How many Lord of the Rings movies are there? (Where to watch them all in 2023)
The Lord of the Rings franchise will always be one of the best to grace our screens. From gorgeous sceneries, historic costumes, and epic scores, each movie brings the J.R.R. Tolkien books to life in majestic ways. With so many films to watch, exactly how many movies are there and where can you watch them?
All in all, there are six films in the entire Lord of the Rings series. The original trilogy focused on the mission to destroy the One Ring that belonged to Sauron, who is attempting to return to power.
While there were originally only three films made, over a decade later, we got three more films that followed the prequel series, The Hobbit.
The journey of Bilbo Baggins and how he came into possession of the One Ring gave fans the chance to see new and returning characters in the series after so many years.
With so many streaming services around, where can you watch all of the films in the series?
Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring
The first film in the saga is the first to have been made back in 2001. This was the one to introduce us to the live action characters with Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, Ian McKellan as Gandalf the Grey, Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn, and Orlando Bloom as Legolas. In this film, the gang comes together when the One Ring is found in The Shire and nine individuals come together on a quest to Mordor.
You can find the film streaming on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max with a subscription.
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
In the second film of the saga, released in 2002, follows the now separated Fellowship as they all find themselves in their own battles while trying to continue a mission that was seemingly destroyed. While Frodo and Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin) work with the creature Gollum to continue to Mordor, Legolas, Gimlee, and Aragorn reunite with Gandalf to try and receive help from a reclusive King. Merry and Pippin, at this point, have become separated as well and work with trees to defeat Saruman (Christopher Lee)
You can also find The Two Towers on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max.
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
In Return of the King, released in 2003, the forces of good and evil come together in an effort to see who is finally defeated. An epic ending to the original trilogy, this film can also be found on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit was first released in 2012 and is the prequel to the original LotR trilogy. In the first of the series, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), is a Hobbit enjoying his tranquil life when Gandalf arrives and changes his life. He sets off on a journey to retrieve treasure from a dragon named Smaug, along with a group of dwarves. The film takes place roughly 60 years before Frodo’s journey to Mordor.
You can’t watch The Hobbit on Netflix, but it is available on HBO Max and Amazon Prime.
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
The second movie, released in 2013, continued the journey to take back the Dwarves’ mountain home from Smaug and also saw the effect of Bilbo being in possession of the ring that would kickstart the original Lord of the Rings films.
The Desolation of Smaug is available on HBO Max, as well as Hulu and Amazon Prime with a Premium subscription.
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies
The 2014 film, and final one of the six films, followed Bilbo and his companions as they attempted to keep the Lonely Mountain from being taken over by dark forces. A gripping end to the series, it also tied into the beginnings of the original trilogy, which makes for the perfect way to watch the films in its entirety.
Battle of the Five Armies is available on HBO Max, and Hulu and Amazon Prime with a premium subscription.
Do you enjoy the original Lord of the Rings trilogy or The Hobbit prequel series the most? Let us know in the comments below.