We now have The Rings of Power Season 2 confirmed as the most expensive TV series ever made. Where did all that money go? I’m not completely sure, but it was not in the writing. Just in case anyone is coming at this article fresh from Google, I’ll point out I think The Rings of Power is an awful show. You can catch my review of the season 2 finale in the related section below. It will be my last, as I won’t be reviewing, or watching Season 3.
However, enough of that for now. Let’s talk about the costs of this series, something explored in a recent article by Forbes.
‘Like New Zealand, the UK also offers studios a fiscal incentive for filming there. They get up to 25.5% of their costs reimbursed and set up separate companies for each production they make. The latest financial statements for GSR UK Productions were released last week and reveal that by the time filming for the second season of The Rings of Power ended in June 2023, $458.2 million (£364 million) had been spent on it. They add that this staggering sum was not due to overspending as “at the year end, the television programme being produced had an estimated cost in line with the agreed budget.”‘
‘The spending is still set to surge as the second season debuted more than a year after the date of the financial statements and during that time much of the costly digital effects work was done.’
RELATED: Rings Of Power Season 2 Finale Review – Awful
‘The filings reveal that The Rings of Power was handed a $91.9 million (£72.8 million) reimbursement and the production had a magic touch on the UK. Studios spend on local services such as props suppliers, security and catering. Filming also keeps local workers in jobs. The financial statements show that a peak of 522 staff worked on The Rings Of Power with total pay coming to $35.7 million (£28.3 million).’
‘The total budget gives the show a massive cost per minute of $850,000 which is almost as much as the $1.3 million (£1 million) per hour minimum threshold required in order to qualify for the reimbursement. It remains to be seen whether it has paid off.’
The article goes on to talk about reported viewing figures. Cut a long story short most in the industry are saying Season 1 had a massive drop off. However, Season 2 started smaller and had a similar drop off. However, the article also points out something to be taken into consideration. It’s possible that viewing figures and critical acclaim are not what really drives profits. At least not for a company like Amazon. Instead they rely on the Prime subscription and having recognised IP brands to advertise is good for subs.
Ergo, despite the second season being and absolute dumpster fire, it does seem likely Amazon won’t cancel it. To sum up, The Rings of Power isn’t as popular as Amazon would wish. It is now confirmed to be the most expensive TV series ever made. Yet, weirdly it probably won’t get cancelled anyway.
What do you think as The Rings of Power Season 2 is confirmed as the most expensive TV series ever made? Thoughts below as always.
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