Lord of the Rings Died 11 Years Ago Today, and It Still Hasn’t Been Resurrected (but the Next Movie Can Change That)

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It’s been eleven years since the last Lord of the Rings movie, and the franchise hasn’t recovered since. The upcoming film, The Hunt for Gollum, has a chance to revive interest, but fans will have to wait until 2027 to see if it succeeds. The movie will take place within the timeline of Peter Jackson’s original trilogy. Whether it fits seamlessly into that story is uncertain, but the strong sense of nostalgia could be enough to draw viewers in.

If the next Lord of the Rings film wants to regain the franchise’s popularity and box office success, it needs to attract a larger audience than the previous movie. The War of the Rohirrim earned only $20 million worldwide, which was a record low for the series. But the decline in performance actually began 11 years ago, and the franchise hasn’t recovered since.

11 Years Ago, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies Became a Turning Point for Lord of the Rings

Released on December 17, 2014, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies concluded Peter Jackson’s second Hobbit film trilogy, but it didn’t live up to expectations. While the movie earned $956 million worldwide and wasn’t a financial failure, critics didn’t love it, giving it a 59% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and offering mostly mixed reviews. Many fans and critics had questioned the decision to turn The Hobbit into three films, and this final installment showed them why.

Although $956 million is a significant amount, it was the lowest box office revenue of the three Hobbit films. Critically, the third movie was also considered the weakest of the series. It felt stretched and overly focused on making money, with extra storylines and excessively long battle scenes. It was clear the story of The Hobbit didn’t need to be expanded, and the final film really showed how poorly that expansion was handled. Adding to the story issues, the special effects now look dated and overused. Thankfully, this marked a long pause for the Lord of the Rings franchise, though recent attempts to revive it have prevented a true return.

New Lord of the Rings Projects Haven’t Reached the Trilogy’s Heights

While The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies disappointed many, recent efforts to revive The Lord of the Rings haven’t been successful either. Although The Rings of Power isn’t officially part of Warner Bros.’ Lord of the Rings series, it’s adding to a growing sense of exhaustion with adaptations of Tolkien’s work. The show has proven very controversial, with many fans believing it doesn’t capture the spirit of the original books. Though not a complete failure, The Rings of Power is making some viewers hesitant to return to Middle-earth on screen.

The recent film, The War of the Rohirrim, didn’t improve things. It didn’t do well in theaters and received mostly negative reviews, making viewers hesitant about future projects. Even though it was animated – a different format than the original Lord of the Rings films – it still fell short of expectations. Similar to the series The Rings of Power, many viewers felt it didn’t stay true to the original story and lacked the impact of the earlier films. This continues a disappointing pattern for the franchise, and now there’s a lot riding on the upcoming film, The Hunt for Gollum, to revive interest.

The Hunt for Gollum Could Finally Revive the Franchise

After more than a decade since the last Lord of the Rings film, The Hunt for Gollum has the potential to revive the franchise. However, it faces significant challenges. The movie needs to win back fans who were disappointed by recent Lord of the Rings projects and overcome general fatigue with the series. Some also question whether a film focusing on such a small part of Tolkien’s story is necessary, and there’s a risk it might feel forced, potentially alienating fans.

The upcoming 2027 film faces a challenge: it needs to feel new while still fitting comfortably within the established Lord of the Rings story. Stories set during the original trilogy run the risk of contradicting what we already know, and the talk of recasting Aragorn raises concerns about maintaining consistency. Making changes like that could disappoint dedicated fans, which is a big risk with so much riding on this film. If The Hunt for Gollum doesn’t revive interest in the franchise, the future of the series is uncertain – it might disappear for good.

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2025-12-17 19:45