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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

  • 2003
  • PG-13
  • 3h 21m
IMDb RATING
9.0/10
2M
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
158
56
Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, and Andy Serkis in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.
Play trailer1:41
14 Videos
99+ Photos
ActionAdventureDrama

Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.

  • Director
    • Peter Jackson
  • Writers
    • J.R.R. Tolkien
    • Fran Walsh
    • Philippa Boyens
  • Stars
    • Elijah Wood
    • Viggo Mortensen
    • Ian McKellen
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    9.0/10
    2M
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    158
    56
    • Director
      • Peter Jackson
    • Writers
      • J.R.R. Tolkien
      • Fran Walsh
      • Philippa Boyens
    • Stars
      • Elijah Wood
      • Viggo Mortensen
      • Ian McKellen
    • 4.2KUser reviews
    • 300Critic reviews
    • 94Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Top rated movie #7
    • Won 11 Oscars
      • 215 wins & 124 nominations total

    Videos14

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:41
    Watch Official Trailer
    The Lord of the Rings Trilogy on Blu-ray
    Trailer 2:02
    Watch The Lord of the Rings Trilogy on Blu-ray
    The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
    Trailer 0:31
    Watch The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King
    'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy Greatest Moments
    Clip 3:11
    Watch 'The Lord of the Rings' Trilogy Greatest Moments
    Everything We Know About "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power"
    Clip 3:27
    Watch Everything We Know About "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power"
    Does Andy Serkis Know How Many Times He's Played Gollum?
    Clip 3:01
    Watch Does Andy Serkis Know How Many Times He's Played Gollum?
    A Guide to the Films of Peter Jackson
    Clip 1:33
    Watch A Guide to the Films of Peter Jackson
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Clip 1:09
    Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Clip 1:15
    Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Clip 0:26
    Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Clip 0:57
    Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    Clip 0:47
    Watch The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

    Photos1002

    Liv Tyler in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Liv Tyler, Jarl Benzon, Jørn Benzon, and Andy Gunn in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Orlando Bloom in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Ian McKellen in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Sean Astin in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Peter Jackson and Dominic Monaghan in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Dominic Monaghan in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen, and Orlando Bloom in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Liv Tyler and Hugo Weaving in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Sean Astin in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Billy Boyd in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
    Eddie Campbell, John Noble, and Jason Hood in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

    Cast99+

    Edit
    Elijah Wood
    Elijah Wood
    • Frodo
    Viggo Mortensen
    Viggo Mortensen
    • Aragorn
    Ian McKellen
    Ian McKellen
    • Gandalf
    Orlando Bloom
    Orlando Bloom
    • Legolas
    Noel Appleby
    • Everard Proudfoot
    Ali Astin
    Ali Astin
    • Elanor Gamgee
    • (as Alexandra Astin)
    Sean Astin
    Sean Astin
    • Sam
    David Aston
    David Aston
    • Gondorian Soldier 3
    John Bach
    John Bach
    • Madril
    Sean Bean
    Sean Bean
    • Boromir
    Cate Blanchett
    Cate Blanchett
    • Galadriel
    Billy Boyd
    Billy Boyd
    • Pippin
    Sadwyn Brophy
    • Eldarion
    Alistair Browning
    Alistair Browning
    • Damrod
    Marton Csokas
    Marton Csokas
    • Celeborn
    Richard Edge
    • Gondorian Soldier 1
    Jason Fitch
    Jason Fitch
    • Uruk 2
    Bernard Hill
    Bernard Hill
    • Theoden
    • Director
      • Peter Jackson
    • Writers
      • J.R.R. Tolkien
      • Fran Walsh
      • Philippa Boyens
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Best Picture Winners by Year

    Best Picture Winners by Year

    See the complete list of Best Picture winners. For fun, use the "sort order" function to rank by IMDb rating and other criteria.
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Since John Rhys-Davies suffered constant rashes from wearing the Gimli make-up, the make-up department gave him the opportunity to throw his Gimli mask into the fire on his last day of pick-up photography. He didn't hesitate a moment to grab and burn it.
    • Goofs
      When Denethor catches fire, he is in the Hallows of Minas Tirith, yet he plummets off the prow of the city, which is "... about a mile..." away. Peter Jackson admitted this in the DVD commentary.
    • Quotes

      Aragorn: Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Gondor, of Rohan, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship, but it is not this day. An hour of wolves and shattered shields, when the age of men comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good Earth, I bid you *stand, Men of the West!*

    • Crazy credits
      Peter Jackson's and Fran Walsh's children are listed in the credits as 'Cute Gondor children'. In the Fellowship of the Ring, they were 'Cute Hobbit children' and in The Two Towers, they were 'Cute Rohan children'.
    • Alternate versions
      There are four versions available. Runtimes are: 1) "3h 21m (201 min)"--the original theatrical release; 2) "4h 23m (263 min) (Blu-Ray Extended Edition)"; 3) "4h 14m (254 min) (Special DVD Extended Edition)"; 4) "3h 12m (192 min) (DVD Widescreen Edition)".
    • Connections
      Edited from The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
    • Soundtracks
      Into the West
      Words and Music by Howard Shore, Fran Walsh, and Annie Lennox
      Performed by Annie Lennox
      Annie Lennox appears courtesy of BMG Ariola Munchen GmbH

    User reviews4.2K

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    15 years on... Still the greatest
    I've just re-watched The Lord of the Rings trilogy for the 1000th time tonight... nearly 15 years since the Fellowship of the Rings was released... I still haven't seen a movie that's better, nor close, to any of these three films. The casting is perfection as well as the incredible acting by everyone in the movie. I can still watch these movies back to back and not get bored. They are a light to this world and wouldn't be the same without them.

    I miss the good old LOTR's days. The best movies ever created. The Return of the King was the best way to end a thrilling journey through middle earth!
    helpful•483
    27
    • jamiedphilips
    • Dec 22, 2015

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    FAQ22

    • In the beginning of this movie, Smeagol says to Deagol "Give us that, Deagol, my love". So, are they lovers in the book?
    • How did the Minas Tirith catapult operators lift the wrecked towers and walls onto the catapults?
    • How many months did it take to film The Return of the King?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 17, 2003 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • New Zealand
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
    • Languages
      • English
      • Quenya
      • Old English
      • Sindarin
    • Also known as
      • The Return of the King
    • Filming locations
      • Hinuera Valley, Matamata, Waikato, New Zealand(Hobbiton)
    • Production companies
      • New Line Cinema
      • WingNut Films
      • The Saul Zaentz Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $94,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $381,722,353
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $72,629,713
      • Dec 21, 2003
    • Gross worldwide
      • $1,151,301,082
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      3 hours 21 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS-ES
      • Dolby Digital EX
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Atmos
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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