The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim set a surprising box office record and a worrying trend continues for the future of the franchise. War of the Rohirrim It's Warner Bros.' first SDA film will hit theaters from The Hobbit conclusion of the trilogy a decade ago. The film adapts characters and events briefly mentioned in JRR Tolkien's appendices, and does so in animated form. Such elements make it a risky venture, and this is evident The War of the RohirrimThe mixed reception and underwhelming opening weekend.
The War of the Rohirrim set a new box office record for the Peter Jackson universewith its opening weekend grossing around $5 million (via Deadline). This is the lowest opening since The Fellowship of the Ring debuted in 2001, accumulating US$47.2 million. Given The War of the Rohirrimbudget of US$30 million, its performance does not look good for The Lord of the Rings franchise. This continues a disappointing trend recorded recently SDA stories – one that doesn't bode well for the future, even if it's 2026 Hunt for Gollum film is successful.
War of the Rohirrim Box Office Box Office Continues Worrying Trend for LOTR After Rings of Power
The animated film and Amazon series are seeing disappointing returns
The War of the Rohirrim a worrying trend continues for The Lord of the Ringsas isn't the only recent Tolkien adaptation to underperform. The Rings of Power Season 2 is a separate entity from Warner Bros. film franchise, but as it is still an adaptation of Tolkien's works, it features many overlaps in its characters and lore. AND The Rings of Power season 2 saw viewing figures decline in 2024, even though it passed a huge milestone by becoming one of Amazon's top five original shows.
This means that both years SDA projects produced suboptimal results. And while Amazon Rings of Power the plans have no influence on Warner Bros. future of the film – and vice versa – it's important to note that both the show and the animated film tread new territory. Both adapt parts of Tolkien's legendarium that are not complete stories in the style The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This requires such projects to put their own spin on Tolkien's writings and add original content, and their results suggest that some fans aren't thrilled with how they've handled it.
If the hunt for Gollum is successful, it could confirm a harsh truth about the future of The Lord of the Rings
This could lead to Warner Bros. seeking proven stories over more original stories
With any luck, The Hunt for Gollum will schedule a return to The Lord of the Rings franchise after The War of the Rohirrimdisappointing box office performance. However, if the 2026 film is a success, it could confirm a harsh reality about the future of the franchise. The Hunt for Gollum happens during The Fellowship of the Ring, and I could see several SDA returning cast members.
If a film steeped in so much nostalgia succeeds when most original narratives fail, Warner Bros. You can draw the wrong lesson from this.
If a film steeped in so much nostalgia succeeds when most original narratives fail, Warner Bros. You can draw the wrong lesson from this. This could determine whether the future of the franchise after The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim embraces new versions of Tolkien's legendary. Instead, it could decide to repeat the same narratives over and over again, something many other big IPs already do in hopes of replicating the same success.