The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimreaches another record box office low for Peter Jackson’s universe in its second weekend. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the new animated movie takes place 183 years prior to Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy and chronicles the tale of Helm Hammerhand, a legendary king of Rohan, and his family as they fight to protect their kingdom from an invading Dunlending army.Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim’s voice castincludes Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, Luke Pasqualino, and Miranda Otto.
Now, during its second weekend in theaters, the newLord of the Ringsmovie has reached another record box office low for Jackson’s universe. PerBox Office Mojo,The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimsuffered the worst second-weekend drop of the franchisewith 72.1%. Previously, the worst second-weekend drop wasThe Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaugwith 57.2%.
What LOTR: War Of The Rohirrim’s Second-Weekend Drop Means For The Movie
Audiences Aren’t Loving The Animated Movie
Ahead of its theatrical release on December 13,The War of the Rohirrimdebuted on Rotten Tomatoes with a score in the 40% range, ranking behind both Peter Jackson’sLord of the RingsandHobbittrilogies. Jackson’s original trilogy remains the standard-bearer for epic fantasy adaptations, though his subsequentHobbittrilogy was widely seen as a step down in quality.The War of the Rohirrim’s reviewsare even worse, criticizing itsformulaic characters and inconsistent animationwhich feel like a middling effort more than a true Middle-earth experience.
10 Reasons The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim’s Reviews Are So Mixed
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is receiving mixed reviews, with critics divided over its pacing, characters, animation, and story.
The War of the Rohirrimhas also seen some of the franchise’s worst box office results.The animated movie made around $5 million in its opening weekend, the franchise’s lowest and a significant drop compared to Jackson’s original trilogy, which rank among the highest-grossing movies of all time. Now, by suffering its worst second-weekend drop at the box office,The War of the Rohirrimis continuing to set record lows for theLord of the Ringsfranchise.
Our Take On War Of The Rohirrim’s Record Low Box Office
There Isn’t An Appetite For Animated LOTR Movies
The War of the Rohirrim’s record-low box office results demonstrate howthere isn’t an appetite among audiences for animatedLord of the Ringsmovies. While the new installment attempts to explore a lesser-known chapter of Middle-earth’s history and is still technically set in Jackson’s universe, its critical reception and poor box office results suggest that audiences prefer live-action storytelling to anime in this universe. Hopefully, with the upcoming live-actionHunt for Gollummovie, theLord of the Ringsfranchise can restore its former glory and captivate audiences once again.
The Hunt For Gollummovie is expected to be released in 2026.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Cast
Set before the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated action-adventure fantasy film that follows a King of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand. When his home comes under siege by Dunlendings, Hammerhand prepares himself and his allies to fight back against them, with the war leading to the eventual establishment of Helm’s Deep.
