The Lord of the Rings Trilogy’s move to 4K UHD resolution is fittingly marvelous. Middle Earth’s sprawling fields, rolling hills, and scenic vistas come alive with the help of HDR and modern surround sound technology. All three films support Dolby Vision and HDR10, along with Dolby Atmos and Dolby TrueHD 7.1 surround sound, offering an immersive viewing experience for fans and newcomers alike.
If you haven’t watched the extended cuts, you’re in for a treat. The extended trilogy adds a full two hours to the theatrical versions, which is impressive considering the theatrical trilogy already eclipsed nine hours in theaters. Specifically, *The Fellowship of the Ring*’s extended cut is 30 minutes longer, *The Two Towers* is 44 minutes longer, and *The Return of the King* is 51 minutes longer. Notably, *The Return of the King*’s extended version is one of the rare movies that surpasses four hours in length.
This release comes as a 9-disc box set, with each film’s extended cut spread across two discs, while the theatrical cuts are contained on a single disc each.
### Runtime Details (Excluding Credits)
**The Lord of the Rings Theatrical Cuts**
– The Fellowship of the Ring: 2 hours 58 minutes
– The Two Towers: 2 hours 59 minutes
– The Return of the King: 3 hours 21 minutes
**Total runtime:** 9 hours 18 minutes
**The Lord of the Rings Extended Cuts**
– The Fellowship of the Ring: 3 hours 28 minutes
– The Two Towers: 3 hours 43 minutes
– The Return of the King: 4 hours 12 minutes
**Total runtime:** 11 hours 23 minutes
At $100, the Middle-earth 6-Film Collection currently costs about the same as purchasing the combined 4K Blu-ray editions of *The Lord of the Rings* Trilogy ($49.49) and *The Hobbit* Trilogy ($50). If you’re interested in both trilogies, the Middle-earth 6-Film Collection is the better value, as it includes everything from those sets plus 1080p Blu-ray and Movies Anywhere digital editions.
It’s worth noting that audio commentaries by Peter Jackson for all six extended cuts are exclusive to the standard Blu-ray and digital editions of both *LOTR* and *The Hobbit*, so these are not included in the 4K-only trilogy sets.
### What’s Included in the Middle-earth 6-Film Collection?
– 15 4K Blu-ray discs
– 15 1080p Blu-ray discs
– Digital codes to download/stream both trilogies
– Theatrical and extended cuts for all films in all formats
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### The Hobbit Trilogy in 4K
The *Hobbit* Trilogy in 4K supports the same impressive visual and audio enhancements as *The Lord of the Rings*: Dolby Vision / HDR10 and Dolby Atmos / Dolby TrueHD 7.1 surround sound. The extended cuts add roughly an hour to the total runtime.
**The Hobbit Theatrical Editions**
– An Unexpected Journey: 2 hours 49 minutes
– The Desolation of Smaug: 2 hours 41 minutes
– The Battle of the Five Armies: 2 hours 24 minutes
**Total runtime:** 7 hours 54 minutes
**The Hobbit Extended Editions**
– An Unexpected Journey: 3 hours 2 minutes
– The Desolation of Smaug: 3 hours 6 minutes
– The Battle of the Five Armies: 2 hours 44 minutes
**Total runtime:** 8 hours 52 minutes
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Overall, the 4K releases of *The Lord of the Rings* and *The Hobbit* trilogies deliver stunning picture quality and sound, making this the definitive way to experience Middle Earth at home. Whether you opt for the individual trilogy sets or the comprehensive 6-Film Collection, fans are sure to enjoy hours of immersive storytelling in breathtaking detail.
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy-the-hobbit-trilogy-4k-blu-ray-box-set-deals/1100-6529053/?ftag=CAD-01-10abi2f