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A streaming report reveals Amazon spy series Citadel was a massive flop on Prime Video.
Starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jones as a Citadel agency duo, the globetrotting thriller debuted in April to a muted response. Bloomberg reports that the first season "failed to chart as one of the 10 most-watched streaming programs in the US in any week since it debuted" according to Nielsen's metrics.
It was also revealed that Citadel cost $250m to make, putting it in the upper echelons of the most expensive TV series of all time. A fellow Prime Video show, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, tops the list at a reported cost of $465 million.
Previous reports had indicated that Citadel’s budget had ballooned to $200m due to a combination of factors, including extensive reshoots and COVID-19 measures. Bloomberg also reported that a team led by executive producers Joe and Anthony Russo re-cut the series and submitted it to Amazon alongside the original cut, a decision that – thanks to requiring additional photography – ended up costing the project another $80 million.
Despite the costs, Citadel isn’t one and done. A second season – directed by Joe Russo – is in the works, while multiple international spin-offs (including series set in India and Italy) are planned.
"Citadel is a truly global phenomenon," Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said after the season 2 renewal. "Our goal was always to create a new franchise rooted in original IP that would grow Prime Video's international audience. This show has drawn an outsize number of new international customers to Prime Video."
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