Lord of the Rings Movies in Release and Story Order
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Lord of the Rings Movies in Release and Story Order

Lord of the Rings Movies in Order: Release and Chronological Watch Lists

Key takeaways

  • For a first watch, see the six Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies in release order.
  • Release order starts with The Fellowship of the Ring and follows the order audiences first encountered Middle-earth on screen.
  • For a story-first sequence, watch the Hobbit trilogy first.
  • The six films comprise The Lord of the Rings trilogy and its prequel trilogy, The Hobbit.

Table of contents

Lord of the Rings movies in release order

The six films fall into two trilogies: The Lord of the Rings, followed by its prequel trilogy, The Hobbit. This is the recommended order for most first-time viewers.

Order Movie Release year
1 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001
2 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002
3 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003
4 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2012
5 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 2013
6 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 2014

This order follows the theatrical release dates listed in guides from Good Housekeeping and IGN.

1. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Frodo inherits the One Ring and sets out with a company tasked with taking it toward Mordor. It introduces the central characters, the stakes, and Jackson’s film version of Middle-earth.

2. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

The company’s members are separated, and the conflict against Sauron’s forces grows. The film continues the story directly from The Fellowship of the Ring.

3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

The original trilogy reaches its conclusion as the struggle for Middle-earth comes to a head.

4. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

Bilbo Baggins joins Gandalf and a company of dwarves on a journey to reclaim their homeland. Though it was released years after the original trilogy, its story takes place earlier.

5. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Bilbo and the dwarves continue toward the Lonely Mountain, where the dragon Smaug guards their destination.

6. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

The Hobbit story concludes with a major conflict over the mountain and the surrounding lands.

Lord of the Rings movies in chronological order

For a story-first sequence, watch the Hobbit trilogy before The Lord of the Rings. The central events of The Hobbit take place roughly 60 years before those of the later trilogy, according to IGN’s chronological viewing guide.

  1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
  2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
  3. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
  4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
  5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
  6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

This is a viewing order for the main events in Jackson’s six films—not a complete timeline of Tolkien’s world or every adaptation set in Middle-earth.

Which order should you choose?

Choose release order for your first watch. It starts with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which introduced Jackson’s cinematic version of Middle-earth, then moves to the prequel films. You don’t need to watch The Hobbit first to understand the original trilogy.

Choose chronological order for a rewatch or a timeline-focused marathon. Beginning with Bilbo’s adventure makes the six films’ fictional events unfold in sequence, from the earlier journey to the War of the Ring. The trade-off is that you’ll see the prequels before the trilogy that was released first.

Only want the Lord of the Rings trilogy? Watch The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King, in that order. The Hobbit films are connected prequels, but they aren’t required viewing.

Neither release order nor chronological order is the only valid choice. The best sequence depends on whether you want to follow the films’ release history or the events within the story.

What about The Rings of Power and The War of the Rohirrim?

The Rings of Power is a television series, not one of the movies in the six-film list. Its story is set in a much earlier period, so it doesn’t fit into a movie-only watch order. It’s best treated as a separate series rather than an extra chapter between the films.

The animated movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024) is also separate from Jackson’s six-film sequence. It’s an optional Middle-earth film; a chronological list that includes it places it before The Hobbit trilogy, as noted in Forbes’ viewing guide. You don’t need it to follow the six Jackson films.

Frequently asked questions

What is the first Lord of the Rings movie?

The first movie in the original trilogy—and the first of Jackson’s six films to be released—is The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).

Should I watch The Hobbit before The Lord of the Rings?

Not necessarily. For a first watch, release order is the clearest starting point: watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy, then The Hobbit trilogy. Watch The Hobbit first if you specifically want the films in story chronology.

How many Lord of the Rings movies are there?

There are three movies in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. If you mean Jackson’s connected Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, there are six films in total. Other Middle-earth adaptations exist, so “six” refers to those two trilogies rather than every film based on Tolkien’s world.

Does chronological order mean watching the films by release year?

No. Release order follows the years the films came out; chronological order follows when their main events take place in the story. That’s why the Hobbit films come first in the timeline, despite being released later.

Bottom line: Start with The Fellowship of the Ring if you’re new to the films. Save The Hobbit trilogy for afterward, or move it to the beginning if you prefer a chronological watch.