Tolkien’s Greatest Fantasy Saga is Lord of the Box Office Again After 25 Years

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For years, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings was thought to be impossible to adapt into a movie due to its immense size and complexity. But in 2001, Peter Jackson successfully brought Tolkien’s epic story of hobbits, wizards, and the One Ring to life on the big screen in a remarkably ambitious project. This past weekend, to mark the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, all three Lord of the Rings films were re-released in theaters and are proving popular with audiences once again.

With the third season of Amazon’s The Rings of Power beginning production and a new movie, The Hunt for Gollum, planned to connect to the original film series, fans recently celebrated Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. A special three-day showing of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King in select theaters earned over $11 million at the box office.

When all three Lord of the Rings films were re-released in theaters, The Fellowship of the Ring earned the most in its opening weekend with $3.85 million domestically, followed by The Two Towers at $2.64 million and The Return of the King at $2.5 million. The films were so popular that the original plan of showing one movie per day over two weekends changed, and many theaters extended the runs to include showings of all three films consecutively.

Attendees were able to experience the films as they were originally intended – on a huge screen. Plus, Peter Jackson introduced the screenings with a new message, and fans could purchase special edition popcorn buckets. The rerelease proved successful, following a similar event earlier in 2024 that earned $8.2 million. This brings the total box office revenue for both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit franchises to an impressive $5.9 billion.

‘The Lord of the Rings’ Continues to Expand


Prime Video

While many fans were thrilled to see Tolkien’s original Lord of the Rings trilogy adapted for the screen, the subsequent films – Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy and Amazon’s The Rings of Power – have continued to build upon the world of Middle-earth, even if some viewers question whether these additions were necessary.

Warner Bros. Discovery’s animated film, The War of the Rohirrim, released in 2023, proved to be a box office disappointment despite receiving generally positive reviews. Many believe the film was quickly produced to maintain the company’s rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved world, but it failed to significantly impact ticket sales.

Things are set to change in 2027 with the release of Andy Serkis’s The Hunt for Gollum. The film will bring a new story to the big screen and feature returning stars Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo. Andy Serkis will once again perform the motion capture for Gollum/Smeagol. However, the movie will also introduce some new faces, as a younger actor will be taking over the role of Aragorn, previously played by Viggo Mortensen.

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I’m really excited for more Tolkien on Amazon! They’re not only continuing ‘The Hunt for Gollum,’ but Season 3 of ‘The Rings of Power’ is coming soon. It’s been a huge production – apparently costing around a billion dollars! While critics generally seem to like it, some of us hardcore Tolkien fans have had issues with some of the changes they’ve made and a few of the casting choices. Still, it’s been a massive success, and I’m sure when the new season drops later this year, it’ll get just as much praise as it does criticism – which, honestly, is part of the fun!

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2026-01-20 15:32