Game of Thrones v Lord of the Rings: a tale of old vs new Hollywood

The near-simultaneous releases of the two series will make for an epic ratings battle. (Image: Warner Bros Discovery, Amazon Prime Video)

The Economist

Sat, 27 Aug 2022

Half a billion dollars’ worth of swordplay, sorcery and sex is on its way to a small screen near you.On Aug 21, Warner Bros Discovery launched House of the Dragon, a spinoff of its racy smash hit, Game of Thrones, made at a reported cost of more than US$150 million ($252m).Hot on its heels on September 1, Amazon Prime Video will release The Rings of Power, a more chaste but even pricier drama based on the Lord of the Rings books. With a rumoured price tag of US$465m, Amazon’s offering will be the most expensive piece of television e...

Subscribe to BusinessDesk

Stay informed on business, government and financial developments across New Zealand.

Deeply researched, twice-edited and fact-checked news
Annual subscribers also receive a complimentary subscription to The Wall Street Journal
Personalised email news alerts, plus gift up to 5 stories a month to non-subscribers

You can cancel anytime with two clicks, an email or a phone call.
Find out more.

We are serious about journalism.

Name {{ registerForm.errors.get('name') }}

Email address {{ registerForm.errors.get('email') }}

Phone Number {{ registerForm.errors.get('phone') }}

Job Title {{ registerForm.errors.get('title') }}

Password Minimum password length of 8 characters.
Require at least one upper and lowercase, numeric, and special character. {{ registerForm.errors.get('password') }}

Repeat password {{ registerForm.errors.get('password_confirmation') }}

We had trouble validating your card. It's possible your card provider is preventing us from charging the card. Please contact your card provider or customer support.

Credit Card

Cardholder's name

{{ __(plans[index].name) | capitalize }} {{ plans[index].attributes.old_price | currency }} {{ plans[index].price | currency }}

All subscriptions auto renew but are easy to cancel.

I Accept The Terms Of Service

{{ registerForm.errors.get('terms') }}

Tax: {{ taxAmount(selectedPlan) | currency }}

Total Price Including Tax: {{ priceWithTax(selectedPlan) | currency }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerSeat ? '/ '+ spark.seatName : '' }} {{ selectedPlan.type == 'user' && spark.chargesUsersPerTeam ? '/ '+ __('teams.team') : '' }} / {{ __(selectedPlan.interval) | capitalize }}