Television and streaming shows are no less than films today in terms of scale and even star power. For instance, Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden’s Citadel was reported to have a massive budget of Rs 2400 crore ($300 million), more than most big Hollywood films. But even this number pales in comparison to the massive amount spent on the most expensive TV show ever, which has a reported budget of $1 billion (Rs 8300 crore).
World’s most expensive TV show
Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which streamed on Amazon Prime Video in 2022, is widely regarded as the most expensive television show of all time. Collider put the show’s production cost at $465 million (over Rs 3800 crore), stating that each episode cost around $58 million (Rs 480 crore). However, Deadline states that the show cost over a billion dollars in production and marketing costs, coming out to around Rs 8300 crore.
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How The Rings of Power dwarfs Indian films
The budget of Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is so massive that not just Indian films but even Hollywood films pale in comparison. In fact, every single episode of this massive show is more expensive than most Indian films. The Rs 480-crore conservative production cost of each episode of The Rings of Power is higher than the production budget of some of the biggest Indian films like Brahmastra Part One (Rs 400 crore), Salaar (Rs 270 crore), Baahubali 2 The Conclusion (Rs 250 crore), Fighter (Rs 250 crore), Pathaan (Rs 250 crore), KGF (Rs 100 crore), Animal (Rs 100 crore), and Dunki (Rs 120 crore). In fact, only three Indian films – Kalki 2898 AD (Rs 600 crore), Adipurush (Rs 550 crore), and RRR (Rs 500 crore) – have budgets higher than the per episode cost of The Rings of Power.
Why is The Rings of Power so expensive?
Screenrant reported that mismanagement and reshoots were the main reason for the Rings of Power’s budget ballooning beyond control. The report stated that the first season of the show was initially meant to cost around $150 million but ended up being made for over thrice as much. “It's hard to think of a reason for Rings of Power's ballooning budget other than it being mismanaged, wrote ScreenRant’s Grant Bullert. The show’s expansive sets, large scale, extensive VFX work, and a huge global marketing campaign all contributed to this figure.
The Rings of Power season 2
The first season of The Rings of Power was heavily trolled as many fans were upset with the diversity casting as well as the makers’ decision to deviate from the source material. While most critics and casual viewers found the show decent enough, the trolls were unrelenting. Despite that, Prime Video maintained the show was a massive success in terms of viewership and a second season was renewed immediately. Season 2 of The Rings of Power is set to begin streaming on Prime Video from August 31.
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