LOTR: The Rings of Power Beats HOTD at Premiere with 25 Million Viewers on First Day

House of the Dragon had successfully launched at HBO with 10 million viewers, but everyone was wondering what kind of numbers Amazon’s Lord of the Rings was going to bring in.

As it turns out, LOTR: The Rings of Power had premiered with 25 million viewers on its premiere day, beating HOTD’s 10 mil. Head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke says in a statement (via Variety):

“It is somehow fitting that Tolkien’s stories – among the most popular of all time, and what many consider to be the true origin of the fantasy genre – have led us to this proud moment… I am so grateful to the Tolkien Estate – and to our showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, executive producer Lindsey Weber, cast and crew – for their tireless collaborative efforts and boundless creative energy.  And it is the tens of millions of fans watching – clearly as passionate about Middle-earth as we are – who are our true measure of success.”

Admittedly, it’s unclear what constitutes as a ‘view’ for Amazon when it comes to the series (like the length of the episode watched), but I don’t think the show is out of the fire yet when it comes to this duel with House of the Dragon. Sure LOTR was able to draw in an audience, but can it retain their attention for an entire season? I guess we’ll just have to wait in a few months when we get to the finale of both shows.

Personally, I thought House of the Dragon had the stronger premiere of the two, but there’s no doubt that the spectacle for Ring of Power is just on a completely different scale.

Catch Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Amazon Prime Video. House of the Dragon is now available on HBO Max.