How to Watch the ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movies in Order (2024)

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Take your own unexpected journey into Middle-earth

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Ryan Dube

How to Watch the ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movies in Order (1)

Ryan Dube

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  • University of Maine

Ryan Dube is a freelance contributor to Lifewire and former Managing Editor of MakeUseOf, senior IT Analyst, and an automation engineer.

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Updated on September 10, 2024

Reviewed by

Chris Selph

How to Watch the ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movies in Order (2)

Reviewed byChris Selph

    Chris Selph is a CompTIA-certified technology and vocational IT teacher. He also serves as network & server administrator and performs computer maintenance and repair for numerous clients.

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    In This Article

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    In This Article

    • Chronological Order
    • Release Order
    • Which is Right?
    • The Rings of Power
    • The Hunt for Gollum
    • Frequently Asked Questions

    If you want to enter a magical world of dwarves, elves, and orcs, you can do no better than slipping into the world of The Lord of the Rings. This film series is made up of two trilogies, both of which show the end of the Third Age of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.

    You can experience the entire journey from the Shire all the way to Mount Doom on many streaming services, including Amazon Prime, Fandango at Home, YouTube, and iTunes.

    This article only covers Lord of the Rings movies released theatrically under the work of director Peter Jackson, starting in 2001. It doesn't include any earlier films like The Lord of the Rings titles released in 1980, 1978, or 1944. It also doesn't include the animated version of The Hobbit (1977).

    How to Watch the ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movies in Order (3)

    How to Watch 'The Lord of the Rings' in Chronological Order

    One way to watch The Lord of the Rings is to watch them in the chronological order Tolkien told the tale. As Bilbo Baggins wrote, "Down from the door where it began. Now, far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow if I can."

    This tale is best enjoyed starting at the door of Bilbo Baggin's home in the Shire, and ending at the climax inside of Mount Doom itself. To enjoy this epic tale in the order J.R.R. Tolkien told it, the following is the order you should follow.

    MovieTimingWhere to Stream
    The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyApril to July 2941 TA (Third Age)Max, Prime Video
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of SmaugJuly to October 2941 TAMax, Prime Video
    The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five ArmiesOctober 2941 - June 2942 TAMax, Prime Video
    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingSeptember 3001 - February 3019 TAMax, Prime Video
    The Lord of the Rings:The Two TowersFebruary 3019 - March 3019 TAMax, Prime Video
    The Lord of the Rings:The Return of the KingMarch 3019 - October 3021 TAMax, Prime Video

    If you think you're going to make it through this epic adventure in one sitting, you might be in for a surprise. The Hobbit trilogy totals almost 8 hours. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a whopping 9.5 hours. To watch all six, you'd have to sit for almost 17.5 hours straight. But don't worry, as Samwise Gamgee said, "It's the job that never started as takes longest to finish."

    How to Watch 'The Lord of the Rings' in Order of Release

    Do you want to watch The Lord of the Rings, including The Hobbit, in the order they were released? Many people do this to experience how it felt to experience the Tolkien story in the way Director Peter Jackson told it on the screen. This is because there is information and elements of the story which make more sense to moviegoers who've already seen the LOTR trilogy.

    To do this, the following is the order you should watch The Lord of the Rings.

    MovieRelease DateWhere to Stream
    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingDecember 19, 2001Max, Prime Video
    The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersDecember 18, 2002Max, Prime Video
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingDecember 17, 2003Max, Prime Video
    The Hobbit: An Unexpected JourneyDecember 6, 2012Max, Prime Video
    The Hobbit: The Desolation of SmaugDecember 13, 2013Max, Prime Video
    The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five ArmiesDecember 4, 2014Max, Prime Video

    Which Is the Right Order?

    While you could boil 'em, mash 'em, and stick 'em in a stew, some of the stories in The Lord of the Rings set up the viewer for seeing those tales unfold in The Hobbit trilogy. On the other hand, the actual storyline in The Hobbit itself serves as a backdrop to events that take place in LOTR.

    The bottom line is when it comes to The Lord of the Rings, the end of each story tends to mold into the beginning of another. Or as Gandalf said, "For even the very wise cannot see all ends." The movies are so addictive you'll see them all from wherever you start. And back again.

    When Does 'The Rings of Power' Take Place?

    Amazon's original series The Rings of Power happens thousands of years before both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. In fact, it's in a wholly different era of Middle-earth: the Second Age. Despite that, it does include some returning characters from the later stories, including Galadriel and Elrond (elves are immortal, remember).

    Completion fans will want to watch The Rings of Power before the other two stories, but as it's still running, you can't see all of that story just yet.

    What Is 'The Hunt for Gollum'?

    In May 2024, Warner Bros. announced it had started development two more Middle-earth films. The first of these, The Hunt for Gollum, will be out in 2026 and bring the writers of the original trilogy back. Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in four movies, will direct (and likely reprise the role, given the title).

    As for what The Hunt for Gollum will actually be about, we'll have to wait and see. However, in the books, several people search for the creature during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. This hunt was a big part of the years-long gap between Gandalf telling Frodo to keep the ring secret and safe and his return to send the Ring-bearer on his journey.

    If we had to guess, we'd say this is what we'll see in the movie, but we'll know more as it progresses.

    How to Watch the 'Star Trek' Movies in Order

    FAQ

    • How do I know if I'm watching the extended edition of Lord of the Rings?

      Check the runtime of the film. The extended version of The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring includes an extra 30 minutes of content omitted from the original release, clocking in at 208 minutes, or 3 hours and 28 minutes.

    • What should I watch after watching Lord of the Rings?

      If you want more fantastical adventures with wizards and elves, watch the Harry Potter movies in order. You might also like The Chronicles Of Narnia films, which are inspired by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien's contemporary and friend C.S. Lewis.

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    How to Watch the ‘Lord of the Rings’ Movies in Order (2024)

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