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Franchise guide · November 2026

The Lord of the Rings movies in order: every Middle-earth film, by release and by story

J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth has given cinema two of its most successful trilogies and, more recently, an anime spin-off. Seven films have been released so far, and an eighth, The Hunt for Gollum, is due in December 2027. Because the prequels came out after the originals, there are two sensible ways to watch them. Here is every film in release order, then the story order, plus the records, the box office and what comes next.

The short version

New Zealand director Peter Jackson adapted The Lord of the Rings as three films, shooting them together in his home country with New Line Cinema. They came out a year apart from December 2001 to December 2003. Between them they won 17 Oscars from 30 nominations, still a record for any film trilogy, and grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide. Almost a decade later Jackson returned with The Hobbit, a prequel trilogy (2012 to 2014) that made a similar amount of money but received a cooler reception from critics. In 2024 the anime film The War of the Rohirrim went further back in time.

Every film in release order

  1. 1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

    Director: Peter Jackson · Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin and Sean Bean

    The hobbit Frodo Baggins inherits a ring from his uncle Bilbo and learns it belongs to the Dark Lord Sauron. Nine companions set out to destroy it. The film earned 13 Oscar nominations, the most of any film that year, and won four. It grossed close to $900 million worldwide.

  2. 2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

    Director: Peter Jackson · Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin and Andy Serkis

    With the Fellowship broken, Frodo and Sam head for Mordor guided by Gollum, while Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli defend the kingdom of Rohan at Helm's Deep. Andy Serkis's motion-capture Gollum became one of the most talked-about performances of the decade. The film won two Oscars from six nominations and grossed about $945 million worldwide.

  3. 3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

    Director: Peter Jackson · Starring: Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin and Miranda Otto

    The war for Middle-earth comes to a head at Minas Tirith while Frodo and Sam make the last climb up Mount Doom. It won all 11 Oscars it was nominated for, including Best Picture and Best Director. That ties the all-time record held by Ben-Hur and Titanic, and no film has won more in a clean sweep. It passed $1.1 billion worldwide.

  4. 4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

    Director: Peter Jackson · Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen and Richard Armitage

    Set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, it follows a younger Bilbo Baggins as Gandalf recruits him to help 13 dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield reclaim their mountain home from the dragon Smaug. Jackson shot it at 48 frames per second, twice the usual rate, and the look divided audiences. It still grossed just over $1 billion worldwide.

  5. 5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

    Director: Peter Jackson · Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage and Benedict Cumberbatch

    The company crosses Mirkwood, escapes the Wood-elves in barrels and finally reaches the Lonely Mountain, where Benedict Cumberbatch voices and performs Smaug. It grossed about $959 million worldwide.

  6. 6. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

    Director: Peter Jackson · Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Lee Pace and Luke Evans

    Smaug's attack on Lake-town is followed by a war over the dragon's treasure, and the story bends towards the start of The Lord of the Rings. Box office trackers put its worldwide total at roughly $940 million to $960 million.

  7. 7. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)

    Director: Kenji Kamiyama · Starring: Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, Luke Pasqualino and Miranda Otto (voices)

    An anime film set about two centuries before Bilbo's adventure. Brian Cox voices Helm Hammerhand, the king of Rohan whose last stand gives Helm's Deep its name, and Miranda Otto returns as Éowyn to narrate. Made for about $30 million, it took only around $20.7 million worldwide. Warner Bros. had fast-tracked it partly to keep its film rights to Tolkien's books.

The story (chronological) order

If you want to follow events in the order they happen in Middle-earth, watch them like this:

  1. The War of the Rohirrim (2024), set about 200 years before The Hobbit
  2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
  3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
  4. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
  5. The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
  6. The Two Towers (2002)
  7. The Return of the King (2003)

The Hunt for Gollum, when it arrives, takes place between the two trilogies and during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring, so it will slot in just before or alongside film five on this list.

Which order should you choose?

For a first viewing, release order is the better choice. The Fellowship of the Ring introduces Middle-earth, the Ring and Gollum the way audiences first met them, and the original trilogy is the stronger set of films. The Hobbit films also lean on things you already know from The Lord of the Rings, such as the Ring's true nature and the return of Sauron, so they land better afterwards. Story order works well for a rewatch, when you already know the twists and want to see Bilbo's journey lead straight into Frodo's. The War of the Rohirrim is an optional extra: it has its own self-contained story and is easiest to enjoy once Rohan and Helm's Deep are familiar from The Two Towers.

The Oscars story

Fantasy films were rarely taken seriously at the Academy Awards before The Lord of the Rings. The Fellowship of the Ring changed that with 13 nominations, and The Return of the King went all the way. At the 2004 ceremony it won every one of its 11 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director for Jackson and Best Adapted Screenplay for Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Jackson. Jackson took home three Oscars that night. Composer Howard Shore won three of the trilogy's 17 Oscars. The Hobbit trilogy picked up seven nominations across its three films, mostly for effects, sound and design, but won none.

The box office story

Each film in the original trilogy earned more than the one before. The Fellowship of the Ring took close to $900 million worldwide, The Two Towers about $945 million and The Return of the King more than $1.1 billion, for a combined total of nearly $3 billion. The whole trilogy was made for a reported budget of under $300 million. The Hobbit films were far more expensive, with budgets of around $200 million to $250 million each, and together grossed more than $2.9 billion. The War of the Rohirrim was the franchise's first real flop, opening to about $4.6 million in North America. Re-releases keep adding small amounts, and Box Office Mojo and The Numbers report slightly different totals, so treat these as rounded figures.

Behind the scenes

The Lord of the Rings was one of the most ambitious productions ever attempted: all three films were shot at the same time across more than 150 locations on both islands of New Zealand. Jackson wrote the scripts with his partner Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and the trio has shaped every Middle-earth film since. The Hobbit had a bumpier road. Guillermo del Toro was first set to direct it, but he left after production delays and Jackson stepped in. The project was also planned as two films before it was expanded to three, which is why a single, fairly short children's novel ended up as nearly eight hours of cinema in its theatrical cuts.

What comes next: The Hunt for Gollum

The next live-action film is The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis, who also returns as Gollum. Jackson, Walsh and Boyens are producing, and Warner Bros. has dated it for 17 December 2027. In the story, Gandalf sends the ranger Strider to track down Gollum to learn what he knows about the Ring. Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo and Lee Pace as Thranduil, while Jamie Dornan takes over Strider from Viggo Mortensen. New characters include Kate Winslet as Marigol, Leo Woodall as the ranger Halvard and Anya Taylor-Joy as the Elf Seren. Filming began in New Zealand in July 2026 and has now wrapped. We will add it to this guide when it opens; for other big films on the way, see our upcoming Hollywood movies.

Where to start

Start with The Fellowship of the Ring. If it hooks you, the next two films finish the story, and the longer extended editions are there for anyone who wants more. Streaming availability differs by country, so check the services in your region. For more franchise and director guides, see our Christopher Nolan guide and all-time blockbusters.

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