The Lord of the Rings watch order
All three Lord of the Rings films and the three Hobbit films, in release order and in story order. It is the same order the emberslate app uses for its Lord of the Rings saga.
Updated · By emberfold labs
The short answer
For a first watch, go in release order: the three Lord of the Rings films first, then The Hobbit. That is how the story was first told, and it saves Bilbo's earlier adventure for after you know where it leads. The six films run about 17 hours.
- Titles
- 6 films, 0 series
- Everything
- about 17 hours
- Core path
- about 17 hours
- Films only
- about 17 hours
Release order
The Lord of the Rings in release order
The order they came out, and the best way in for a first watch. It starts with Frodo before going back to Bilbo's earlier adventure.
- 01
01CoreThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Film · 2h 59mCore
- 02
02CoreThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Film · 2h 59mCore
- 03
03CoreThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Film · 3h 21mCore
- 04
04CoreThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Film · 2h 49mCore
- 05
05CoreThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Film · 2h 41mCore
- 06
06CoreThe Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Film · 2h 24mCore
Chronological order
The Lord of the Rings in chronological order
The Hobbit happens first, about 60 years before The Lord of the Rings.
- 0101Core
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
Film · 2h 49mCore
- 0202Core
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Film · 2h 41mCore
- 0303Core
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
Film · 2h 24mCore
- 0404Core
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Film · 2h 59mCore
- 0505Core
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Film · 2h 59mCore
- 0606Core
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Film · 3h 21mCore
Release order or Hobbit first?
Release order starts with The Fellowship of the Ring and the trilogy, then goes back about 60 years to The Hobbit. It is the best way in, because the trilogy needs no setup and The Hobbit then plays as a prequel.
Chronological order starts with The Hobbit, which happens first. It suits a second watch, since The Hobbit points forward to the trilogy and means more once you know it.
Which cut should I watch?
The runtimes here are for the theatrical releases. The extended editions of the Lord of the Rings films add roughly 50 minutes to an hour each, and many fans save them for a rewatch.
Track it
Track the The Lord of the Rings saga in emberslate
The Sagas tab in the emberslate app has this exact order. Switch between release and chronological order, mark the next step watched, and see how far through you are. It is free on Android.
Get emberslate on Google Play
The Lord of the Rings watch order questions
What order should I watch Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit in?
Release order: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King, then An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies. That is how the story was first told.
Should I watch The Hobbit first?
Only on a rewatch. The Hobbit happens about 60 years before the trilogy, so chronological order starts with it, but newcomers get more out of the trilogy first.
Do I need to watch The Hobbit?
No. The trilogy is a complete story. The Hobbit is a prequel with its own adventure, and it is worth watching if you want more Middle-earth.
How long does it take to watch all six films?
About 17 hours in total: roughly 9 hours for the Lord of the Rings trilogy and about 8 for The Hobbit, using theatrical cuts.
The order and the core, optional and save-for-later marks are the ones the emberslate app uses for this saga. Titles, years and runtimes come from TMDB; series runtimes count aired episodes only and are rounded. First published .