New Lord of the Rings Movie Becomes Third Franchise Film to Achieve Rotten Status on Rotten Tomatoes

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim faces challenges at the box office and critical reception, as indicated by its current ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. This animated feature, designed in a traditional Japanese anime style, is set 183 years prior to Frodo Baggins’ adventures, during an intense conflict involving Helm Hammerhand (voiced by Brian Cox) and the Dunlendings. The film also showcases Gaia Wise as Héra, Luke Pasqualino as Wulf, and features Miranda Otto lending her voice to the narrator, Éowyn.

Rohirrim’s Mixed Reception

Despite the film’s potential as a major release in the Lord of the Rings universe, it has divided audiences and critics alike. Currently, it holds a Rotten Tomatometer score of 52%, which places it alongside 1978’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) as one of the only three films in the franchise to achieve such a score. Among professional critics, the reception is even more critical, with a disheartening score of just 35%. However, audience reactions tell a different story, granting it an impressive 85% on the Popcornmeter.

Box Office Predictions and Challenges

The financial outlook for War of the Rohirrim does not appear optimistic. Initial forecasts suggest it may gross less than $10 million during its opening weekend despite a production budget of $30 million. If these predictions hold true, it would mark a significant decline, positioning it as the lowest-grossing installment in the entire franchise. For context, the 1978 film ultimately garnered approximately $30 million at the box office—equivalent to around $151 million today.

The film also received a B rating on CinemaScore, the lowest for any recent Lord of the Rings adaptation:

A lack of enthusiastic reviews is likely to hinder the movie’s box office performance. Critics have noted that the storyline feels clichéd, the animation style does not mesh well with the narrative, and many perceive it as a cash grab—a sentiment echoed by various reviews. An exception comes from Screen Rant’s Alex Harrison, who rated the film a solid 7 out of 10 stars and stated:

The War of the Rohirrim is a film I would happily go back to. If Warner Bros. is to continue milking this property for all it’s worth, as they undoubtedly will, I hope they continue to take this approach, ideally with less of a mandate for callbacks. It would be nice to see more animators get the chance to filter this and other franchises through their imaginations.

Conclusions on War of the Rohirrim

The lack of expectation surrounding this movie’s success is disheartening but not entirely unexpected. The distinct animation style fails to align with the acclaimed aesthetics of Peter Jackson’s previous adaptations. Although the marketing tried to anchor its identity to Jackson’s work by referencing older films, for many, this only highlighted the disparities. Moreover, with the recent conclusion of The Rings of Power season 2, audiences may feel saturation from the abundance of Lord of the Rings content, making it difficult for War of the Rohirrim to make a lasting impression.

For further insights and reviews, visit Rotten Tomatoes.

Source: Screen Rant

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