The Hobbitmovies' box office put an end toThe Lord of the Rings'$1 billion trend, reversing the franchise’s performance and highlighting how much went wrong with Peter Jackson’s second trilogy.The Lord of the Ringsmoviesare overwhelmingly beloved, and they’re still hailed as the standard of fantasy filmmaking today. Jackson’s initial adaptations ofJ.R.R. Tolkien’s booksonly became more successful as time went on, butthe same can’t be said aboutThe Hobbitmovies— even if they did see some level of success.
The firstHobbitfilm,An Unexpected Journey,debuted in 2012 — almost a full decade afterThe Return of the Kingfirst hit theaters. After nearly 10 years away, fans were eager to return to Middle-earth, and Tolkien’s first book seemed like the obvious way to do this. But while adaptingThe Hobbitwas a smart way to expand Warner Bros.‘Lord of the Ringsfranchise, the approach the movies took was questionable.The Hobbittrilogy’s box office trajectory proved as much, marking a disappointing turnaround for the franchise.
Lord Of The Rings Movies Got Bigger & Bigger To Hit $1 Billion
The Return Of The King Marked A Huge Franchise Milestone
Perhaps it’s no surprise given how Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy just got better and better, butthe first three movies followed an upward trajectory until they passed the $1 billion mark.The Fellowship of the Ringwas the lowest-grossing installment inJackson’sLOTRuniverse untilThe War of the Rohirrim,which only just hit theaters.The Fellowship of the Ringbrought in $894 million worldwide (viaThe Numbers), an impressive feat. And the numbers only improved from there, withThe Two Towersgrossing $921 million andThe Return of the Kingmaking $1.1 billion.
Every Lord of the Rings & Hobbit Movie Ranked, Worst to Best
Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies comprise one of cinema’s most famous franchises, but how does each Middle-earth movie rank?
Crossing the $1 billion mark is a huge accomplishment for any franchise, and the excitement surroundingJackson’sHobbitadaptation offered hope thatThe Lord of the Ringswould continue this trend. The return of Jackson as director, along with major cast members reprising their roles, seemed sure to draw audiences. There was also a lot of potential in bringing Tolkien’s 1937 novel to life on-screen. Unfortunately, while the first installment ofThe Hobbittrilogy made nearly as much asReturn of the King,its sequels failed to stay above the $1 billion mark.
The Hobbit Movies’ Box Office Peaked With The First One
An Unexpected Journey Was The Only Installment To Make $1 Billion
Although the prospect of adaptingThe Hobbitwas exciting, Jackson’s second trilogy didn’t progress in the same direction as the first. In fact,The Hobbitfilms peaked with the first installment,An Unexpected Journey.The 2012 movie made just over $1 billion dollars, though its performance still fell short ofThe Return of the King’s by about $100 million. Still, the fact that it continued the $1 billion trend for the franchise initially seemed promising. Sadly, the second and thirdHobbitmovies didn’t reach the same heights.
2001
$894 million
2002
$921 million
2003
$1.1 billion
2012
$1 billion
2013
$959 million
2014
$940 million
The Desolation of SmaugandThe Battle of the Five Armieswere still successful in their own rights, butthey started a downward trajectory for theLord of the Ringsfranchise.The Desolation of Smaugmade $959 million at the worldwide box office, andThe Battle of the Five Armiestook another step downward, raking in $940 million. This decline was clearly a turning point for the franchise, andit can be attributed to a few problems with Jackson’sHobbittrilogy.
Why The Hobbit Sequels Made Less Money Than The First, Unlike LOTR
Several Poor Creative Decisions Contributed To Their Declining Performance
WhileThe Hobbitmovies still had fairly successful box office runs, there’s no denying they saw a decline thatThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy simply didn’t. A few factors contributed to this, the first being the decision to turnThe Hobbit’s adaptation into three parts. The book’s length didn’t warrant this sort of expansion, leading to frustration among Tolkien fans.DraggingThe Hobbitmovies out affected the pacingand necessitated original content that didn’t necessarily fit with the source material.
The production of the films saw issues after Guillermo del Toro departed from the project and Jackson came on board.
That’s just part ofwhat went wrong withThe Hobbittrilogy, however. The production of the films saw issues afterGuillermo del Toro departed from the projectand Jackson came on board. Jackson admitted to feeling rushed, and this weakened the creative side of things, especially when it came to planning. Additionally,The Hobbitmovies were criticized for their excessive and sometimes poor usage of CGI, an issue theLord of the Ringsmovies didn’t have. All of these things resulted in less influential films overall, leading them to have poorer performances than their predecessors.
The Hobbit
The Hobbitfilm series is a fantasy adventure trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novelThe Hobbit. Set 60 years beforeThe Lord of the Rings, the films follow Bilbo Baggins' quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug. The series grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and is known for its elaborate visuals and epic storytelling.
The Lord of the Rings
The Lord of the Rings is a multimedia franchise consisting of several movies and a TV show released by Amazon titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The franchise is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book series that began in 1954 with The Fellowship of the Ring. The Lord of the Rings saw mainstream popularity with Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.
