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How Long Are All the ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Hobbit’ Films?

The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy are a series of high fantasy films directed by Peter Jackson. The trilogies are based on author J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, as well as his standalone novel, The Hobbit . Jackson’s film adaptions are by far the most popular and successful adaptions of Tolkien’s work to date. However, they might yet be rivaled by Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power TV series.

Amazon’s The Rings of Power premieres its first season on September 2, 2022. Unlike LOTR and The Hobbit , The Rings of Power isn’t based on a specific book. While it draws largely from The Silmarillion , it is more of an all-encompassing history of the Second Age of Middle-earth. With a staggering budget of over $1 billion, The Rings of Power is set to be a large-scale adaption of Tolkien’s work.

With this new Tolkien adaption coming to Amazon soon, fans might be interested in diving into LOTR and The Hobbit for a refresher . However, doing so can be quite an investment in time, as most of these films run close to 3 hours long. Here is the runtime for every LOTR and The Hobbit film. So, pull out that calendar, and get ready to block some hours off.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2h 58m)

Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellen, as Frodo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, ride through Hobbiton in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

The Fellowship of the Ring is the film that started it all. Released in 2001, the film sees the formation of a fellowship to destroy the One Ring in Mount Doom and keep Dark Lord Sauron from reclaiming it. This film boasts a runtime of 2 hours and 58 minutes. Of course, there is also the extended edition. However, the extended edition of Fellowship of the Ring only adds an extra 30 minutes, making it the shortest LOTR extended edition with a runtime of 3 hours and 28 minutes.

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2h 59min)

Eye of Sauron in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The Two Towers premiered in 2002, and sees the continuation of Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam’s (Sean Astin) journey to Mordor. However, they are intercepted by the ring’s previous owner, Gollum (Andy Serkis), during their journey. Meanwhile, Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) travel to the war-torn nation of Rohan to rescue Merry (Dominic Monaghan) and Pippin (Billy Boyd). Despite covering multiple storylines, The Two Towers has almost the exact same runtime as The Fellowship of the Ring . The Two Towers theatrical version has a runtime of 2 hours and 59 minutes. However, its extended edition offers a full 44 extra minutes of extended scenes and new scenes, bringing its runtime to 3 hours and 42 minutes.

Lords of the Rings: Return of the King (3h 20m)

Lord of the Rings Return of the King, Elijah Wood as Frodo

The Return of the King is the final, and longest, film in the LOTR trilogy. The film follows the final part of Frodo, Sam, and Gollum’s journey to Mount Doom—while the rest of the fellowship takes on Sauron and his legions. The Return of the King ended the trilogy with a bang, taking home 11 Oscars at the 76th Academy Awards and being hailed as a masterpiece by critics and audiences alike. Hence, it isn’t surprising that Return of the King ‘s runtime is 3 hours and 20 minutes. Additionally, Return of the King’s extended edition adds an extra 51 minutes of content, bringing its runtime to a whopping 4 hours and 11 minutes.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2h 49m)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Poster

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey kicked off Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy on December 6, 2012. The Hobbit trilogy is an adaption of Tolkien’s novel The Hobbit . However, portions of the trilogy were also inspired by The Return of the King ‘s appendices. An Unexpected Journey follows Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), 60-years before the events of the Lord of the Rings when he is convinced by Gandalf (Ian McKellan) to join a band of Dwarves in their quest to reclaim The Lonely Mountain from Smaug. The Hobbit runtimes are a bit shorter than the Lord of the Rings runtimes. An Unexpected Journey is the longest Hobbit film with a run time of 2 hours and 49 minutes. Meanwhile, the extended edition’s runtime is 3 hours and 2 minutes.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2h 41m)

Martin Freeman as Bilbo in The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug

The Desolation of Smaug premiered on December 13, 2013 and follows the continuation of Bilbo and the Dwarves’ quest to reclaim The Lonely Mountain. While none of The Hobbit films quite live up to the LOTR trilogy, the Desolation of Smaug came the closest to it. It is largely considered the best film in the trilogy and it resembles the grandeur of the LOTR films. Additionally, it’s more concise than the first film, wrapping up in 2 hours and 41 minutes. However, its extended edition is a bit longer, with a runtime of 3 hours and 6 minutes.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2h 24m)

Lee Pace in The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies

The Battle of the Five Armies marked the final film in this trilogy, and the conclusion of Jackson’s Middle-earth forays. The film sees The Lonely Mountain being reclaimed by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage). However, victory is short-lived when Smaug’s full fiery is unleashed and as Sauron launches a surprise attack on The Lonely Mountain. This final film also proved the shortest with a runtime of 2 hours and 24 minutes. Meanwhile, the extended edition adds only an extra 20 minutes, culminating in a run time of 2 hours and 44 minutes. Ah, the brevity!

(featured image: New Line Cinema)

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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

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What to Know

Peter Jackson's return to Middle-earth is an earnest, visually resplendent trip, but the film's deliberate pace robs the material of some of its majesty.