New Lord of the Rings anime movie looks to be joining The Joker 2 in fastest theatrical run of 2024, as the film heads to digital just two weeks after it hit theaters.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which opened on December 13, will be available on participating digital platforms including Amazon Prime Video on December 27 (H/T Deadline), just 14 days after it hit the big screen.
However, it is important to note that just because the movie is heading to digital, doesn't mean it will stop playing at movie theatres completely. Similarly, Red One hit Prime Video this month, but continues to show theatrically.
Set 183 years before the events of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, The War of Rohirrim follows Héra, the daughter of the King of Rohan Helm Hammerhand, as she attempts to save her kingdom from the dark Dunlending lord. The film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama and stars voice actors Gaia Wise, Brian Cox, and The Lord of The Rings’ Miranda Otto.
The anime flick has so far stirred up $15.3 million at the worldwide box office, compared to the film’s estimated budget of $30 million. That sum seems pretty small when compared the $6 billion raised by the six Lord of the Rings live action movie series, starting with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and ending with The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.
However, more live action adventure awaits as two new Lord of the Rings movies are on the way from Warner Brothers. The first, titled The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, welcomes back Smeagol star Andy Serkis who will both lead and direct the movie, while Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens pen the script. The Gollum flick is estimated to release in 2026.
As for The War of Rohirrim, the good news is that the digital version includes a bunch of special content; Return to Helm’s Deep: History Becomes Legend, Middle-earth and Anime: A Marriage of Creativity, and Héra: A New Hero for Middle-earth.
For more, see our The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim review, or keep up with upcoming movies.