While The Lord of the Rings has been a staple of fantasy storytelling for over half a century now, it has just been over the last 25 years that the series has become a cinematic juggernaut. Six feature films based on the writing of J.R.R. Tolkien have been released over the previous 25 years, beginning with The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in 2001, and every single one has done incredible business at the box office. Two entries, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, grossed more than a billion dollars worldwide, while the other four have landed between $890 million and $960 million. With astronomical success like that, its no wonder why theres so much desire to continue expanding the franchise on-screen.