The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

This article is about the 2001 film. For the book by Tolkien, see The Fellowship of the Ring. For other uses, see The Fellowship of the Ring (disambiguation).

The Lord of the Rings:
The Fellowship of the Ring
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPeter Jackson
Screenplay by
Based onThe Fellowship of the Ring
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAndrew Lesnie
Edited byJohn Gilbert
Music byHoward Shore
Production
companies
Distributed byNew Line Cinema[1]
Release dates
  • 10 December 2001 (2001-12-10) (Odeon Leicester Square)
  • 19 December 2001 (2001-12-19) (United States)
  • 20 December 2001 (2001-12-20) (New Zealand)
Running time
178 minutes[2]
Countries
  • New Zealand[1]
  • United States[1]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$93 million[3]
Box office$887.4 million[4]

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is a 2001 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Jackson, based on 1954's The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of the novel The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. The film is the first instalment in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It features an ensemble cast including Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, John Rhys-Davies, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Sean Bean, Ian Holm, and Andy Serkis.

Set in Middle-earth, the story tells of the Dark Lord Sauron, who seeks the One Ring, which contains part of his might, to return to power. The Ring has found its way to the young hobbit Frodo Baggins. The fate of Middle-earth hangs in the balance as Frodo and eight companions (who form the Company of the Ring) begin their perilous journey to Mount Doom in the land of Mordor, the only place where the Ring can be destroyed. The Fellowship of the Ring was financed and distributed by American studio New Line Cinema, but filmed and edited entirely in Jackson's native New Zealand, concurrently with the other two parts of the trilogy.

It was premiered on 10 December 2001 at the Odeon Leicester Square in London and released on 19 December in the United States and on 20 December in New Zealand. The film was acclaimed by critics and fans alike, who considered it a landmark in filmmaking and an achievement in the fantasy film genre. It received praise for its visual effects, performances, Jackson's direction, screenplay, musical score, and faithfulness to the source material. It grossed over $868 million worldwide during its original theatrical run, making it the second-highest-grossing film of 2001 and the fifth- highest-grossing film of all time at the time of its release.[5] Following subsequent reissues, it has grossed over $887 million.[4] Like its successors, The Fellowship of the Ring is widely recognised as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made. The film received numerous accolades; at the 74th Academy Awards, it was nominated for thirteen awards, including Best Picture, winning for Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects.

In 2007, the American Film Institute named it one of the 100 greatest American films in history, being both the most recent film and the only film released in the 21st century to make it to the list. In 2021, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[6] Two sequels, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, followed in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

  1. ^ a b c d e "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  2. ^ "The Lord Of The Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 7 September 2022. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference BOM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  5. ^ "2001 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
  6. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (14 December 2021). "National Film Registry Adds Return Of The Jedi, Fellowship Of The Ring, Strangers On A Train, Sounder, WALL-E & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2021.