Peter Jackson’s adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy into a film series was one of the most significant theatrical events of the early 21st century. The beloved saga got its start with the release of The Fellowship of the Ring in December of 2001, and to celebrate the film’s 25th anniversary, the entire extended trilogy will be re-released in theaters for two weekends: January 16-18 and 23-25.
What better way to celebrate this occasion than by subjecting yourself to one of the most epic movie-watching marathons available: Watching the entire Lord of the Rings movie and TV show library in chronological order of the story’s events. Here’s our guide to watching every entry in the Lord of the Rings universe in order.
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‘The Lord of the Rings’ Universe in Order
Any fan of The Lord of the Rings will tell you to start with Peter Jackon’s original movies. It introduces you to the world of Middle-Earth and the most beloved and well-known of J. R. R. Tolkien’s characters. From there, watching them in order of their release date will take you further into the lore of some of Middle Earth’s greatest heroes.
However, if you want to start the epic story of the battle of good and evil for the fate of Middle-Earth from the very beginning, in chronological order, things get a little more complicated: There are no fewer than six feature films and two TV shows to work with.
The earliest events are recounted in …
‘The Rings of Power’ (Amazon Prime Video Original Series)
The Rings of Power is set thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings trilogy, during Middle-earth’s Second Age, when the titular Rings of Power are created.
It provides an origin story of Middle-earth’s greatest villain, the Dark Lord Sauron, and tells the story of the lost alliance between elves and men, which is referenced frequently in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The show also tells the story of the elves Galadriel and Elrond, two prominent figures in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, in their youth and their history with Sauron, the Rings of Power and the One Ring.
The show explores new locations within Middle-Earth that weren’t shown in the movies, including the island kingdom of Númenor, which is the ancestral realm of one of The Lord of the Rings trilogy’s greatest heroes, Aragorn. The Rings of Power also references other Tolkien works, such as The Silmarillion, which covers Middle-Earth’s First Age.
The show lays the groundwork for the world viewers find in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and much of The Hobbit as well. Two seasons of The Rings of Power are available for streaming now, and Season 3 is slated to release in late 2026.
‘The War of the Rohirrim’ (Animated Series)
The latest entry into The Lord of the Rings universe is an animated film: The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
Set about 200 years before The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogies. It tells the story of the legendary Rohan King Helm Hammerhand and his daughter Héra. Fans of the original trilogy will recognize Rohan as an important ally in the Fellowship’s quest to destroy the One Ring and a primary setting for the trilogy’s second film, The Two Towers.
The film is narrated by the character Éowyn, who was a prominent character in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. She tells the story of Héra, the daughter of King Helm Hammerhand (Yes, the namesake for Helm’s Deep from The Two Towers). Héra receives a marriage proposal from the Dunlending family, but it’s a marriage she does not want. As part of her refusal, her father unintentionally kills the Dunlending leader in a fist fight, sparking off a full-scale war.
With references to the other films, The War of the Rohirrim largely stands as a story on its own, as the Hammerhand legacy would be lost with King Helm.
‘The Hobbit Trilogy’
J.R.R. Tolkien’s first major work in the Lord of the Rings universe was The Hobbit, which he wrote in 1937. His most famous work, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, wouldn’t be penned for another 15 years.
‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey tells the story of Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit living in the Shire in a relatively peaceful, utopian existence. That is, until the day a wizard shows up to his door, and the next day, 12 dwarves. They are going on a grand adventure to reclaim treasure that belongs to them — which just so happened to be currently hoarded by a fearsome dragon named Smaug.
Intrigued by the prospect of such an adventure, Bilbo leaves his peaceful surroundings and throws himself into a world he only thought existed in stories. He squares off against giant trolls, goblins, and eventually the great dragon himself.
In The Hobbit, Bilbo comes upon a mysterious golden ring that, when he wears it, allows him to turn invisible — the ultimate thieves trick for getting out of sticky jams, which he finds himself in often. And, yes: It’s that Ring.
‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’
The Desolation of Smaug picks up right after the first Hobbit film, with Bilbo and the dwarves continuing their fight to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from Smaug.
Their quest catches the eye of the orcs Azog the Defiler and his son Bolg. Bolg is instructed to take the company out, especially its leader Thorin Oakenshield.
Gandalf uncovers much more about Sauron and the history surrounding the One Ring. Bilbo and the dwarves attempt to bury Smaug alive in gold, but Smaug breaks free of the mountain and heads to destroy the nearby town.
‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’
The Battle of the Five Armies centers on the demise of Smaug and the great battle for the Lonely Mountain and the treasures beneath.
The titular battle involves factions of men, elves, dwarves and orcs fighting over the treasure and for many, using the war as an opportunity to exact revenge.
The Hobbit trilogy brings in more characters and continues to expand the history of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In addition to Gandalf and Bilbo, which viewers of the original trilogy will recognize, so too will they remember Legolas, Lady Galadriel, Elrond, Sauron and Saruman.
‘The Lord of the Rings’ Trilogy
One of the most successful film franchises in history, The Lord of the Rings tells the story of Frodo Baggins, Bilbo’s nephew, and his quest to destroy the One Ring his uncle found during his own quest during The Hobbit trilogy.
‘The Fellowship of the Ring’
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo accepts a quest from Gandalf, much like his uncle, to destroy the One Ring once and for all. To do so, he must cast it into the forge that created it, the fiery pit of Mount Doom at the center of Mordor, the most dangerous place in Middle-Earth.
Frodo sets out for adventure with his friends Sam, Merry and Pippin as they’re hunted by Sauron’s forces. Along the way, they pick up crucial allies to eventually form the Fellowship of the Ring, a group of nine men, elves and dwarves that will destroy the ring and save Middle-Earth.
The Fellowship includes Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin (the hobbits), as well as Aragorn, the true heir to Gondor; Legolas, one of the most respected Elvish warriors; Gimli, a dwarf warrior; Boromir, the son of the Steward of Gondor; and Gandalf the Grey.
‘The Two Towers’
The Two Towers rejoins the Fellowship broken up after they are attacked by the Uruk-Hai orcs at Amon Hen. Frodo and Sam continue their journey to destroy the Ring. Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli try to rescue Merry and Pippin, who were kidnapped by the orcs, while Boromir was killed trying to save them. Gandalf fights his way back from the bowels of the Misty Mountains, becoming Gandalf the White.
Along the way, Sam and Frodo gain an untrustworthy ally in Gollum, a longtime owner of the One Ring who Bilbo inadvertently stole it from.
Meanwhile, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli, in a quest to save their friends, run into another threat lurking in Rohan. The great wizard Saruman has turned evil and joined Sauron’s quest to rule Middle-Earth. The trio join the armies of Rohan and the elves to fight off Saruman’s army at Helm’s Deep, one of the greatest battle scenes in the trilogy and all of film history.
The Two Towers also introduces viewers to the Ents, sentient, mobile trees that have overseen Middle-Earth for centuries.
The Return of the King
The Return of the King brings the Fellowship to the doorstep of Mordor. As Gandalf, Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Merry and Pippin make their way to Gondor, Frodo, Sam and Gollum sneak into Mordor through a secret passage.
The Return of the King tells the epic conclusion to Tolkien’s story and that of the Third Age of Middle-Earth, culminating in a massive battle for Gondor, Frodo and Sam’s iconic clash over the Ring within the pits of Mount Doom and Gollum’s ultimate, if unintentional, sacrifice to destroy the artifact for good.
The Return of the King was the second highest-grossing film of all time during its run and won 11 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, becoming the first fantasy film in nearly 50 years to win the honor.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Will 'The Lord of the Rings' return to theaters in 2026?
Yes, The Lord of the Rings will be returning to theaters across the country in January 2026 to mark the 25th anniversary of the franchise's release.
How many movies and shows have been based on J.R.R. Tolkien's works?
There have been six movies, one animated film and one TV series based on the Lord of the Rings and the wider Tolkien universe.
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