The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 took a viewership hit compared to season 1, and a new report reveals just how much. Created by Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, the Prime Video Lord of the Rings series premiered back in 2022, chronicling the rise of evil in Middle-earth during the Second Age. Reviews for The Rings of Power season 2 hailed the new episodes as an improvement over season 1 in summer 2024, but the sophomore outing didn’t quite match the viewership highs of that debut season.

A new report from Luminate, a third party streaming analytics company, now reveals that the viewership decline for The Rings of Power season 2 was fairly significant. According to the company, season 2 viewership over its first 12 weeks of availability was down 60% from season 1 in terms of total minutes watched. This news in Luminate’s report comes as the company reveals that The Rings of Power‘s dip in viewership accompanied a decline for both Marvel and Star Wars content as well, with three major franchises faltering.

What The Rings Of Power Season 2’s Viewership Decline Means For The Show

Will The Lord Of The Rings Show Return?

Prior to The Rings of Power season 1 even releasing, the show was hyped as a five-season venture for Amazon, with the company’s total expenditure on the series expected to reach $1 billion by the time it concluded. Despite the viewership decline, Amazon is seemingly still committed to this plan. McKay and Payne recently revealed that they’ve already begun work on The Rings of Power season 3, which might start filming this year.

Per a report from THR, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke revealed in October that the company expects The Rings of Power season 2 to eventually catch up to viewership of season 1. Season 2 remained a top performer on the Nielsen charts throughout its run, with over 1 billion minutes streamed in its first two weeks. The THR reports also notes that the show remains one of Prime Video’s top 5 most successful shows.

Our Take On The Rings Of Power Season 2’s Viewership Decline

Season 2 Has Been An Improvement Over Season 1 In Terms Of Quality

Considering just how expensive The Rings of Power is to make, a season 2 viewership drop of 60% from season 1 is not a promising sign. It’s worth mentioning, however, that the response to season 2 has generally been more positive. On Rotten Tomatoes, for example, season 2 has an audience score of 59% compared to season 1’s 38%, with both seasons sporting critics’ scores of 84%.

If season 3 continues this downward viewership trend for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, it’s possible that a season 4 will not move forward. Considering just how much of an improvement season 2 is over season 1, this would be a shame, as the latest episodes suggest that the show is now finding its groove.