Eleven years ago today, The Lord of the Rings franchise died — and tragically, it still hasn’t been resurrected. Fortunately, the next movie has the opportunity to breathe new life into it, but we’ll have to wait until 2027 to see if it succeeds. That’s when The Hunt for Gollum is set to debut, bringing viewers back to the timeline of Peter Jackson’s original trilogy. How well it will fit into the continuity of that story remains to be seen, but the nostalgia factor alone could be enough to get audiences to theaters.
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And if the next Lord of the Rings movie hopes to restore the franchise’s box office streak, it will need to draw more viewers than its most recent theatrical release. With its $20 million worldwide box office, The War of the Rohirrim marked a record low for the IP. However, its downward trajectory started much earlier. Its turning point can actually be traced back to 11 years ago. Things haven’t been same for the Lord of the Rings franchise since.
11 Years Ago, The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies Became a Turning Point for Lord of the Rings
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies came out on December 17, 2014, marking the end of Jackson’s second trilogy of films and proving a disappointment compared to everything that came before. Although Battle of the Five Armies can’t be dubbed a box office failure — per Box Office Mojo, it made $956 million globally — it can be deemed a critical flop given its 59% Rotten Tomatoes score and generally mixed reception. The decision to adapt The Hobbit as three films received backlash from J.R.R. Tolkien fans and critics alike, and the trilogy capper demonstrated why.
While $956 million is nothing to scoff at, it’s the lowest box office haul of all three Hobbit movies. Quality-wise, the third film also the worst of the trilogy. It’s full of unnecessary storylines and drawn-out battles sequences, and that makes it feel like a money grab. It was obvious that The Hobbit didn’t need to be expanded on, but the final film highlighted how poorly it was executed. On top of the narrative problems, the CGI was overdone and hasn’t aged particularly well. It’s probably for the best that this was the last Lord of the Rings movie for years, though the franchise’s attempts at a comeback have prevented it from returning to life in the 2020s.
New Lord of the Rings Projects Haven’t Reached the Trilogy’s Heights
The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies may have killed The Lord of the Rings franchise, but recent attempts to resurrect it haven’t fared well either. The Rings of Power isn’t part of Warner Bros.’ Lord of the Rings lineup, but it’s contributing to the fatigue surrounding Tolkien adaptations. The Prime Video show is incredibly divisive, and many Tolkien fans feel it isn’t a good interpretation of the author’s work. It isn’t doing so poorly that it’s been canceled, but it’s souring some viewers on the notion of visiting Middle-earth on-screen.
The War of the Rohirrim hasn’t helped on that front, with its poor box office performance and lackluster reviews making audiences even more wary. Given its animated format, the film was fighting an uphill battle competing with previous Lord of the Rings movies. But even for a project with low expectations, the 2024 film underperformed. Like The Rings of Power, it drew criticisms for its lack of fidelity to the source material. It also just wasn’t as gripping or powerful as the original series. Its failure continues an unfortunate trend for the IP, and it puts a lot of pressure on The Hunt for Gollum to turn things around.
The Hunt for Gollum Could Finally Revive the Franchise
The Hunt for Gollum could finally resurrect The Lord of the Rings IP, over a decade after The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies killed it — but it faces many obstacles to doing so. For one, it will need to overcome the distrust and fatigue created by the past three or four Lord of the Rings projects, and that’s no easy feat. There are already questions about whether the film is really needed, as it covers such a small piece of Tolkien’s timeline. In some ways, it already feels like it’s trying too hard, which could prevent fans from buying in.
The 2027 film also needs to strike a careful balance between delivering something fresh and fitting into the larger franchise. Anything set during the original trilogy opens itself to retcon criticisms, and the rumors that Aragorn will be recast don’t bode well for consistency. Such choices risk upsetting longtime fans, and that’s not ideal when the stakes are so high. If The Hunt for Gollum fails to rejuvenate the IP, it’s unclear what its future will look like. It could very well return to the grave.
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