$2.9 Billion Fantasy Trilogy Storms Back Into Theaters for a 25th Anniversary Encore
Middle-earth returns to the big screen as Warner Bros. and Fathom Events set 2026 theatrical rereleases for the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, celebrating The Fellowship of the Ring’s 25th anniversary and giving the $2.9 billion epic a fresh victory lap.
Middle-earth is clocking back in at the multiplex. Warner Bros. and Fathom Events are bringing Peter Jackson's extended editions of The Lord of the Rings back to theaters in early 2026 to mark 25 years since The Fellowship of the Ring first hit screens. Yes, the long cuts. Plan your snacks accordingly.
When and where this is happening
- Dates and formats: Extended editions will play in DBOX format from January 16–19, 2026, then in standard formats January 23–25, 2026. If your theater has DBOX, that means motion-enhanced seats. If not, you still get the big-screen marathon the following weekend.
- 25th anniversary promos: Warner Bros. and Fathom rolled out a fresh anniversary logo and trailer just for this rerelease.
- Concessions tie-ins: Select theaters will have limited-edition LOTR-themed snacks gear. AMC is doing exclusive popcorn buckets printed with maps of Middle-earth. Regal (and participating local cinemas) will offer buckets with a 'One Ring' design.
Why now
The rerelease lines up with The Fellowship of the Ring's 25th anniversary. Variety has the rollout specifics, and the companies have now locked the dates. It also follows their 2024 theatrical run of the 4K Ultra HD remastered extended editions, which apparently did well enough to justify another lap for the big milestone.
A quick refresher on what you are signing up for
New Line originally dropped the trilogy in 2001, 2002, and 2003, adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's novels. Peter Jackson directed and co-wrote with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, shooting all three movies back-to-back in New Zealand. The three films grossed just under $3 billion worldwide and hauled in 17 Oscars; The Return of the King grabbed 11 by itself, tying the all-time record held by Ben-Hur and Titanic. Jackson later went back for The Hobbit trilogy in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
These are the extended editions, so the total runtime climbs to about 11.5 hours compared to a bit over nine for the theatrical cuts. Back in the day, each extended version first arrived on home video a year after its film's theatrical release; now they are getting a proper big-screen victory lap.
For the paper trail folks: Variety outlined the schedule, and the rerelease has been confirmed by Warner Bros. and Fathom Events. The pickup was also flagged by Vritti Johar at SuperHeroHype.
Bottom line: Giant fantasy, extra scenes, fancy buckets. See you in January 2026.