Lord of the Rings Movies in Order: Release and Chronological

The Lord of the Rings movies in order of release are The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, then the three Hobbit films and the animated War of the Rohirrim. Seven theatrical films make up the list, and every one of them opened in the United States in December.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), directed by Peter Jackson
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), directed by Peter Jackson
3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), directed by Peter Jackson
4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012), directed by Peter Jackson
5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013), directed by Peter Jackson
6. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014), directed by Peter Jackson
7. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024), directed by Kenji Kamiyama

Why does release order matter for this series? Because Jackson shot the original three films together, with principal photography beginning in Wellington on 11 October 1999, and later returned to Middle-earth to film the Hobbit trilogy consecutively, in 3D at 48 frames per second. The original trilogy arrived on 19 December 2001, 18 December 2002 and 17 December 2003 in the US, and The Return of the King went on to win all 11 of its Academy Award nominations, Best Picture among them. The Hobbit films followed on 14 December 2012, 13 December 2013 and 17 December 2014, and The War of the Rohirrim closed the run on 13 December 2024.

The theatrical runtime of each film helps if you are planning a marathon.

The Return of the King is the longest of the seven at 201 minutes, while the animated War of the Rohirrim is the shortest at 134 minutes. Each of the six Jackson films runs well over two hours, so a full run of the list is a multi day project for most households.

One more film sits beside this list without belonging in it. The Hunt for Gollum is dated for 17 December 2027 and is still in production, so it joins the list only after release (see the hunt for gollum for its status).

If you have never seen these films, in my opinion you should start with The Fellowship of the Ring and watch in release order. The Hobbit trilogy was filmed as a return to a world you already know, so it plays best once the original trilogy has shown you what the Ring costs.

There is a practical reason as well as a taste one. Fellowship opens with a prologue that explains Sauron and the Ring, and it introduces the Shire, Bilbo and Gandalf with care, so you lose nothing by starting there. A chronological start gives you Rohirrim first, a story that leans on Rohan's history and on a narrator you have not met, and in my view it asks for more goodwill than a newcomer should have to give. It could be argued that this is a matter of temperament, but I would still hold the line: first time through, go by release.

What about the Hobbit films? Jackson filmed them in 3D at 48 frames per second, and perhaps the best way to treat them is as a companion set, to be watched after Return of the King while the original trilogy is fresh and the connecting threads, such as Bilbo and Gollum, still land. That being said, if you are rewatching, the chronological order is a good second pass, because the Hobbit films hand over neatly to Fellowship.

Where does that leave The War of the Rohirrim? I would watch it last, as an optional extra for viewers who want more of Rohan after Théoden and Éowyn have won their place in your memory. Keep an eye on the hunt for gollum too, since it arrives in December 2027 and will be the next film to fit in. To find a service for each film, use where to watch lord of the rings and start Fellowship tonight.