From Invincible to The Boys, Amazon is now a big player in the superhero genre. And with the release of The Wheel of Time, they’re now throwing their hat into the fantasy arena previously dominated by HBO’s Game of Thrones. And judging by early figures, it’s a massive hit!
The Wheel of Time is one of the most beloved fantasy book series of all time, and a big-budget screen adaptation has been in the offing for years. Of course, there’s no doubt the success of Game of Thrones helped convince Amazon to finally make it happen. Since it was announced, the fandom has been beating the drum and building hype, to the point where it even beat out Netflix’s The Witcher in global demand prerelease.
“We can firmly say that Wheel of Time was the most-watched series premiere of the year and one of the Top 5 series launches of all time for Prime Video,” Amazon boss Jennifer Salke told Deadline. She further revealed that the premiere was the number one most talked about show on social media during its opening weekend. “It’s definitely trending to exceed our expectations which were high.”
The Wheel of Time spans 14 enormous books, written by Robert Jordan and concluded by Brandon Sanderson, making it among the longest fantasy sagas of all time. These numbers are good news for anyone who wants to see the whole thing adapted. “You should expect more of the high-quality addictive storytelling that stays true to the original IP but also brings new original ideas and storylines,” Salke said. “Let’s get a little time under our feet but I have a good feeling the show will go on for years and years.”
Amazon is pouring money into more than just The Wheel of Time. They’re also pumping billions into a Lord of the Rings prequel series. They better hope it does well — in fairness, anything Middle-earth sells. But even if it fails, I can’t see Jeff Bezos worrying about money anytime soon.
Expect a lot more fantasy/sci-fi adaptations at Amazon
Amazon’s next big swing is a series based on the bestselling video game franchise Mass Effect. Expect plenty more where that comes from:
"You will see us continuing to invest in fantasy genre of all kinds, we have a genre-focused team on the ground in Studios who work tirelessly with our creative partners on those slates, and you can look forward to more."
The first four episodes of The Wheel of Time are currently streaming on Amazon Prime, with new episodes arriving every Friday.
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