Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden starrer webseries ‘Citadel’ is under scrutiny as Amazon CEO Andy Jassy is taking a hard look at some of its biggest shows in recent months that failed to get a good response from the audiences, according to a Bloomberg report. Jassy’s move comes amid the e-commerce giant’s proposal to cut costs across categories.
According to a Bloomberg report, Jassy has asked for a detailed report on the spending by the company's Hollywood studio on original TV programming due to the ballooning costs and mixed track record of some of the biggest shows with the audiences.
The report added that Amazon spent $7 billion on original shows, licensed programs and sports, last year.
Some of the Amazon original shows made with huge spending, which include Daisy Jones & the Six, The Power, Dead Ringers, The Peripheral, The Rings of Power and Citadel failed to become one of the most watched shows in the United States.
Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden-starrer spy thriller Citadel, which was made at a cost of $250 (over Rs 2,000 crore) for one season also failed to strike a chord with the audiences, according to Bloomberg.
“Despite being one of the most expensive series in TV history, Citadel has failed to chart as one of the 10 most-watched streaming programs in the US in any week since it debuted, according to Nielsen. It did hit the top 10 among streaming originals for a week, coming in just behind Netflix Inc.’s Barbecue Showdown,” the report said.
The first season of Citadel was released earlier this year on April 28. Notably, the spy thriller underwent a major creative overhaul after Amazon discarded original creator Josh Appelbaum’s version. They went ahead with the new version that required at least $80 million more, from executive producers Joe and Anthony Russo.
Amazon Prime had designed Citadel as a global franchise. An Indian spinoff, starring Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Varun Dhawan, is currently being shot in Serbia. On the other hand, the Italian spinoff has already finished production.
Citadel also streamed in India on Amazon Prime Video in April. The story of the web series revolves around the downfall of a global spy agency. Priyanka and Richard play the lead roles as two former spies attempting to regain their strength to take on the crime world run by the Manticore group.
The series helmed by Russo brothers also features Lesley Manville, Osy Ikhile, Ashleigh Cummings, Roland Moller and Davik Silje in pivotal roles.
First Published: Jul 7, 2023 9:32 PM IST
