The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King poster

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

The journey ends.

8.5(27,590)20033h 21m81

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.​

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Status
Released
Budget
$94M
Box office
$1.1B
Language
English
Part of The Lord of the Rings Collection · 3 films
  • army
  • based on novel or book
  • elves
  • dwarf
  • magic
  • kingdom
  • christianity
  • obsession
  • bravery
  • castle
  • volcano
  • giant spider

Top billed cast

Behind the camera

Produced in

New Zealand, United States of America

Gallery

Still from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingStill from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingStill from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingStill from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingStill from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingStill from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingStill from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingStill from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingStill from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingStill from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingStill from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingStill from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Videos

Release dates

  • IndiaIN

    • Theatrical6 Feb 2004
  • United StatesUS

    • PremierePG-13Los Angeles, California3 Dec 2003
    • TheatricalPG-1317 Dec 2003
    • PhysicalPG-13Extended Edition14 Dec 2004
    • Theatrical (limited)PG-13Extended Edition18 Jan 2026
  • United KingdomGB

    • Premiere12ALondon11 Dec 2003
    • Theatrical12A17 Dec 2003
    • Physical12DVD / VHS15 May 2004
    • Physical12Blu-ray6 Apr 2010
    • Physical12Theatrical & Extended Editions (4k Ultra HD Blu-ray)30 Nov 2020
  • United Arab EmiratesAE

    • Theatrical26 Dec 2003
  • AustraliaAU

    • TheatricalM26 Dec 2003
  • CanadaCA

    • TheatricalPG17 Dec 2003
    • Theatrical (limited)14AExtended Edition18 Jan 2026
  • ArgentinaAR

    • Theatrical1 Jan 2004
  • AustriaAT

    • Theatrical1617 Dec 2003
  • BahrainBH

    • Theatrical28 Jan 2004
  • BelgiumBE

    • Theatrical1217 Dec 2003
  • BoliviaBO

    • Theatrical26 Dec 2003
  • BrazilBR

    • Theatrical1225 Dec 2003
    • Physical14Versão de Cinema em DVD25 May 2004
    • Physical14Versão de Cinema em Blu-Ray20 Jun 2010
    • Physical14Versão Estendida em DVD10 Nov 2010
    • Physical14Versão Estendida em Blu-Ray1 May 2013
    • Theatrical14Relançamento em comemoração aos 25 anos de lançamento (Versão Estendida)24 Jan 2026

Frequently asked questions

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was released on 17 December 2003.

Audience reviews

8
  • N

    NeoBrowser

    7/20/2013

    10/10

    And so all good things come to an end. For three years in a row, Peter Jackson has banished our winter blues with the individual instalments of his Tolkien trilogy, effectively shifting the focus of our cinematic excitement from the summer months to the end of the year. But now that his epic has been unveiled in its entirety, what will be the lasting effects of his achievement? Well, grand-scale fantasy filmmaking…

  • W

    Wuchak

    3/11/2018

    5/10

    Too much CGI, redundancy, clichés and drawn out “looks of love” for my tastes. RELEASED 2003 and directed by Peter Jackson, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” adapts the third part of JRR Tolkien’s popular fantasy trilogy about adventures on Middle-Earth: Frodo (Elijah Wood), Sam (Sean Astin) and Gollum (Andy Serkis) continue to try to make their way to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. Meanwhile Ar…

  • J

    JPV852

    9/21/2020

    10/10

    Great finale to a great trilogy. The action and battle sequences were amazing and even though I've seen this a few times over the years, still thrilling to the end. I didn't even mind the multiple endings as I had in the past, nice each character got their due. **4.75/5**

  • R

    r96sk

    2/19/2021

    10/10

    An outstanding end to the trilogy. I expected a lot from <em>'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'</em> so I am delighted to see it produce on so many levels. I, funnily enough, wouldn't actually say it's necessarily the most perfect execution - what with the plot coincidences and extreme character armour. But that doesn't matter one jot whatsoever, as the story wraps up in arguably the best way - at lea…

  • P

    pokycoder

    11/16/2021

    As an avid fan of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings from long before New Line announced this movie "trilogy," I must say all three films were fairly large disappointments. Now, mind you, I am not your usual, "The book is better" movie reviewer. But it is almost like Peter Jackson went out of his way to take out the most crucial elements of the books and replace it with drivel. Also every line that sounds even remote…

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