20 years after the conclusion of the original film trilogy, The Lord of the Rings returned to the zeitgeist with a beautifully shot half-billion-dollar season of television and the promise of new movies on the way. The Lord of the Rings is one of the most beloved and accomplished trilogies in Hollywood history, and thanks to the extraordinary craftsmanship of its filmmakers, the trio has retained its ability to entertain and inspire awe two decades later.
For those looking to watch or re-watch the films, we've compiled this guide on where you can watch all of the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies online right now.
For a special, one-time chance to re-watch the original Lord of the Rings trilogy in all its glory, it has been announced that they will be playing in theaters once again starting with The Fellowship of the Ring on June 8th, The Two Towers on June 9th, and then The Return of the King on June 10th. As if that weren't enough, they will be playing the extended cuts of each film AND in their 4K Ultra HD remastered versions released in 2020.
Where to Watch Lord of the Rings Online
The complete Lord of the Rings saga includes six films and one TV series. Thankfully, all of the movies are available to stream on HBO Max, while the TV series can only be streamed on Amazon Prime Video. Each of the six films can also be rented or purchased on Amazon or YouTube.
Here's our full breakdown of how to watch The Lord of the Rings movies online in 2024:
Lord of The Rings Blu-Ray Sets
Looking to add a lord of the rings Blu-ray set to your collection? Your best options are to either by the extended edition trilogies separately, or grab the standard collection of all 6 movies. Below are some of the best options avaialable right now:
What's the Best Order to Watch the Lord of the Rings Movies?
Watching the Lord of the Rings movies is a fairly straightforward endeavour. However, if you want to be sure you're viewing the movies in the best order for you, whether that be by release date or narrative chronology, be sure to check out our Lord of the Rings movies in order explainer or dive into our guide to the Lord of the Rings books if you'd prefer to start there.
When Are New Lord of the Rings Movies Coming Out?
Short answer: We don't know.
There are "multiple" new Lord of the Rings movies in the works at Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, the companies announced in February. The companies made the deal to create future films in coordination with Embracer Group, which acquired Middle-earth Enterprises (along with the film and game rights to LotR and The Hobbit) in 2022.
There was no announcement about potential release dates for the films, though given their development was just announced, future Lord of the Rings movies are certainly years out.
In the interim, Warner Bros. will release a feature-length LotR anime called The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim on December 13th, 2024. War of the Rohirrim follows King of Rohan Helm Hammerhand and the creation of Helm’s Deep 200 years before The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
Production on The Rings of Power: Season 2 is also underway, though Amazon has yet to announce a release window. Ciarán Hinds, who played Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones, was recently added to the cast.
For more on the classic film franchise, check out IGN's reviews of each movie and The Rings of Power: Season 1:
- The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring review
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers review
- The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King review
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey review
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug review
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies review
- The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – Season 1 review
Jordan covers games, shows, and movies as a freelance writer for IGN.