LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Amazon's latest blockbuster is doomed, and here's why. The new spy series 'Citadel', starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, had been stuck in development for a long time, with the show's creators competing for the opportunity to actualize their creative vision.
And now that the first two episodes of 'Citadel' are out, many are questioning how this ordinary-looking series became one of the most costly in television history. According to Anthony Russo, Amazon executive Jen Salke contacted the brothers with the concept of starting a large, multi-series espionage brand from scratch.
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'Citadel' is only one of several planned series situated in the same imaginary universe, with Italian and Indian spinoffs already in the works and more to come. The strategy assumes that people would flock not just to the initial series but also to as many related shows as Amazon can produce, as reported by Rollingstone.
Whopping $300 million budget
Amazon has reportedly spent around $300 million on the show so far, including extensive reshoots after original showrunner Josh Appelbaum was replaced by 'Hunters' creator David Weil, putting it just behind the streamer's 'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' on the list of the most expensive series ever produced, as reported by Forbes.
Despite the ambition, 'Citadel', sadly, falls far short, and doesn't even look like it has such high production values. Of course, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden look gorgeous together, and Stanley Tucci and Lesley Manville do a fair job as supporting actors. However, it still seems unlikely that the haphazard series could actually explode into a gigantic, money-making franchise as envisioned.
Disappointing reviews
'Citadel's reviews aren't flattering either. It holds a paltry 54% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Although a 71% crowd score is better, it comes from just a few hundred audience reviews overall. Besides, 'Citadel' only has a 6.2/10 on IMDB with 12K ratings, as reported by Forbes.
In contrast, there are 22K reviews for 'Queen Charlotte on Netflix, which made its premiere a week ago. Currently, 'Citadel' lags behind at seventh among the most popular shows on the platform's ratings, after 'Queen Charlotte', 'Silo', 'Succession', 'Ted Lasso', 'The Diplomat', and 'Love and Death'.
This would make 'Citadel' Madden's second consecutive failed franchise attempt. He recently oversaw 'Eternals', which Marvel surely regrets already. 'Eternals' was an attempt to introduce a new 10-person team of characters who were never economically successful even in print. The expensive affair came after at least 25 interconnected films had already been made to varying success. It is understandable that 'Citadel' aspires to such heights, but whether it will reach there is a different question.
Even if the initial iteration did pass the audience test, it would still require some significant spectator demand to justify more versions. And if it turns out to be a failure, like it appears to already have, it could spell more terrible for Amazon.
