MoviesNewsTalk
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim had all the potential of reintroducing us into Middle-earth through a very unique lens, a grand animated epic centered on Rohirrim which previously was mostly given secondary supporting roles instead of main focus, what could potentially bring something genuinely different to one of modern fiction's largest and most impressive set universes that often had very familiar traditional 'westernized' portrayals of its various peoples (specially for the region this story covers). But it seems all production ambition couldn't fully translate into expected box office sales that led to very sudden and quick decision over its digital release which we will explore today, not just for a financial evaluation but rather as something that may impact similar productions going forwards when examining its narrative and style choices all that was specifically made here.
Less than two weeks after The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim's disappointing theatrical debut ( only $15.4M which for a large franchise such as this feels mostly irrelevant) Warner Bros quickly changed the direction to premium video-on-demand platforms on December 27. This digital release wasn't just a sudden marketing decision but a clear understanding from a corporation about very poor marketing as they immediately focused on highlighting what few aspects could be better exploited ( like its digital exclusive featurettes about “Return to Helm’s Deep” and the creation of Hera's Character) as they hoped to attract an audience that otherwise had simply decided to wait rather than commit onto theatrical options; but the major underlining factor remains why these choices may not had any large scale impact over those original theatrical results due to very key problems with this title.
Many speculate if a theatrical production was the proper choice for this series and perhaps some alternate format may have suited it better as this also has the unintended side effect of making future producers reconsider that very format, which could severely hurt production efforts for animated projects ( that have no superhero core demographic appeal ) from achieving equal footing against live action productions in large film and media settings.
What seems obvious to those not familiar to production and financial planning for mass media is why this film ( whose original intent and core structure, as presented with its source content, should’ve appealed to both hardcore Tolkien fans, and those unfamiliar ) met with lukewarm and mixed responses, as if the series creators misunderstood very critical factors for its own intended audience; in many aspects is this series isn't presented in a typical theatrical format and perhaps even most critical reviews are based on this core structural issue that, regardless its original intended goals it ended up presenting something as ‘medium’ instead of achieving high ground on what a title based upon such large legacy could produce.
Many seem in agreement over the many impressive visuals from animated set pieces but, its the general sense from many critic's opinions where characters all appear as generic rather than having meaningful ties from both book's descriptions or those seen from Peter Jackson's movies or even what is known through long standing fans from middle-earth books; it could not carry such long-term important aspects when its animation seems at certain points quite erratic or uneven creating a situation where viewers that normally should’ve felt a deep connection instead were mostly isolated from its grand storytelling value which ended up being a huge misstep when taking the source content into account that almost makes every choice from those production teams entirely questionable at its foundation. And ultimately caused poor results which are now a financial problem for studios to analyze and consider ( as all similar productions often rely greatly on previous well set records ) instead of creating its very own individual identity as if they completely forgot ‘brand power’ relies as much as creating a familiar product from scratch.
Despite its underwhelming box office results , The War of the Rohirrim’s shift to digital presents the opportunity for a more accessible format which then could provide greater reach for its intended viewers, with all its promotional additional content, that could then improve viewers reception ( that simply might have felt it as “ Not what they expected" ) but also this can then improve it via “word of mouth marketing’ that often gets ignored by marketing agencies in favor of standard formulaic methods instead of doing better use of feedback and viewers opinions. The decision also seems rather smart when considering the ongoing release of many other titles which may diminish its potential (with releases of gladiator or many large titles within the Christmas timeframe which can make digital platforms more busy) all those also may inadvertently cause some long run negative result unless those marketing team behind that project will start paying attention for its actual audience who, while vocal on social media rarely receives equal response for their needs or for production flaws which can hurt any form of long-term viewership. This release however now might give production crews far greater ability to study those feedbacks.
This shift to digital, therefore provides many learning points for many media companies when doing complex projects; such as, how an animated project that should have carried its own dedicated fan-base could potentially harm future similar adaptations and how poor choices or specific approaches to well established production systems and formulas can lead to underwhelming results; it often does show us that regardless if you have amazing visuals and high-profile casts some things can never be ‘forced’ or rushed; this experience seems as a good case study over the future to what similar series and films can take for granted or ignore.
The War of the Rohirrim box office outcome raises questions about the future of adaptations set on Tolkien’s world. This also raises important questions of how major streaming services will prioritize content development while not risking a strong connection with large fandom. But if they pay more attention this can also improve that, especially by using current criticism from dedicated viewers instead of acting based only through financial goals.
This experience in many ways showcases there are a few areas worth further exploration ( which most media conglomerates tend to avoid). This digital approach will allow this specific Lord of the Rings anime production more of a reach but for all other potential spin-offs these core issues still remain at large, unless all of that feedback gets carefully measured before production starts its more likely for new or related projects will suffer from a similar fate and this new approach to digital (asides that rushed initial result ) also allows various production crews and media outlets some chance to learn, observe, analyze where errors were made that hurt the brand; perhaps what started with great ambition can end with new more valuable long run methods by listening to what people had to say to both good or very bad points which may as well be a lesson worthy of mention as there is still no fully accepted model for new releases within modern media and such experimental times always are beneficial ( if studios pay extra attention).
The War of the Rohirrim digital release shows many issues and does reveal a valuable set of information not just for this particular film but on many future high end properties: that an approach cannot rely solely on familiarity or ‘brand power’, it needs a better cohesive structure from start to finish ( both visual and core character), also it shows that new or untested formats need much more attention into all phases including more open communication ( such as social media direct feedback) with dedicated fans who act both as free marketing teams, but as also key core elements that will define a project based upon emotional ties, which goes far deeper than simple marketing or box office calculations. Also this quick turn-around into online formats now offers several unique new aspects that if managed well, can become the better way on future adaptations when approaching more niche demographics than purely trying for the greatest possible demographic outreach with standard approaches and that all will remain part of an on-going experiment into modern film releases that has a long way to go; if more corporations take notice of that instead of rushing, what could potentially lead to some genuinely well-developed concepts that otherwise might not exist with purely financial interests and motivations.