Watch-order guide
How to watch The Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit in order
Release order (Rings first) is how the films were meant to be experienced and ends on the saga's peak. Chronological order starts with The Hobbit, sixty years earlier.
- Films
- 7
- Full marathon
- 19h 27m
- Years
- 2001–2024
- Genre
- Action
Release order (best first watch)
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
2h 59m - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)2h 59m
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)3h 21m
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)2h 49m
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)2h 41m
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)2h 24m
- The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)Animated — set ~180 years before The Hobbit2h 14m
Chronological order (story timeline)
- The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024)Animated — set ~180 years before The Hobbit2h 14m
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)2h 49m
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)2h 41m
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)2h 24m
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)2h 59m
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)2h 59m
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)3h 21m
