Release OrderRecommended
0 / 8 watchedThe order these films reached theaters. You get Jackson's best work first, then the prequels, which is how every viewer before 2012 experienced the story.
The Lord of the Rings
- 1 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- 2 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- 3 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Won all 11 Academy Awards it was nominated for.
The Hobbit
- 4 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- 5 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- 6 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Later films
- 7 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Animated feature, released December 13, 2024 in the US.
- 8 The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum In production since July 14, 2026. Releases December 17, 2027.
Chronological Order
0 / 8 watchedStory order across Middle-earth's timeline. The Rohirrim war comes centuries before Bilbo's journey, and the hunt for Gollum fills the gap between the two trilogies.
- 1 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Set about 183 years before the War of the Ring, telling how Helm's Deep got its name.
- 5 The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum Set after Bilbo's 111th birthday party and before the Fellowship reaches Moria.
The Hobbit
- 2 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
- 3 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- 4 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
The Lord of the Rings
- 6 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- 7 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
- 8 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
About Middle-earth
Seven Middle-earth films exist so far. Peter Jackson directed six of them: The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001 to 2003) and the earlier-set The Hobbit trilogy (2012 to 2014). The War of the Rohirrim, an anime feature from Kenji Kamiyama released in December 2024, goes back about 183 years before the War of the Ring. The Hunt for Gollum, directed by and starring Andy Serkis, arrives December 17, 2027 and sits between the two trilogies.
Release order and story order genuinely disagree here, because two of the seven films are prequels. Start with the trilogies in the order they came out if you want the strongest films first, or clear the prequels first if you would rather watch one straight line.
Good to know
Amazon's The Rings of Power is a separate continuity with its own timeline, not part of this list; season 3 premieres November 11, 2026. Older adaptations exist off the main path: the Rankin/Bass The Hobbit (1977) and The Return of the King (1980) TV films and Ralph Bakshi's animated The Lord of the Rings (1978), all optional curiosities. A second New Line film, The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, is in development with no director or date.
