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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11The 2026 anniversary screenings of The Lord of the Rings brought in $10.5 million worldwide during their opening frame, according to event distributor Fathom Entertainment. That is a positive sign that audiences will still turn out for Middle-earth on the big screen, but it is not a box-office forecast for the new film The Hunt for Gollum.
What the 2026 re-release earned
Fathom Entertainment reported $10.5 million worldwide for the opening frame of its 2026 extended-edition theatrical event, comprising $9 million domestic and $1.5 million offshore. Fathom’s report gives the individual film totals as $3.85 million for The Fellowship of the Ring, $2.64 million for The Two Towers, and $2.5 million for The Return of the King. Fathom’s event report describes the engagement and its reported gross.
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Fathom’s headline rounded the worldwide figure to $11 million; its article body supplies the more precise $10.5 million breakdown. The event was a limited anniversary engagement, not the opening of a new film: screenings of the extended editions were scheduled for January 16–18 and January 23–25, 2026, with D-BOX presentations at select theaters on the first weekend. Fathom also said exhibitors added dates, locations, and marathons in response to fan demand.
How it compares with the 2024 event
Fathom cited $8.2 million in domestic gross for the 2024 theatrical re-release, accumulated over three weekends. That is not a like-for-like comparison with the 2026 event’s $10.5 million worldwide opening-frame total: the territory and reporting window differ. The figures show interest in both engagements, but they do not establish a year-over-year increase on equivalent terms.
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For another measure, Box Office Mojo lists the 2026 re-release at about $5.94 million domestic for Fellowship, $4.09 million for Two Towers, and $3.97 million for Return of the King, or about $14 million combined. Those are cumulative domestic database listings, not Fathom’s worldwide opening-frame figure. Box Office Mojo’s listings therefore provide a different measure rather than a direct contradiction.
Why the result is encouraging for The Hunt for Gollum
The event offers a credible, modestly positive signal: the franchise can still attract theatrical audiences for special screenings, and exhibitors reported enough fan interest to add showings and locations. That suggests continued awareness and engagement with Middle-earth—useful context for a forthcoming film.
It does not show how many people will buy tickets for a new story. A limited event built around familiar, celebrated films has different circumstances from a wide release, which will depend on its marketing, competition, ticket prices, reviews, and audience response. Fathom’s report and the studio’s schedule announcement do not provide a forecast model, presales, or a budget that would support a numerical prediction. Gross revenue also is not the same as profit.
The Hunt for Gollum’s current release schedule
The project’s schedule has changed since its announcement. On May 10, 2024, Embracer Group said the first of two planned films—then identified by the working title The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum—was set for theatrical release in 2026. The announcement named Andy Serkis as director and star, screenwriters Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou, and producers Peter Jackson, Walsh, and Boyens. Embracer’s announcement records that original target.
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Warner Bros. Discovery later placed the film in its 2027 slate in its August 6, 2026, second-quarter shareholder letter. Fathom’s event report lists December 17, 2027, as the planned release date. Use that date as the current stated schedule, not the superseded 2026 target. Warner Bros. Discovery’s shareholder letter confirms the 2027 slate placement; Fathom’s report supplies the specific date.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the figures can—and cannot—tell moviegoers
- They show event demand: Fathom reported a substantial opening-frame gross and said exhibitors expanded the event in response to fan demand.
- They do not show a forecast: no source cited here translates the re-release result into expected opening-weekend or worldwide earnings for The Hunt for Gollum.
- They do not establish profitability: the reported box-office gross does not disclose the event’s costs or net returns.
- They are not a broad market signal: Warner Bros. Discovery’s August 2026 letter said some studio titles’ global box-office performance in the first half of 2026 fell short of expectations, so the re-release should not be treated as proof that the overall market was uniformly strong.
Fathom has described the six-film Peter Jackson series as having more than $6 billion in global box office and 17 Academy Awards. Embracer separately described the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies together as nearing $6 billion. Those are different scopes and organizational claims; they should not be combined into a single figure.
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