Amazon's Biggest Debut In Prime Video History: Over 25M Tuned In For This Show's Premiere

Amazon.com, Inc AMZN has reported that its "Lord of the Rings" (LOTR) prequel, "The Rings of Power," has attracted more than 25 million viewers worldwide on its first day, marking the biggest premiere in the history of Prime Video. 

The series is based on the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien's LOTR books. LOTR was named Amazon customers' favorite book of the millennium in 1999 and Britain's best-loved novel of all time in BBC's "The Big Read" in 2003. 

Talking about the success of the show, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said, "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."

During the show's U.K. premiere, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos reportedly said that his son had warned him not to mess up the series.

Also Read: Here's Why Amazon Is Abandoning Dozens Of US Warehouses

"My son came up to me one day, he looked me in the eyes, very sincerely, and he said: 'Dad, please don't eff this up,'" Bezos said, according to Variety. 

Episodes of "The Rings of Power" will launch weekly through the Oct. 14 season finale.

Earlier this year, Amazon acquired for $6.5 billion movie and television studio giant Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), whose library includes classics like "James Bond" and "Rocky" franchises as well as "The Pink Panther" and "RoboCop." 

HBO is also trying to up the ante with big programming. 

According to Variety, HBO's "House of the Dragon" drew close to 10 million viewers on its first day in the U.S. Within the first week, that figure doubled to 20 million viewers. 

Photo courtesy: Amazon Prime