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January 13, 2026 | 9:37am
The four hobbits in "The Lord of the Rings"
STAR / file
MANILA, Philippines — Fantasy epic "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" will screen in select Philippine cinemas this month to mark the film's 25th anniversary since its initial release.
Warner Bros., which now owns the franchise's original distributor New Line Cinema, previously announced that all "Lord of the Rings" movies would hit theaters this January 2026.
The Philippines' largest cinema chain SM Cinemas confirmed that the extended edition of "Fellowship" — the first film in the trilogy — will screen exclusively in their theaters from January 23 to 25.
"Experience the extended journey, the unforgettable characters, and the epic that shaped a generation of fantasy fans," teased the cinema chain on social media.
The theatrical release of "Fellowship" is 178 minutes, whereas the extended version has an additional 30 minutes of footage, sure to excite fans of all ages.
The franchise is based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien set in the fictional land Middle-earth where the Dark Lord Sauron seeks to return to power by reclaiming his One Ring.
"Fellowship" details the beginning of the journey to destroy the Ring, now in the hands of hobbit Frodo Baggins, from the quietness of the Shire to the fires of Mount Doom in Mordor.
During its original run, "Fellowship" earned $887.8 million (P52.6 billion) at the box office against a budget of $93 million (P5.51 billion), receiving acclaim from both audiences and critics for its faithfulness to Tolkien's story and as a landmark in filmmaking.
It earned 13 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning four categories, and was followed by sequels "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King" in subsequent years (although all films were shot at the same time).
