From its epic scale and unparalleled sense of adventure to its beloved characters and the unforgettable relationships between them, The Lord of the Rings remains the greatest fantasy film series of all time. Now LotR is back in the zeitgeist with Amazon’s Middle-earth TV series, Rings of Powerand return to cinemas in January 2026.
Watching The Lord of the Rings movies in order is a fairly straightforward endeavor, so we’ve prepared this article to make sure newcomers can properly navigate both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. For newcomers to the series, the following brief plot summaries will contain no spoilers beyond general plot points and character introductions.
At the bottom of the article, you’ll find a second list that organizes the movies by actual release dates if you prefer to watch them in that order instead (like me).
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You can also check out our reading guide The Lord of the Rings book orderincluding The Silmarillion.
How many Lord of the Rings movies are there?
There they are seven films in total the action takes place in JRR Tolkien’s Middle-earth: three films from the Lord of the Rings series, three films from the Hobbit series and an animated film. There is also an older animated trilogy The Hobbit (1977)The Lord of the Rings (1978) and The Return of the King (1980), which are separate from the newer films and are not included here.
Where do the Rings of Power fit in the Lord of the Rings timeline?
The Amazon series Rings of Power takes place during the Second Age of Middle-earth, thousands of years before the events of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, which take place in the Third Age. According to showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay, this is a period in Middle-earth during which we will witness “the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men.”
The Lord of the Rings movies in chronological order
1. The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim (2024)
The 2024 animated feature film, The War of the Rohirrim, is set 183 years before The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and therefore 123 years before The Hobbit. Like the live-action trilogies, The War of the Rohirrim takes place in the Third Age of Middle-earth.
The War of the Rohirrim tells the story of the ninth king of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Brian Cox) and his family. The plot focuses primarily on Helm’s daughter, Hèra, and her role in the conflict between Rohan and the Dunlendings.
Read ours The Lord of the Rings: The Rohirrim Wars review.
2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
The Hobbit trilogy takes place 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, even though it was released ten years later.
Chronologically, the story begins with the 2012 film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, in which Martin Freeman plays a younger Bilbo Baggins (played by Ian Holm in the LotR trilogy). Gandalf – one of several characters whose stories run through both trilogies – recruits Bilbo to join Thorin (Richard Armitage) and Company to assist reclaim the dwarven kingdom beneath Erebor, also known as the Lonely Mountain, which has been plundered by the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo meets Gollum for the first time and comes into possession of the One Ring.
Read ours Review of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
3. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Thorin and Company continue their journey towards the Lonely Mountain, fending off giant spiders and orcs along the way. Orlando Bloom’s Legolas (another LotR mainstay) joins the fight along with newcomer Tauriel (played by Ant-Man’s Evangeline Lilly). As the company reaches Esgaroth, a lakeside city south of Erebor, Bilbo descends the mountain where he meets Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). Smaug eventually leaves his lair and journeys to Esgaroth, establishing the conclusion of the Hobbit trilogy.
Read ours The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug review.
4. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
The conflict with Smaug is resolved and the titular battle takes place, involving an army of men, dwarves, elves and two tribes of orcs. We’re being extremely vague here, as The Battle of the Five Armies is full of resolution (and therefore spoilers), but get ready for an action-packed movie that finally ends with the start of The Lord of the Rings: Back to the Shire trilogy, 60 years later, as Gandalf visits Bilbo on his 111th birthday.
Read ours The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies review.
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The first Middle-earth film by release date is 2001’s The Fellowship of the Ring. The perspective shifts from Bilbo to his much younger cousin Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). After a presentation on the current state of affairs in Middle-earth, we return to the celebration of Bilbo’s 111th birthday in the Shire.
Bilbo sets off on his final adventure, leaving the One Ring with Frodo; Gandalf warns Frodo that he must leave the Shire, for Sauron (the The Lord of the Rings) and his evil buddies – especially the Nazgûl, a host of nine horse-mounted wights – will come for the ring. Frodo leaves the Shire with his best friend Samwis Gamgee (Sean Astin), as well as fellow hobbits Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippen (Billy Boyd).
After several hazardous journeys and introductions to characters including Aragorn (Mortensen), Legolas (Bloom) and Saruman (Christopher Lee), a plan is hatched to destroy the Ring in the flames of Mount Doom in Mordor, where the Rings of Power were forged. The plan is to be carried out by a ragtag group called the Fellowship of the Ring: the wizard Gandalf; the hobbits Frodo, Samwise, Merry and Pippen; Legolas the elf; the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies); and the humans Aragorn and Boromir (Sean Bean).
The treacherous journey leads them to Lothlórien, an elven kingdom ruled by Cate Blanchett’s Galadriel, who also appears throughout the Hobbit trilogy and is one of the main characters of the novel Amazon series (the younger version of Galadriel is played by Morfydd Clark). Galadriel advises Frodo, and he decides to continue his journey to Mordor without the others, taking with him only his most trusted confidant, Sam.
Read ours The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring review.
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Frodo and Sam battle a third, reluctant traveling companion in the form of Gollum (voiced by Andy Serkis), a hobbit long ago corrupted by the power of the One Ring. The trio heads to the outskirts of Mordor, but is stopped by an unforeseen intervention. The remaining members of the Community embark on a rescue mission; Gandalf takes on a novel form; and the first epic battle in the trilogy takes place in the gorge of Helm’s Deep.
Read ours The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers review.
7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
As with The Battle of the Five Armies, the plot of The Return of the King is essentially spoilers, so again we will only focus on the broadest parts of the story. Gollum, using the influence of the Ring, pits Frodo against Sam and leads him to the lair of his deadly enemy. Meanwhile, the remaining members of the Fellowship take part in the Battle of Pelennor Fields – a huge, final battle against the obscure forces of Sauron.
Frodo and Sam eventually enter Mordor in disguise and, with the assist of the remaining members of the Fellowship, carry out their original plan. With the journey completed, we enter the Fourth Age of Middle-earth and a bittersweet finale awaits us.
Read ours The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King review.
How to watch The Lord of the Rings movies by release date
- 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: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
- Rings of Power TV series (2022–present)
- The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim (2024)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (2027)
The future of The Lord of the Rings
The next premiere of the series to appear on the massive screen will be a live-action film titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. The Hunt for Gollum, directed by and starring Andy Serkis, will hit theaters on December 17, 2027. Peter Jackson is also involved in the project as an executive producer, and Ian Holm has already confirmed his return as Gandalf. Fortunately, it looks like the next movie has no connection whatsoever with the (rather bad) Gollum video game.
Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema have also struck a deal to produce more Lord of the Rings films. No details have been revealed, although we know the deal covers “several” films.
When will the third season of Rings of Power be released?
The finale of the second season of Rings of Power: Season 2 took place in October 2024. Fans of the series will surely be pleased Filming for the third season has already endedalthough no release date has been announced. Given the time between the announcement of Season 2 and its actual release date, this means we could potentially expect Season 3 to arrive sometime around February 2027.
