The Lord of the Rings movies in order

Edited by Ayush SondhiChecked 22 Oct 2026

7 filmsNext: The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, 17 Dec 2027

There are seven films in the New Line Middle-earth series: The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001 to 2003), The Hobbit trilogy (2012 to 2014) and the animated The War of the Rohirrim (2024). This page recommends release order, because the Hobbit films were made as prequels after the trilogy and assume you know it, and The War of the Rohirrim is a side story set around 200 years earlier. Story order runs The War of the Rohirrim, then The Hobbit, then The Lord of the Rings. The 1978 animated film and the Rankin/Bass television films are earlier, separate adaptations and are not part of this series.

19h 26mTotal runtime

5Evenings

2001First release

2024Latest release

23 years, 7 releases Dot size is runtime · Red is a spin-off · Hollow is a series

2004200620082010201220162018202020222024

The release order

Checked 22 Oct 2026 · Runtimes are theatrical cuts

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001

178 min Main

Start here. First film made; first part of the main trilogy. Theatrical cut; an extended edition also exists.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002

179 min Main

Continues directly from The Fellowship of the Ring. Theatrical cut.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003

201 min Main Longest in the franchise

Continues directly from The Two Towers and ends the main story. Theatrical cut.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2012

169 min Spin-off

First of three prequels, set sixty years before The Lord of the Rings. Made after the trilogy, with Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom reprising roles across the three Hobbit films.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2013

161 min Spin-off

Second Hobbit prequel; continues directly from the first Hobbit film.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 2014

144 min Spin-off

Third Hobbit prequel; continues from The Desolation of Smaug and leads into The Fellowship of the Ring.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim 2024

134 min Spin-off Shortest in the franchise

Animated prequel set around 200 years before The Lord of the Rings, centred on Helm Hammerhand, King of Rohan. Optional; the infobox lists only the 3 December 2024 premiere, and US cinemas followed from 13 December 2024.

Questions

Answers come from the entries above

Which Lord of the Rings entries are optional or spin-offs?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim are spin-offs. The release order above says where each one fits.

Which Lord of the Rings film should you start with?

Start with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). It is the first film made, and the Hobbit films and The War of the Rohirrim were written as prequels to it.

Is a new Lord of the Rings film announced?

Yes. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is dated 17 Dec 2027 (in production). 2 projects are listed under the slate below.

Chronological order

Story order, left to right, top to bottom

Story order. Years are story settings where the films state them, otherwise release years.

12024

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

Animated prequel set around 200 years before The Lord of the Rings, centred on Helm Hammerhand, King of Rohan.

22012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

First of three prequels, set sixty years before The Lord of the Rings.

32013

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Second Hobbit prequel; continues directly from the first Hobbit film.

42014

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Third Hobbit prequel; continues from The Desolation of Smaug and leads into The Fellowship of the Ring.

52001

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

First film made; first part of the main trilogy.

62002

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Continues directly from The Fellowship of the Ring.

72003

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Continues directly from The Two Towers and ends the main story.

Next: The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (2027)

In production17 Dec 2027

Live-action film directed by Andy Serkis, set between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and during The Fellowship of the Ring. Filming began in Wellington in July 2026. Scheduled for 17 December 2027 in the US. Source.
Untitled second live-action Lord of the Rings film

Announced in May 2024 as the second of two new New Line films produced by Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Title still to be confirmed; no release date announced. Source.

Announced