Amazon CEO displeased with Priyanka's 'Citadel'; exploring why it flopped
Priyanka Chopra Jonas-Richard Madden's Citadel was touted as Amazon Prime Video's tentpole project, but instead of taking the streamer to the pinnacle of success, it fell flat on its face. Citadel battled a notorious production (reshoots, creative changes) with its six episodes, eventually receiving extremely discouraging reviews. Now, Amazon's CEO Andy Jassy has sought an explanation on "budget analyses of [big shows like Citadel]."
Multiple Amazon shows failed to impress global audiences
Per Bloomberg, Amazon greenlighted six mega-budget shows, but they performed below expectations. Daisy Jones & the Six, The Power, Dead Ringers, and The Peripheral cost over $100M to produce, while Citadel cost over $250M, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power's budget was $400+M. However, none of these held on to the audience and made it to the top shows' lists.
Why did 'Citadel' flop? Let's dissect the spy-thriller in detail
To define the show in one sentence, it would be best to call Citadel a disappointing disaster. It is so bland, tasteless, slow, and infested with cliche, that there is absolutely no reason why you would be interested in it at any point. The story is done and dusted, predictable, and painfully formulaic, and Citadel offers nothing new on any front.
Locations completely suppress the plot and the story here
Another reason why Citadel could never speak to the masses is that it spends way too much time flashing its stupendous locations and comparatively less time establishing the characters, their backstories, and the overall plot. The entire show has a non-linear structure and toggles between past and present, making the series even more messy and needlessly convoluted than it already is.
Its 'big' reveals amount to nothing!
Citadel desperately demands a pat on the back from us because of the big "reveals" it throws our way, but those revelations are neither jawdropping nor engaging. It doesn't take too long to notice that its core is painfully hollow, and each episode is more of the same, with the series (barely) standing on two pretty faces and some glitzy locations.
Despite its unbelievably disappointing performance, Season 2 is confirmed
After finishing the series, one cannot help but notice how Amazon has simply burned its money on Citadel, eventually resulting in a big blob of irreversible mess. The show is an excruciating exercise, with the viewers desperately hoping for something consequential to happen at some point! Despite its pathetic performance, surprisingly, it has already been renewed for Season 2.
