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When Are 'The Lord of the Rings' Extended Cuts Coming to Theaters?
Find Showtimes for 'The Lord of the Rings' Extended Cuts
What's Different About 'The Lord of the Rings' Extended Cuts?
Watch The Trailers for 'The Lord of the Rings'
When fantasy writer J.R.R. Tolkien wrote The Hobbit in 1937, it's hard to imagine the author could've known what would come of this his about the lovable Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins. To this day, The Lord of the Rings book and film trilogies are still one of the most successful series in history, with over 150 million copies sold, and the three films grossing almost $3 billion worldwide. Now, for the first time ever, Peter Jackson's 2020 remastered and extended versions of The Lord of the Rings movies are coming to theaters for a very limited release courtesy of Fathom Events. This re-release is an incredible opportunity for Lord of the Rings fans, both new and old, to see each of the spectacular tales, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King on larger-than-life screens.
This has been an exciting time for Lord of the Rings fans, as Tolkien's influence continues to make waves throughout the entertainment world. First comes an all-new film focusing on the story of the menacing Gollum, aptly titled The Hunt for Gollum. The story will not only center around the iconic character played by Andy Serkis but will be directed by the actor as well. Adding to the excitement is the upcoming animated Lord of the Rings film, The War of the Rohirrim. The movie will act as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, telling the story of Helm's Deep and its king, Helm Hammerhand. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the movie stars Brian Cox, Lorraine Ashbourne, Miranda Otto, and Shaun Dooley, and will premiere in theaters this December. With so much for Lord of the Rings fans to look forward to, seeing these extended editions on the big screen is a great way to kick off all that's to come. For everything you need to know about seeing the extended editions in theaters, check out the answers to the big questions below.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
PG-13
A meek Hobbit from the Shire and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.
- Release Date
- December 19, 2001
- Director
- Peter Jackson
- Runtime
- 178 minutes
- Main Genre
- Adventure
When Are 'The Lord of the Rings' Extended Cuts Coming to Theaters?
The Lord of the Rings extended editions will be headed to theaters a day apart from one another, in the order that they were originally released. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which first premiered in 2001, will make its way to the big screen on Saturday, June 8, 2024.
Next comes The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, originally released in 2002, and returning with its extended edition on June 9, 2024. Finally, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, first premiered in 2003, can be seen in its extended form on June 10, 2024.
Thankfully, if you aren't able to secure tickets for the weekend of June 8, the extended versions will also be playing the following two weekends: June 15-17 and June 22-24.
Find Showtimes for 'The Lord of the Rings' Extended Cuts
While there is no shortage of theaters where you can see these limited-time releases, each version of the film will only be in theaters for one day. Fans can use the links below to purchase tickets for each individual film at whichever theater is most convenient for them.
'The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring' Tickets:
'The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers' Tickets:
'The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King' Tickets:
What's Different About 'The Lord of the Rings' Extended Cuts?
Director Peter Jackson filmed an additional 128 minutes of footage over the course of the three Lord of the Rings films, with each film gaining at least thirty minutes of extra story, and new total runtime of the three films adding to a whopping 11.5 hours. While the extended versions would've been too long to include in the original release of the films, Jackson held onto these extended versions, knowing that true fans would want to see every bit of extra footage they could when the timing was right.
Fellowship of the Ring, which originally ran at 178 minutes, gets an extra half hour added to its runtime, with one of the more satisfying additions to any of the Lord of the Rings extended cuts. Fellowship gains additional character work within its added thirty minutes, and an important Lothlórien Elven gifting scene that really brings more depth to the overall story, and makes the significance of these gifts abundantly clear.
Audiences get an additional forty-seven minutes within The Two Towers, mostly filled with expositional information that might be helpful to those who didn't read the books alongside their viewing of the films.
The final film, The Return of the King, includes almost an entire extra hour to its runtime, and the additions are quite meaningful. This longer version resolves the character arc of Saruman, as well as includes more time spent with the Oathbreakers and Aragorn. This extra time makes the ultimate conclusion of Pelennor Fields much more satisfying, rather than the more artificial feeling that the theatrical ending originally had.
Watch The Trailers for 'The Lord of the Rings'
While there isn't an official trailer for the extended cuts of each Lord of the Rings film, below you can find the original trailers for each movie in the series.
The first film, The Fellowship of the Ring, had its trailer premiere in 2000, and audiences were immediately abuzz not only about what actors would be playing the beloved fantasy characters but also what the world of the film would look like. We get to see Elijah Wood as Bilbo Baggins, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Christopher Lee as Saruman, and Sir Ian McKellen in his now-iconic role of Gandalf and are treated to a taste of the larger-than-life score by Howard Shore.
The trailer for the second film, The Two Towers, heavily features the eerie creature Gollum, played by the unparalleled Andy Serkis. We see the story continue as Frodo continues to travel to Mordor with his best friend, Sam (Sean Astin), with help from the shifty Gollum. The evil Sauron's power continues to grow, and new allies join the fight against evil, while the War of the Ring begins.
In the final film's trailer, we see what's to come in eleven-time Academy Award-winner The Return of the King. In the preview, Gandalf and Aragon lead their army against Sauron in an attempt to draw attention away from Frodo and Sam, who are rapidly approaching Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring.
If you're unable to make it to the theaters to see the extended editions of the films, each is available to stream on Max. Subscriptions for Max start at $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year and go up to $19.99 a month or $199.99 a year.
