Peter Jackson’s cinematic portrayal of The Lord of the Rings is one of my favorite film series. Writing this in 2026, it’s staggering to think the trilogy began its release 25 years ago; yet, each time I watch it, I’m impressed by how well it stands up against modern films—it could have been released yesterday.

Seeing them in the cinema is an opportunity not to be missed. To my delight, whether for a milestone anniversary or just a bit of extra box-office profit, my local cinema chain has been screening the extended versions. One does not simply walk into a theater and find these masterpieces playing—so whenever they are on, I am there.

Here I keep a log of those times.

The Fellowship of The Ring

* For the 25th anniversary release, this screening included an approximately 8-minute-long introduction from Peter Jackson. He reflected on the negative press regarding the risk of filming all three movies at once and the fear of what would happen if the first failed. This led New Line Cinema to request a 20-minute preview in May 2001 (before the December release) to be shown at Cannes. They ended up using the Mines of Moria sequence because it had a natural beginning and end: the Fellowship entered the mines and then left them. He also shared a story from prior to filming the scenes in Balin’s Tomb: Viggo Mortensen had gotten a black eye while surfing, so he was only filmed from the left side.

The Two Towers

The Return of the King