Are The Lord of the Rings Movies on Netflix Extended?

You would like to watch Lord of the Rings movies on Netflix but are not sure if they are theatrical or extended versions. Interestingly, and irritatingly, it is not as easy to answer as you would think.

The first movie, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a theatrical version, while The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King are extended versions.

What’s more interesting, even that is not correct for all Netflix countries, but it is for the US and Canada at least (that’s where we checked). Unfortunately, movie rights are not easy to acquire, even for Netflix, so even if Lord of the Rings movies are currently showing on Netflix, in these versions, that doesn’t need to be the case tomorrow. If you want to watch them all in extended versions, including The Hobbit trilogy, we have a link to the Amazon BluRay collection here.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy Runtime

We will tell you about Lord of the Rings trilogy runtime so you can check if versions you see on Netflix are theatrical or extended. As we said above, things are changing with movie rights, so our answer above maybe won’t be correct all the time. But these Lord of the Rings trilogy movie runtimes will.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Theatrical version runtime: 178 minutes

Extended version runtime: 208 minutes

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Theatrical version runtime: 179 minutes

Extended version runtime: 226 minutes

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Theatrical version runtime: 201 minutes

Extended version runtime: 252 minutes

Differences between Lord of the Rings trilogy theatrical and extended versions

The Lord of the Rings Extended Edition is a version of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Film Trilogy. These versions have new editing, adds special effects and music, and also more scenes and content in the movies.

• The Fellowship of the Ring contains 30 minutes of additional footage, in a green sleeve. It contains an Alan Lee painting of the Fellowship entering Moria, and the Moria Gate on the back of the sleeve.
• The Two Towers contains 42 minutes of additional footage, in a red sleeve. It contains an Alan Lee painting of Gandalf’s Return, and a Rohirrim Sun Symbol on the back of the sleeve.
• The Return of the King contains 50 minutes of additional footage, in a blue sleeve. It contains an Alan Lee painting of the Grey Havens, and the White Tree of Gondor on the back of the sleeve.

In the Extended Edition, we see many scenes that don’t appear in the Theatrical Edition. These are those Scenes:

The Fellowship of the Ring

• Prologue: One Ring to Rule them All… (Extended)
• Concerning Hobbits (Added)
• The Shire (Extended)
• Very Old Friends (Extended)
• A Long-expected Party (Extended)
• At the Green Dragon (Added)
• The Passing of the Elves (Added)
• The Nazgul (Extended)
• The Midgewater Marshes (Added)
• Flight to the Ford (Extended)
• The Sword That Was Broken (Extended)
• The Council of Elrond (Extended)
• Gilraen’s Memorial (Added)
• The Departure of the Fellowship (Added)
• The Ring Goes South (Extended)
• The Pass of Caradhras (Extended)
• Moria (Extended)
• A Journey in the Dark (Extended)
• Balin’s Tomb (Extended)
• Lothlorien (Extended)
• Caras Galadhon (Extended)
• The Mirror of Galadriel (Extended)
• Farewell to Lorien (Extended)
• The Great River (Extended)
• The Breaking of the Fellowship (Extended)
• Boromir’s Last Stand (Extended)
• The Departure of Boromir (Extended)

The Two Towers

• Elven Rope (Added)
• The Taming of Smeagol (Extended)
• The Uruk-hai (Extended)
• The Burning of the Westfold (Extended)
• Massacre at the Fords of Isen (Added)
• The Banishment of Eomer (Extended)
• Night Camp at Fangorn (Extended)
• The Passage of the Marshes (Extended)
• The White Rider (Extended)
• The Song of the Entwives (Added)
• The Heir of Numenor (Added)
• Ent Draft (Added)
• The King of the Golden Hall (Extended)
• The Funeral of Theodred (Added)
• Brego (Added)
• The Ring of Barahir (Added)
• A Daughter of Kings (Extended)
• Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit (Extended)
• Dwarf Women (Extended)
• One of the Dunedain (Added)
• The Evenstar (Extended)
• Helm’s Deep (Extended)
• The Window on the West (Extended)
• Sons of the Steward (Added)
• The Forbidden Pool (Extended)
• The Glittering Caves (Extended)
• “Don’t Be Hasty Master Meriadoc!” (Added)
• Last March of the Ents (Extended)
• Fangorn Comes to Helm’s Deep (Added)
• The Final Tally (Added)
• Flotsam and Jetsam (Added)
• Farewell to Faramir (Added)

The Return of the King

• The Finding of the Ring (Extended)
• The Road to Isengard (Extended)
• The Voice of Saruman (Added)
• Return to Edoras (Extended)
• Eowyn’s Dream (Added)
• Minas Tirith (Extended)
• The Decline of Gondor (Added)
• Cross-roads of the Fallen King (Added)
• The Deep Breath Before the Plunge
• Sam’s Warning (Added)
• Osgiliath Invaded
• Theoden’s Decision
• The Wizard’s Pupil
• Peregrin of the Tower Guard
• The Sacrifice of Faramir
• Marshaling at Dunharrow
• The Haunted Mountain
• The Paths of the Dead (Extended)
• The Siege of Gondor
• The Corsairs of Umbar (Added)
• Merry’s Simple Courage (Added)
• The Tomb of the Stewards (Extended)
• The Witch-King’s Hour (Added)
• The Pyre of Denethor (Extended)
• The Battle of the Pelennor Fields
• The Houses of Healing (Added)
• Pippin Looks After Merry
• The Tower of Cirith Ungol
• The Last Debate (Extended)
• Aragorn Masters the Palantir (Added)
• The Captain and The White Lady
• In the Company of Orcs
• The Land of Shadow
• The Mouth of Sauron (Added)
• Mount Doom (Extended)

Is The Hobbit trilogy on Netflix?

Unfortunately, The Hobbit trilogy is not on Netflix.

What does the future hold for The Lord of the Rings trilogy on Netflix?

For now, I think they will stick on Netflix, but for how long, it is hard to tell. I think it will be somewhere till Amazon’s Lord of the Rings TV show finishes production and starts preparing for streaming. Amazon will probably take exclusive rights for movies as well. But, we will see.

Liked this article? Join us on Reddit for the latest Marvel & DC news!