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How long does it take to watch the Lord of the Rings films?

How long to watch the Lord of the Rings films
about 9 hours 18 minutes
3 films, theatrical cuts

The three Lord of the Rings films in their theatrical cuts run 9 hours 18 minutes — a single very long day. The extended editions add nearly three hours, taking the trilogy to 12 hours 6 minutes, and are widely regarded as the definitive versions despite never being shown in cinemas. The Return of the King runs 201 minutes theatrically and 263 extended, making the added material longer than many complete films. Reading the books takes about three times as long as watching the extended trilogy.

The numbers

Total
9 hours 18 minutes
In hours
9.3 hours
Non-stop
0.4 days without sleeping
Covers
3 films, theatrical cuts
At a realistic pace
a film a night
That works out as
about 3 days

What this assumes

Theatrical cuts: Fellowship 178, Two Towers 179, Return of the King 201 minutes.

Other films

What How long
The Marvel Cinematic Universe about 83 hours
The Infinity Saga about 50 hours
The Star Wars Skywalker saga about 20 hours 26 minutes
Every Star Wars film about 27 hours 7 minutes
The Lord of the Rings extended editions about 12 hours 6 minutes
All six Middle-earth films about 17 hours 12 minutes
The Harry Potter films about 19 hours 39 minutes
The James Bond films about 53 hours 28 minutes
Every Pixar film about 52 hours
Every Studio Ghibli film about 39 hours 30 minutes
The DC Extended Universe about 33 hours 15 minutes
The Fast & Furious films about 20 hours 42 minutes
The Jurassic Park films about 14 hours 40 minutes
The Indiana Jones films about 10 hours 35 minutes
The Mission: Impossible films about 18 hours 24 minutes
The Matrix films about 9 hours 11 minutes

Common questions

How long does it take to watch the Lord of the Rings films?
about 9 hours 18 minutes — 3 films, theatrical cuts.
What does that assume?
Theatrical cuts: Fellowship 178, Two Towers 179, Return of the King 201 minutes.
How long at a realistic pace?
a film a night — about 3 days.

Related pages

Sources

  1. Calculated on this page — At One Place

How these figures are compiled and checked