Across the country, fans are gathering their friends and preparing to reembark on a fantastical journey that first landed in cinemas more than two decades ago. In celebration of the 25th (yes, 25th) anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the extended editions of all three movies in Peter Jackson’s global phenomenon will be returning to theaters — and fans are eager to get their seats. According to a recent report, the trilogy has already raked in a staggering $5 million in domestic presales, with somewhere around 407,000 tickets sold so far.
Rolling out over three days, audiences will be invited to leave the Shire on January 16 with Fellowship of the Ring, fight in the trenches at Helm’s Deep in The Two Towers on January 17, and see how it all ends in The Return of the King on January 18. On top of screening the extended editions of the movies (which will make the full trilogy an 11 and a half hour watch), viewers will be treated to an “exclusive” and “lengthy welcome” from Jackson, which he has recorded ahead of the films’ re-arrivals.
The sale numbers reflect a terrific choice made by Fathom Entertainment (who will be hosting the event) following 2024’s Lord of the Rings re-release. Current ticket sales are up 65% from where they were at the same point in the previous event’s presale timeline, which just saw 246,000 seats sold at this current spot. Recognizing that there’s a strong demand for audiences to return to Middle Earth, the company upped the ante this time around, tossing in extra locations, dates and showtimes to ensure that everyone who wants to see the masterpiece in cinemas will have a solid chance to do so.
What’s Next for ‘The Lord of the Rings’?
In the years since Jackson turned J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved fantasy stories into a full-blown cinematic experience, the tale has continued in a multitude of ways. Every journey deserves a prequel, which is why Jackson set forth to bring Tolkien’s own Lord of the Rings prequel to life with The Hobbit trilogy. From 2012-2014, audiences piled into cinemas to see what happened before Frodo carried the ring to Mordor.
Speaking of the ring, it became the focal point of the Prime Video series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which follows the creation of the multiple titular rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, and many other important pieces that fell into place before the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Next, audiences will return to Middle Earth by way of the 2027 film, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which Jackson will produce with Andy Serkis both reprising his role as Gollum and helming.
Tickets are now on sale for The Lord of the Rings trilogy’s return to theaters.
- Release Date
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December 19, 2001
- Runtime
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178 Minutes
- Writers
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Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, J.R.R. Tolkien
- Producers
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Barrie M. Osborne, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Mark Ordesky, Robert Shaye, Tim Sanders