Fair or not, all of Hollywood can’t help but compare Amazon’s “The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power” and HBO’s “House of the Dragon.” The two blockbuster fantasy series belong to arguably the most popular franchises of the last 25 years, carry unfathomable budgets — nearly $200 million for “House of the Dragon” and $465 million for “Rings of Power” — and premiered within two weeks of one another. The truth is both new series can boast bragging rights early on in their runs.
Audience retention
Amazon Prime Video made the strategic decision to release the first two episodes of “Rings of Power” last Friday.