Pocket-lint

How to watch Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movies in order

By Cam Bunton

Updated Dec 31, 2023

There are six - long - Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit movies in total. We go over the best way you should watch them.

Warner Bros

The recommended viewing order for The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings films begins with The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (2001) to introduce Middle-earth and key concepts, followed by The Hobbit trilogy for the backstory.
After The Hobbit trilogy, the sequence continues with The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (2003), completing the story with full context from the prequels.
Alternate viewing orders include the chronological timeline, starting with The Hobbit trilogy and then the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or the theatrical release order, beginning with the Lord of the Rings trilogy followed by The Hobbit films.