Priyanka Chopra‘s global cinematic venture ‘Citadel’ encountered a disappointing reception, leading to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s quest for answers regarding its lacklustre premiere. Despite a staggering production investment of $250 million (over Rs 2000 crore), the espionage series, featuring Chopra and Richard Madden, struggled to captivate audiences effectively. Consequently, this financial setback has sparked internal concerns at Amazon regarding the allocation of budgets for select shows.
As part of their strategic streamlining efforts, which involve downsizing the workforce and discarding unnecessary projects, Jassy has purportedly initiated a comprehensive examination of major production budgets. The focus is particularly on six shows that have exhibited underwhelming performance over the past nine months. Notably, other high-budget productions like ‘Daisy Jones & the Six,’ ‘The Power,’ ‘Dead Ringers,’ and ‘The Peripheral,’ each boasting a hefty $100 million cost, failed to secure a spot among Nielsen’s top 10 most-watched shows in the United States, as reported by ABP Live.
Despite its staggering $400 million budget, ‘Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ faced difficulties in retaining viewership throughout its debut season. However, it is the series ‘Citadel’ that is currently under intense eye, having undergone significant creative revisions following the initial version’s rejection by Amazon, crafted by creator Josh Appelbaum. The company subsequently pursued a fresh approach spearheaded by executive producers Joe and Anthony Russo, necessitating an additional investment of $80 million. Regrettably, despite the augmented resources, ‘Citadel’ managed to secure a spot in Nielsen’s top 10 list only once, trailing behind Netflix’s “Barbecue Showdown.”
