Assemble your fellowship, fans of “Lord of the Rings”!
Prime Video is stepping up its promotional campaign for “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” The company has made the theatrical editions — but not the extended editions — of Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” trilogies available with a Prime Video subscription ahead of launch for the series premiere of “ The Rings of Power” on September 2nd.
Previously, the films were exclusively available to stream on HBO Max. Warner Bros. Discovery owns New Line Cinema, the company responsible for producing both trilogies, so streaming rights would normally be exclusive, but it appears a deal has been struck between the streamers to share the rights. It is not clear how much Amazon paid to make the films available, but it could be another sign that the companies are close to returning HBO Max to the Prime Video Channels.
The films are still available in both theatrical and extended editions on HBO Max, except for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” which curiously is currently only available to stream on Amazon.
The addition is a smart promotional idea from Amazon. They sunk nearly half a billion dollars into the first season of “The Rings of Power,” according to the Hollywood Reporter, and the series is known to be a passion project for Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos. . The tech company has committed to five seasons of the show, with an expected overall price tag of more than $1 billion.
Set thousands of years before the events of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Rings of Power” will focus on the events surrounding the forging of the rings themselves. Movie fans will see familiar characters like Galadriel and Elrond, as well as characters and places they’ve never seen before, like the island kingdom of Numenor.
Amazon has been quite cautious regarding the promotional material for the series, not wanting to give too much away. After a Prime Day teaser was revealed in early July, a full trailer debuted at Comic-Con at the end of the month, which signaled the beginning of the true promotional period for the show.
Now, less than a month from the September 2 premiere date, the campaign now seems to be in full swing. Fans are sure to want to watch as much of Middle-earth as they can before the new show premieres, and now Prime Video subscribers will be able to do it all in one place.
