Citadel is reportedly the No. 2 Prime Video show of all time — but we have questions

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Amazon's got a big hit on its hands with Citadel

(L to R) Richard Madden as Mason Kane and Priyanka Chopra Jonas as Nadia Sinh in Citadel
(Image credit: Amazon Studios)

Prime Video's latest blockbuster series is reportedly one of its biggest ever. News has hit that Citadel, a new espionage series starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, did fantastic numbers in its first week. 

Launching on April 28th, Citadel is the number 1 show, movie or special on Prime Video right now. It sits ahead of (in order) the final season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Power, comedian Jimmy O. Yang's comedy special Guess How Much? and Reacher. But that's just a crumb of the story.

Then, Deadline cited a "source close to the production" that said Citadel was following Rings of Power on "follows only Prime Video’s LOTR: Rings Of Power in launch numbers."

Analysis: Early numbers are great, but will Citadel sustain this interest?

Mentioning The Rings of Power's viewership will always make me a little suspicious. That's thanks to The Hollywood Reporter's sources who said TRoP only had a 37% completion rate in the US.

How bad is that? Well, insiders claimed that 50% "would be a solid but not spectacular result." 

So, this makes me wonder about how if these claims of Citadel's success are coming too early. If a massive ton of people started both Rings of Power and Citadel, they could still wind up with enough people who stick around to make it worth it all. 

These announcements that a show is doing very well also seem like a way to drive audiences to care more about a show's success. If you think everybody's watching something, you'll feel a need to watch it too, so you're not missing out.

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Henry T. Casey
Henry T. Casey

Henry was a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.