Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy is returning to theaters for the 25th anniversary of “The Fellowship of the Ring,” and cinephiles seem eager to return to Middle-earth.
Showtimes for the three films — “Fellowship of the Ring” is set for Jan. 16, “The Two Towers” for Jan. 17 and “The Return of the King” for Jan. 18 — have generated $5 million in domestic presales, with roughly 407,000 tickets sold so far, according to Fathom Entertainment. That’s 65% ahead of the company’s last “LOTR” re-release in 2024, which had 246,000 tickets sold at the same point in its sales cycle and earned $8.2 million over the weekend. For this re-release, Fathom is adding additional locations, dates and showtimes to keep up with demand.
To commemorate the anniversary, Jackson has recorded “exclusive, lengthy welcome fan introductions” for each of the three respective extended editions, Fathom says. Already it’s a longer sit for audiences: While the original “Lord of the Rings” theatrical cuts had clocked in at nine-plus hours, the extended editions are cumulatively 11 and a half hours.
“The ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy re-release is off to record start for the franchise at Fathom. We could not be more pleased that the large ‘Lord of the Rings’ fanbase will have the benefit of hearing in-depth and exclusively in theatre from Peter Jackson himself prior to each of these three remarkable films,” said Ray Nutt, CEO at Fathom Entertainment. “The extended editions of the trilogy of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ movies are sure to be a landmark event for fans and a high point for classic film re-releases in 2026.”
Based on the epic fantasy novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, the original “Lord of the Rings” films has grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and won 17 Academy Awards. Jackson returned to Middle-earth for “The Hobbit” trilogy, which also generated a combined $3 billion worldwide.