for, according to a new report from The Hollywood Reporter.

While streamers like Amazon typically don’t reveal viewership data, THR reports that only 37 percent of those who watched Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings series in the U.S. actually completed it. That number does rise to 45 percent overseas, although the outlet notes that per insiders, a 50 percent completion rate would be “solid but not spectacular.”

Assuming this data is accurate, the majority of people not even finishing an eight-episode season of a highly-publicized show wouldn’t bode too well for Amazon. According to Variety, Amazon has already spent around $465 million USD (about $625.9 million CAD) on the first season in the hopes of building out a five-season Game of Thrones-level tentpole. That also doesn’t include the $250 million USD (about $336.6 million CAD) cost to purchase the LOTR rights from the Tolkien estate, publisher HarperCollins and New Line Cinema.

Another metric to gauge the Rings of Power‘s performance is Nielsen, which tracks the number of minutes watched in the U.S. for popular TV shows. According to the firm, Netflix held the top 10 spots in the 2022 most-watched streaming shows list, with Amazon’s own The Boys even coming in higher (11th) than The Rings of Power (15th). While it’s unclear exactly how much Amazon spends on the Toronto-shot The Boys (reports peg the first season budget at around $10 million USD/$13.5 million CAD), it’s undoubtedly a lot less than The Rings of Power. THR also notes that 2022 was actually an improvement for Prime Video, as 2021’s top 15 most-watched streaming shows, per Nielsen, didn’t include anything from Prime Video.

Clearly, then, Amazon has already invested an ungodly amount of money into the series — believed to be well above what any other company has spent on a series. As THR notes, The Rings of Power has also failed to be a major awards contender, whereas Game of Thrones alone netted HBO 59 Emmy wins across a variety of categories, the most of any drama series.

Speaking to THR, Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke denied reports that The Rings of Power has underperformed. “This desire to paint the show as anything less than a success — it’s not reflective of any conversation I’m having internally,” she told the publication. She went on to say that the second season, which has been filming since October, presents “a huge opportunity” to grow the property after a lot of setup was required in its freshman outing.

The discussion surrounding The Rings of Power came as part of a larger THR piece on Amazon’s entertainment business. In it, the outlet reports that a variety of creatives call Amazon Studios “a confusing and frustrating place to do business,” citing uncertainty surrounding the types of content it wants to produce.

“There’s no vision for what an Amazon Prime show is. You can’t say, ‘They stand for this kind of storytelling.’ It’s completely random what they make and how they make it,” says one showrunner who’s worked a lot with Prime Video, per THR.

The full THR feature can be found here.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Image credit: Amazon

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Video game giant Embracer to acquire IP rights to The Lord of the Rings, Hobbit

Karlstad, Sweden-based Embracer Group is set to acquire Middle-earth Industries, the company that owns the IP rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series.

As part of the deal, the video game giant will be granted the rights to movies, video games, merchandising, theme parks, stage productions and more. Embracer is purchasing the IPs from the California-based Saul Zaentz Company for an undisclosed sum.

Already, though, Embracer is talking about potential avenues for the properties, including “additional movies based on iconic characters such as Gandalf, Aragorn, Gollum, Galadriel, Eowyn and other characters from the literary works of J.R.R. Tolkien.” For now, though, the next big The Lord of the Rings release will be The Rings of Power, a big-budget live-action series premiering on Amazon Prime Video on September 1st.

In any case, Middle-earth Industries is the latest in an ever-growing lineup of acquisitions from Embracer Group. Over the years, the company’s portfolio has grown to include the likes of Deep Silver (Saints Row), Gearbox (Borderlands), Saber Interactive (Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary) and Dark Horse Comics (Hellboy). Most recently, the company announced a deal with Square Enix to acquire several of the Japanese gaming giant’s properties (including Tomb Raider and Deus Ex) and studios (like Eidos Montreal and Square Enix Montreal).

Image credit: Warner Bros.

Source: Embracer Group

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Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings series will have a two-episode premiere

Amazon has announced that two episodes of its The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power series will be available when the series premieres on Prime Video on September 1st at 6pm PT/9pm ET.

While many Prime Video series drop all of their episodes at once, the eight-episode first season of The Rings of Power will get one new episode every week. Amazon has committed more than $1 billion USD (about $1.28 billion CAD) to five seasons of the J.R.R. Tolkien-adapted fantasy series, which would make it the most expensive television production to date.

Clearly, then, Amazon is banking heavily on the series. However, it’s not related at all to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings saga and is instead set thousands of years before the events of those films. Instead, it draws from Tolkien’s Appendices and covers all of the major events of Middle-earth’s Second Age, including the forging of the Rings of Power and the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron.

It’s worth noting that Amazon’s decision to debut two episodes of The Rings of Power on September 1st means that the show’s first season will wrap on October 14th, well before HBO’s House of the Dragon has its finale on October 23rd. The Game of Thrones prequel premieres on Crave in Canada on Sunday, August 21st.

Image credit: Amazon

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EA returns to Lord of the Rings with a free-to-play mobile game

Electronic Arts has announced a partnership with Middle-earth Enterprises on a new free-to-play The Lord of the Rings mobile game.

No reveal trailer was actually shown for the title, titled The Lord of the Rings: Heroes of Middle-earth, but EA says it’s a “collectible role-playing game” featuring “high-fidelity graphics, cinematic animations, and stylized art.” EA also promises that the game will feature “storylines, locations, characters, and lore” from J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary works, rather than the Peter Jackson films, although specific details weren’t provided.

EA Capital Games, the California-based studio behind the massively popular Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes mobile game, is developing Heroes of Middle-earth. A launch date for Heroes of Middle-earth wasn’t confirmed, but EA says a limited, regional beta test will begin this summer.

Heroes of Middle-earth marks EA’s return to the world of Middle-earth after a number of years. Around the time that Jackson’s films were in theatres, EA published several related games, including 2002’s well-regarded The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers tie-in and 2009’s The Lord of the Rings: Conquest. Warner Bros., which produced the Jackson films, would later gain the license to publish Middle-earth games, which include last generation’s popular Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and Shadow of War.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

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Peter Jackson’s Weta FX chooses Vancouver for its second VFX studio

The world-renowned VFX studio co-founded by Peter Jackson has opened up shop in Vancouver.

Weta FX, the company behind the effects of Jackson’s iconic The Lord of the Rings trilogy, has announced that its first-ever expansion beyond its native New Zealand will be in the B.C. city.

The Vancouver-based VFX office will initially be filled by 75 artists and collaborate with Weta FX’s Los Angeles-based corporate office.

On top of the LOTR series, Weta FX has worked on such major films as James Cameron’s Avatar, the modern Planet of the Apes trilogy and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and TV shows like Game of Thrones, The Umbrella Academy and Moon Knight. Currently, the new Vancouver office is set to contribute to ongoing VFX work for Cameron’s Avatar sequels, the first of which is set to hit theatres this December.

In November 2021, San Francisco-based video game software development company Unity Technologies acquired Weta’s tech assets for $1.625 billion USD (about $2.03 billion CAD), although the actual VFX company remains majority owned by Jackson.

On top of many movies and TV shows regularly filming in Vancouver, the city has become a major hub for animation and visual effects companies. For example, Sony Pictures Animation’s Oscar-winning Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse was primarily animated at the company’s Vancouver division, while Disney opened its own animation studio in the city last year. Local studio WildBrain also produces The Snoopy Show for Apple TV+ alongside an upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog series for Netflix.

Image credit: New Line Cinema

Via: The Hollywood Reporter

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Amazon’s big-budget The Lord of the Rings series gets September premiere, official title

Amazon has confirmed the premiere date and title for its upcoming The Lord of the Rings live-action series.

The series, officially titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, will debut on Prime Video on September 2nd.

Amazon has spent $250 million USD (about $312 million CAD) on The Rings of Power‘s first season alone, making it the most expensive series ever made. The company has reportedly committed to five seasons, which would push the series’ budget past $1 billion USD (about $1.25 billion CAD) when all is said and done.

As the name suggests, the first season, which will run for eight episodes, will tell the story of the forging of the titular rings that would eventually be wielded by Sauron. This means it takes place thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

See below for the series’ official synopsis:

Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

Image credit: Amazon

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Amazon’s big-budget The Lord of the Rings series gets September premiere, official title

Amazon has confirmed the premiere date and title for its upcoming The Lord of the Rings live-action series.

The series, officially titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, will debut on Prime Video on September 2nd.

Amazon has spent $250 million USD (about $312 million CAD) on The Rings of Power‘s first season alone, making it the most expensive series ever made. The company has reportedly committed to five seasons, which would push the series’ budget past $1 billion USD (about $1.25 billion CAD) when all is said and done.

As the name suggests, the first season, which will run for eight episodes, will tell the story of the forging of the titular rings that would eventually be wielded by Sauron. This means it takes place thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

See below for the series’ official synopsis:

Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

Image credit: Amazon

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The Lord of the Rings film series turns 20, but it’s not on any Canadian streaming service

On December 19th, 2001, Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring opened in North American theatres.

The fantasy flick, of course, was a critical and commercial smash hit that spawned two equally beloved sequels, 2002’s The Two Towers and 2003’s The Return of the King. The decidedly less popular Jackson-helmed The Hobbit trilogy came nearly 10 years later.

Given the 20th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, it would make sense if you wanted to revisit the original trilogy. I definitely thought of it — it’s been nearly 10 years since I’ve seen them. Unfortunately, though, it’s not that simple.

As it stands, none of the original three LOTR films are on a Canadian streaming service. While they were once on Netflix Canada, they aren’t anymore. The only digital services that have the films are premium video on demand (PVOD) platforms like iTunes and Google Play. It’s worth noting, however, that the digital collection of the Extended Editions of the trilogy currently cost $25.99 (Google Play) and $19.99 (iTunes) to purchase.

It’s odd that the LOTR series isn’t streaming on any service in Canada, especially with the 20th anniversary. By contrast, fellow Warner Bros. series Harry Potter — which also is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year — recently came to Crave. While it’s likely that licensing agreements are preventing the LOTR series from hitting any Canadian streaming service, that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a bit of a bummer for consumers.

It’s worth noting that The Hobbit trilogy is actually available on Canadian streaming services — well, mostly. 2012’s An Unexpected Journey is on both Crave and Amazon Prime Video, as is 2013’s The Desolation of Smaug (Crave/Amazon Prime Video). However, 2014’s The Battle of the Five Armies is only on CBC’s ICI Tou.TV. Otherwise, they’re all offered on PVOD platforms like Google Play and iTunes.

Hopefully, the LOTR series will come to a service soon. For now, though, I’ll likely just buy the digital Extended Edition trilogy collection while it’s on sale.

Image credit: Warner Bros.

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Warner Bros. making Smash-esque fighter with Batman, Shaggy, Gandalf and more: report

Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment may be working on its own Super Smash Bros.-inspired platform fighter.

Over the past few days, an unverified rumour hit Reddit regarding such a game with characters from many popular WB brands.

While that normally would be sketchy in and of itself, VentureBeat‘s Jeff Grubb, a credible source with a solid track record, took to Twitter to back up the leak. Other than refuting the leak’s claim that Mortal Kombat and Injustice developer NetherRealm is working on the WB crossover fighter, Grubb stated that the rumoured game is, indeed, “real.”

Grubb didn’t specifically say if any other parts of the leak are true or false, though. According to the rumour, a variety of iconic WB characters are set to join the rumoured game’s roster, including Batman (DC), Gandalf (The Lord of the Rings), Shaggy (Scooby-Doo), Mad Max (Mad Max), Fred Flinstone (The Flinstones), Tom & Jerry (Tom & Jerry) and Johnny Bravo (Johnny Bravo).

Interestingly, the rumour claims that the Wizarding World’s Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were also mentioned as part of the roster. However, the leaker noted that the rights for the Potter characters are “weird” — presumably due to creator J.K. Rowling maintaining control over the series — and conceded that they may have even been mentioned in jest.

The leaker also makes the rather interesting claim that the game was originally conceived due to all of the memes over the mega-powerful ‘Ultra Instinct Shaggy.’ Given that a family-friendly character like Shaggy wouldn’t make sense in a game like Mortal Kombat, WB instead reportedly came up with the idea of a Smash-like crossover where he and other characters could face off instead. This is especially credible since we already knew that Warner Bros. was paying close attention to the memes, as the company even added a nod to them in the opening titles of its Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms animated movie. 

Further, the leaker says the game is a ‘tag team’ fighter, which suggests some sort of synergy between characters. They said they didn’t have any more details, but this sounds similar to Capcom’s Marvel vs. Capcom series, which lets you switch between a party of characters on the fly. This added layer of strategy would, in theory, help the WB game stand out not only from Smash, but the other inspired titles that have been popping up, including, most recently, Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl.

It’s worth noting that while the leaker didn’t suggest a title for the game, WB did file a trademark for a project called “Multiversus” last month. It remains to be seen whether that’s actually related to the rumoured crossover fighter, but it certainly sounds like a fitting title.

The leaker concluded their post by teasing that the WB game is just one of “at least two” other companies “with major IP” working on Smash-like games. This would make a lot of sense, given that Smash Bros. Ultimate became the best-selling fighting game of all time in 2019.

Meanwhile, properties like Fortnite and the Marvel Cinematic Universe have proven immensely popular by featuring their own major crossovers. Warner Bros. itself has also dabbled in this realm, be it through its ‘DC Extended Universe’ of superhero films, major DC characters appearing in Fortnite or even this year’s Space Jam: A New Legacy, which featured dozens of WB properties.

The company has not yet commented on the rumoured crossover fighter.

Image credit: Warner Bros. (1), (2), (3)

Source: Reddit, @JeffGrubb

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The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War launches on Android and iOS

A new mobile game based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved The Lord of the Rings series has been released.

Developed by NetEase (Diablo Immortal) in partnership with Warner Bros., The Lord of the Rings: Rise to War is described as a “geo-strategic seasonal wargame” in which you manage an army and pursue The One Ring.

To do that, you’ll be able to assemble iconic LOTR characters like Gandalf, Aragorn and Gollum. Notably, the game is set in the Peter Jackson LOTR film universe, rather than a new take on Tolkien’s iconic fantasy series.

In terms of gameplay, Rise to War appears to be quite similar to most other kingdom-building titles. It’s also got purchases that use real money to acquire in-game resources, like many other mobile games.

Rise to War can be downloaded for free on Android and iOS.

Image credit: Warner Bros.