Humans and hobbits, it is a special day because December 10, 2021, marks the 20th anniversary of the day the first The Lord of the Rings movie hit cinemas. Twenty years ago, millions of fans around the world sat in cinemas to watch The Fellowship of the Ring, probably without any idea that the film they were about to watch would become a cultural icon.
If you’d like to recreate that feeling at home in honour of The Lord of the Rings anniversary, here’s where you can stream all the films in the franchise.
Where can I watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy in Australia?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy of films kicked off a pop culture movement and was one of the first major fantasy blockbusters to score big at the Oscars. They were also filmed in our neighbouring New Zealand and have since inspired plenty of travellers to visit the preserved set of Hobbiton.
If you feel like embracing your fantasy side anytime soon, here’s where you can find The Lord of the Rings movies in Australia:
- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001): Netflix, Binge, Paramount+
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002): Netflix, Binge, Paramount+
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003): Netflix, Binge, Paramount+
Of course, there are all sorts of extended and directors editions of the films that have been released over the last 20 years. They’re not always available on every streaming service so you might need to fork out for a physical disc copy or buy them on one of the digital VOD storefronts.
Where can I watch The Hobbit trilogy in Australia?
Before The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a small book called The Hobbit. This book was also snapped up by studios and expanded into three blockbuster films on the big screen.
Here’s where you can stream the trilogy at home:
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012): Stan
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013): Stan
- The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014): Stan
Stan is home to the extended version of The Hobbit films so you won’t need to pay extra to find those.
What about the LOTR TV show?
The Lord of the Rings journey isn’t over yet and soon it will be expanding into a major TV show.
Amazon Studios is behind the series which will be a prequel to the LOTR trilogy. The series was filmed in New Zealand over the past two years.
We still won’t see The Lord of the Rings TV show for a little while, but it’s expected to stream on Amazon Prime Video in September 2022.
It’s wild to think The Lord of the Rings anniversary coincides with another popular fantasy anniversary, but it’s true, the first LOTR and Harry Potter movies were released in the same year. If you want to tune into the HP anniversary we have all those details for you, too.