The world of film employs the highest achievers in every category of service, and that costs big bucks. It's no secret that every impeccable detail costs a whole lot of money, and that includes everything from costume design, to set structure, and the wages of the big stars that entertain the masses. Huge franchises such as The Lord Of The Rings are almost guaranteed to be a huge hit, but the operative word there is 'almost.' Amazon has recently made the headlines for investing an astronomical amount of money to obtain the rights to the Lord Of The Rings reboot. Forbes reports that now, they're explaining precisely why they justified the $465 million price tag.
Amazon 'needed' to win the rights to acquire The Lord Of The Rings as part of their streaming repertoire, and this dire necessity was very easy for them to explain... they need the viewers in order to compete and stay current.
They're certainly up against some huge streaming services with very enticing offerings, such as Netflix, and Disney, and they needed something truly epic to stand out among the competition. With the competition fiercely nipping at their heels, Amazon felt comfortable bidding $465 million to ensure that The Lord Of The Rings became their title, and it did.
Forbes reports that Jennifer Salke of Amazon studios was asked to justify this eye-popping investment, and she indicated that this is really a long term investment for the streaming giants. She went on to state; "This is a full season of a huge world-building show. The number is a sexy headline or a crazy headline that’s fun to click on, but that is really building the infrastructure of what will sustain the whole series."
That infrastructure is expected to be long-lasting and well worth the investment.
This is just part of the equation, however. Without a doubt, $465 million can buy some truly epic set structures and designs, some mind-blowing costumes and make-up, and can even sustain some huge celebrity salaries, however, at the end of the day, no matter how many millions of dollars are invested in this massive undertaking, the ultimate test comes down to viewership. If people aren't tuned in, this will absolutely not be worthwhile.
Of course, Lord Of The Rings is estimated to bring in an absolutely massive following, and is sure to bolster viewership and subscriptions for Amazon, however, there's a whole lot of pressure on Amazon to succeed.
When asked what the threshold is to establish the value of their investment, Forbes reports on Amazon's Jennifer Salke as stating; "As for how many people need to watch Lord of the Rings? A lot. (Laughs.) A giant, global audience needs to show up to it as appointment television, and we are pretty confident that that will happen.”
Sources: MovieWeb, Forbes, Gadgets 360