The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
9.0
“The journey ends.”
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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Part of The Lord of the Rings Collection
3 films
Cast
77 people
Elijah Wood
Frodo
Known for
Happy Feet
9
Ian McKellen
Gandalf
Known for
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
X-Men
Viggo Mortensen
Aragorn
Known for
Green Book
Captain Fantastic
Sean Astin
Sam
Known for
Stranger Things
The Goonies
Andy Serkis
Gollum / Smeagol
Known for
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
The Adventures of Tintin
Dominic Monaghan
Merry
Known for
Lost
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Billy Boyd
Pippin
Known for
Seed of Chucky
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
John Noble
Denethor
Known for
Fringe
Sleepy Hollow
David Wenham
Faramir
Known for
Marvel's Iron Fist
300
Miranda Otto
Éowyn
Known for
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
War of the Worlds
Bernard Hill
Théoden
Known for
Titanic
The Scorpion King
John Rhys-Davies
Gimli
Known for
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Shannara Chronicles
Peter Jackson Director · Fran Walsh Screenplay Philippa Boyens Screenplay
Worldwide gross $1.1B · Budget $94M · United States release December 17, 2003
Box office
Budget
$94,000,000
Worldwide gross
$1,118,888,979
Gross vs. budget
11.9×
Production
New Line Cinema
Production · Studio
WingNut Films
Production · Distribution
The Saul Zaentz Company
Production
New Zealand · United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English
Release dates
New Zealand · December 1, 2003
Premiere · Wellington
United States · December 17, 2003
Theatrical
United States · December 14, 2004
Physical · Extended Edition
United States
December 3, 2003 · Premiere · Los Angeles, California
January 18, 2026 · Limited theatrical · Extended Edition
Argentina
January 1, 2004 · Theatrical
Australia
December 26, 2003 · Theatrical
Austria
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
Bahrain
January 28, 2004 · Theatrical
Belgium
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
Bolivia
December 26, 2003 · Theatrical
Brazil
December 25, 2003 · Theatrical
May 25, 2004 · Physical · Versão de Cinema em DVD
June 20, 2010 · Physical · Versão de Cinema em Blu-Ray
November 10, 2010 · Physical · Versão Estendida em DVD
May 1, 2013 · Physical · Versão Estendida em Blu-Ray
January 24, 2026 · Theatrical · Relançamento em comemoração aos 25 anos de lançamento (Versão Estendida)
Bulgaria
January 10, 2004 · Theatrical
Canada
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
January 18, 2026 · Limited theatrical · Extended Edition
Chile
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
China
March 15, 2004 · Theatrical
May 14, 2021 · Theatrical · Re-Release
April 18, 2026 · Premiere · Beijing International Film Festival
Colombia
December 25, 2003 · Theatrical
Croatia
December 28, 2003 · Theatrical
Czechia
January 15, 2004 · Theatrical
September 15, 2004 · Physical · DVD
February 1, 2026 · Limited theatrical · 25th Anniversary (Extended Edition)
Denmark
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
Ecuador
December 26, 2003 · Theatrical
Egypt
February 11, 2004 · Theatrical
Estonia
January 2, 2004 · Theatrical
Finland
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
France
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical · Avec avertissement
June 17, 2004 · Physical · DVD
April 6, 2010 · Physical · Blu-ray
December 20, 2013 · Digital
September 3, 2021 · Digital · Prime Video
November 6, 2025 · TV · TMC
March 15, 2026 · TV · Canal+ Grand Écran
May 9, 2026 · TV · Canal+ Grand Écran
Georgia
January 22, 2004 · Theatrical
Germany
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
May 25, 2004 · Physical
December 10, 2004 · Physical · Extended Edition
January 13, 2026 · Digital · HBO Max
Greece
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
Hong Kong SAR China
December 18, 2003 · Theatrical
Hungary
January 8, 2004 · Theatrical
Iceland
December 26, 2003 · Theatrical
India
February 6, 2004 · Theatrical
Indonesia
January 14, 2004 · Theatrical
Ireland
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
Israel
December 18, 2003 · Theatrical
September 19, 2024 · Limited theatrical · 20th Anniversary
Italy
January 22, 2004 · Theatrical
Japan
February 14, 2004 · Theatrical
Kazakhstan
January 23, 2004 · Theatrical
Kuwait
January 28, 2004 · Theatrical
Lebanon
December 26, 2003 · Theatrical
Lithuania
December 22, 2003 · Theatrical
Malaysia
December 19, 2003 · Theatrical
Mexico
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
Netherlands
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
December 26, 2006 · TV · Nederland 3
October 7, 2010 · Physical · DVD
June 28, 2011 · Physical · Blu-ray
New Zealand
December 18, 2003 · Theatrical
Norway
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
Panama
December 25, 2003 · Theatrical
March 13, 2025 · Theatrical
Paraguay
December 26, 2003 · Theatrical
Peru
December 19, 2003 · Theatrical
Philippines
January 9, 2004 · Theatrical
Poland
January 1, 2004 · Theatrical
Portugal
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
Puerto Rico
December 19, 2003 · Theatrical
January 26, 2026 · Limited theatrical · Extended Edition
Romania
January 2, 2004 · Theatrical
Russia
January 22, 2004 · Theatrical
May 25, 2004 · Physical · DVD
April 6, 2010 · Physical · Blu-ray
April 29, 2021 · Limited theatrical · Re-release
Singapore
December 18, 2003 · Theatrical
Slovakia
January 15, 2004 · Theatrical
November 18, 2006 · TV · Markíza
March 16, 2021 · Digital · HBO GO
Slovenia
January 8, 2004 · Theatrical
South Africa
December 19, 2003 · Theatrical
South Korea
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
January 21, 2026 · Limited theatrical · 메가박스 돌비 단독 재개봉
Spain
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
Sweden
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
May 25, 2004 · Physical · DVD
April 7, 2010 · Physical · Blu-ray
Switzerland
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
Taiwan
December 18, 2003 · Theatrical
Thailand
December 19, 2003 · Theatrical
July 13, 2023 · Limited theatrical · 1-Week Re-Release
Türkiye
December 19, 2003 · Theatrical
Ukraine
January 22, 2004 · Theatrical
United Arab Emirates
December 26, 2003 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
December 11, 2003 · Premiere · London
December 17, 2003 · Theatrical
May 15, 2004 · Physical · DVD / VHS
April 6, 2010 · Physical · Blu-ray
November 30, 2020 · Physical · Theatrical & Extended Editions (4k Ultra HD Blu-ray)
Uruguay
December 26, 2003 · Theatrical
Venezuela
December 25, 2003 · Theatrical
Vietnam
November 29, 2023 · Theatrical
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