Twenty years ago, the epic adventure of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings concluded on the big screen with the epic The Return of the King. Now, for one week, movie fans can once again experience the battle for Middle Earth on the big screen as The Return of the King extended edition gets a special 20th anniversary re-release in movie theaters.
In the Best Picture-winning conclusion to The Lord of the Rings, armies amass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world and 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 only 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.
These special screenings of The Return of the King extended edition are being put on by Fathom Events and are running from April 13-19 in the US and from April 13-20 in Canada. The movie is playing in select theaters, but you can find out exactly where it is playing near you on the Fathom Events website, as well as purchase your ticket directly through the platform. Originally the movie was only going to have two screening days, but fan demand resulted in additional dates being added. Backing that up, the movie got off to a strong start as it had the second-highest US box office pull on April 13.
If you are planning to see the re-release while it is available, be sure you plan your day around it. The Return of the King extended edition is listed as four hours and 20 minutes, just under an hour longer than the original theatrical cut, which came in at three hours and 21 minutes. In addition to new footage not seen in the original cut, the special screenings feature a special introduction from Elijah Wood, who played Frodo in the movies, discussing the impact of Lord of the Rings trilogy and some footage from a recent fan event at LA Comic Con.
Though The Return of the King's official 20th anniversary isn't actually until December 2023, we can forgive the movie that won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, and has grossed $1.1 billion at the global box office for arriving a bit ahead of schedule.
How to stream Return of the King extended editions
Now, if the 20th anniversary screenings of The Return of the King extended edition are not coming to a movie theater near you, there are still options for you to watch The Return of the King extended cut.
For viewers where HBO Max is available, all three extended editions of the movies — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King — are streaming on the service. All you need is a subscription to watch them right now. UK audiences, meanwhile, can rent the extended editions via digital on-demand, including on Prime Video.
More Lord of the Rings
Of course, The Lord of the Rings franchise is not just the series of movies directed by Peter Jackson anymore. Fans can stream the TV series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on Prime Video.
New Line Cinema has announced that more movies set in Middle Earth are in development as well, but we'll have to wait a bit longer for those.
