It’s been more than two decades since the release of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, however, its legacy continues to create an everlasting impact on modern cinema. Directed by Peter Jackson, the trilogy consists of The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003). As a cherry on top, Vice recently released a documentary titled Icons Unearthed: The Lord of the Rings, that showcased the making of these three legendary movies.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy has received several accolades, however, their 17 Academy Award wins are perhaps their most impressive feat. The Fellowship of the Ring won it four times, The Two Towers, twice, and The Return of the King, a whopping eleven times. Only two other films apart from The Return of the King have won 11 Oscars: Titanic and Titanic. According to CBS News, Peter Jackson called this achievement “Unbelievable.”
He stated, “Incredible company to be in, isn’t it? Unbelievable. I would have never guessed. I thought with 11 nominations we would have won some awards but a clean sweep was out of the question. If I was actually doing something in the betting pool, I’d never bet for 11 awards. For sure, I would have lost.”
How much did The Lord of the Rings trilogy earn at the box office?
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the highest-grossing film series of all time, with close to $2.9 billion worldwide.
The Fellowship of the Ring was made with a budget of $93 million and made almost $884 million. The Two Towers, whose budget was $94 million, generated close to $950 million. Lastly, The Return of the King made $1.156 billion with a budget of $94 million.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy starred Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Andy Serkis, and several others.
