Peter Jackson’s iconic film adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novels Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were both a major commercial and critical success. The Lord of the Rings film series was nominated for a total of thirty Academy Awards, with the final film, The Return of the King, winning all eleven awards it was nominated for. Find out where you can stream all of the Lord of the Rings movies in order below.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy in order
The original The Lord of the Rings trilogy starred an ensemble cast including Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Viggo Mortensen, Sir Ian McKellan, Orlando Bloom, John Rhys-Davies, Hugo Weaving, Liv Tyler and Cate Blanchett. The films were released over three years from 2001 - 2003 in the following order:
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The Hobbit trilogy in order
The Hobbit is based on Tolkien’s novel of the same name. The films are a prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but were released ten years later between 2012 - 2014. The films are directed by Jackson and star Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins and Richard Armitage as Thorin II Oakenshield. Ian McKellan and Cate Blanchett reprise their roles as Gandalf the Great and Lady Galadriel. These are the three The Hobbit movies in order:
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Extended Editions
All true Lord of the Rings fans know that you haven’t finished watching the full series unless you’ve seen the extended versions of the films. Here is where you can stream the Lord of the Rings extended edition movies:
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Edition)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition)
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (Extended Edition)
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Extended Edition)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (Extended Edition)
Other screen adaptations of Tolkien's Middle Earth
While not part of Peter Jackson’s franchise, there is an animated The Lord of the Rings movie, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024). The film stars Brian Cox as Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan. Miranda Otto reprises her role from the original films as the voice of Éowyn, and Gaia Wise plays the voice of Hera Hammerhand. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is directed by Kenji Kamiyama.
There was also a movie adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (1978) directed by Ralph Bakshi and adaptations of The Hobbit (1977) and The Return of the King (1980) directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.
An honourable mention goes to the prequel series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The series, which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, is set thousands of years before the story of the Fellowship in Jackson’s trilogy.
Where can I watch every Lord of the Rings movie online?
Here you can find out where to watch every Lord of the Rings movie on streaming services in the United Kingdom. This includes the original movie trilogy and the prequel Hobbit trilogy.