Release OrderRecommended
0 / 7 watchedThe order the films came out. Start here for a first watch.
The Lord of the Rings
- 1 The Fellowship of the Ring
- 2 The Two Towers
- 3 The Return of the King
The Hobbit
- 4 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- 5 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- 6 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Standalone
- 7 The War of the Rohirrim Animated film set about 180 years before the Rings trilogy.
Chronological Order
0 / 8 watchedThe in-universe timeline, best for a rewatch. The Rings of Power series would sit before all of these, in the Second Age.
- 1 The War of the Rohirrim Earliest story of the films, set generations before Bilbo's journey.
- 2 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- 3 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- 4 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
- 5 The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum Dated December 17, 2027. Set between The Hobbit and Fellowship.
- 6 The Fellowship of the Ring
- 7 The Two Towers
- 8 The Return of the King
About The Lord of the Rings
Peter Jackson's two trilogies cover J.R.R. Tolkien's core books: The Lord of the Rings follows Frodo's quest to destroy the One Ring, and The Hobbit rewinds sixty years to Bilbo's journey with Thorin's company. The animated War of the Rohirrim goes further back, to a legendary king of Rohan.
The Rings of Power is a separate TV series set in the Second Age, thousands of years earlier. It is worth watching for fans, but it is not part of the film story and this guide keeps the lists to the films.
Good to know
Release order is the intended first watch. The Hobbit trilogy is full of callbacks and cameos that assume you have seen the Rings films, even though its story happens first. Watch the originals before the prequels and every reveal lands as designed.
The next film, The Hunt for Gollum, is dated December 17, 2027 with Andy Serkis directing and starring. Its story sits between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring.
