The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

2001 | 179 min | Adventure, Fantasy, Action

Friday Night Flick

Why it’s a Friday Night Flick

Critics loved it (91%), audiences adore it (8.4/10), it won 4 Oscars and it made about 9 times its budget. Make plans for this one.

Our take: The start of a landmark fantasy trilogy, shot on location in New Zealand. Proved fantasy could be prestige filmmaking.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Have you seen it?

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.

How it earned its rating

CriticsVery strong
91% on Rotten Tomatoes, 92 on Metacritic
AudiencesVery strong
8.4/10 from 29K viewers
AwardsVery strong
6 wins, 10 other nominations — won Academy Award for Best Cinematography; won Academy Award for Best Visual Effects
Box office & staying powerVery strong
$871 million worldwide on a $93 million budget
Buzz & cultural impactStrong
Measured from current popularity