Despite widespread backlash from longtime fans, Amazon is saying The Rings of Power has apparently succeeded, even with its massive budget.

Amazon Studios global TV head Vernon Sanders said (via Deadline) that the prequel TV series has “more than paid off,” suggesting its huge $465 million budget was recouped.

Sanders noted the series broke Prime Video’s previous records, bringing in a younger 18-34 audience and hitting over 100 million viewers.

The Prime Video boss suggested the series also boosted sales on Tolkien’s original works – a “company-wide success” as several of his orginal novels climbed back into Amazon’s best-selling books.

Amazon is proceeding with another season of the The Rings of Power, focusing on the return and rise of Sauron. Considering this, Amazon claims to have learned from the criticisms of its first season, promising “bigger battles” from the books in season 2.

“We are going to be faster,” Sanders said. “We are going to be able to put more money on screen, just in terms of the scale and scope of what we’re doing now that we know how to do it.”

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 has been available exclusively via Amazon Prime Video. In case you missed it, find our thorough review of the season 1 pilot here.

This is Niche Culture. In this column, we regularly cover anime, movies, geek culture, and things related to video games.