The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Final instalment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is an epic fantasy film released in 2003, directed by Peter Jackson and co-written with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. It adapts the third volume of J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel, published in 1955. As the sequel to 2002’s The Two Towers, it concludes the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The ensemble cast includes Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Bernard Hill, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Karl Urban, John Noble, Andy Serkis, Ian Holm, and Sean Bean. The story picks up from the previous film: Frodo and Sam, guided by Gollum, head toward Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, unaware that Gollum plans to betray them and claim the Ring. Meanwhile, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and their allies unite against Sauron and his forces from Mordor.
The film was financed and distributed by New Line Cinema, an American studio, but was shot and edited entirely in New Zealand, Jackson’s home country, alongside the other two parts of the trilogy. It premiered on 1 December 2003 at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington, then released in the United States on 17 December 2003 and in New Zealand on 18 December 2003. Critics and audiences praised it as a landmark in filmmaking and the fantasy genre, calling it a satisfying end to the trilogy, with acclaim for its visual effects, performances, action sequences, direction, screenplay, musical score, costume design, emotional depth, scope, and story. It earned $1.1 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of 2003, the second-highest-grossing film ever at the time, Jackson’s highest-grossing film, and the top earner for New Line Cinema.
Like the earlier films in the trilogy, The Return of the King is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential movies ever made. It won all 11 Academy Awards it was nominated for at the 76th ceremony, including Best Picture—the first fantasy film to do so—tying with Ben-Hur (1959) and Titanic (1997) for the most Oscar wins. It also became the second film series, after the original Star Wars trilogy, to have every entry win Best Visual Effects.
The plot begins with the hobbit Déagol finding the One Ring in a river while fishing with his cousin Sméagol. The Ring corrupts Sméagol, who kills Déagol for
- release_year
- 2003
- director
- Peter Jackson
- screenwriters
- Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens
- based_on
- The Return of the King (1955) by J. R. R. Tolkien
- production_company
- New Line Cinema
- runtime
- Not specified in article
- box_office
- $1.1 billion worldwide
Lore & Background
The film continues the plot of the previous film: Frodo and Sam follow Gollum towards Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring, unaware of Gollum's intentions to betray the duo to take the Ring for himself, while Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli and their allies join forces against Sauron and his legions from Mordor. The Return of the King was financed and distributed by American studio New Line Cinema, but filmed and edited entirely in Jackson's native New Zealand, concurrently with the other two parts of the trilogy. It premiered on 1 December 2003 at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington and was then released on 17 December 2003 in the United States and 18 December 2003 in New Zealand.
Reader's Guide
The Return of the King is widely recognised as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. It grossed $1.1 billion worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2003, the second-highest-grossing film of all time during its run, Jackson's highest-grossing film, and the highest-grossing film ever released by New Line Cinema. The film received numerous accolades; at the 76th Academy Awards, it won all 11 awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture, the first fantasy film to do so and tying with 1959's Ben-Hur and 1997's Titanic as the movie with the most Academy Award wins. It also became the second film series whose entries have all won Best Visual Effects, after the original Star Wars trilogy. The film was praised for its visual effects, performances, action sequences, direction, screenplay, musical score, costume design, emotional depth, scope, and story.
Did You Know?
- The film won all 11 Academy Awards for which it was nominated, including Best Picture.
- It tied with Ben-Hur (1959) and Titanic (1997) for the most Academy Award wins.
- It was the first fantasy film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
- The film was filmed and edited entirely in New Zealand.
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