How to Watch The Lord of the Rings in Order
To watch The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, start with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Watch The Lord of the Rings in release order for a first viewing — start with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001). There are 3 films, released between 2001–2003. That is 9.3 hours of viewing.
The full checklist
0 of 3 watched- 1The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring2001Essential179m
- 2The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers2002Essential179m
- 3The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King2003Essential201m
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What is the correct order to watch The Lord of the Rings?
For a first viewing, watch The Lord of the Rings in release order, starting with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) and ending with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). That is the order the story was written to be discovered in.
How many The Lord of the Rings films are there?
There are 3 The Lord of the Rings films.
Where should a first-time viewer start with The Lord of the Rings?
Start with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, released in 2001. It introduces the characters and setting the later films build on.
How long does it take to watch all of The Lord of the Rings?
Watching every The Lord of the Rings film takes 9.3 hours.