The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King poster

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Ride or Die Struggles in semis, clutch in finals
2003 · Adventure, Fantasy, Action · Peter Jackson

Underestimate The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in a final at your own risk. At 52% overall the numbers suggest mediocrity — until you isolate the last round. Eleven Oscars and the emotional payoff of a decade-defining trilogy give it a sense of culmination no standalone film can manufacture. The question voters face is whether earned catharsis outweighs the bloat that comes with it. 0.8s per vote. That's not a decision — it's a reflex. Voters see the matchup and act without thinking.

Synopsis

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.​

Round 1
64.6%
31/48
Semifinals
29%
The ceiling
Finals
66.7%
Where it thrives

The semifinals at 29% are where casual support gets tested — and mostly fails. But the final at 67% is a different story: the voters still choosing The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at that stage are the ones who mean it.

Against Justice League Dark: Apokolips War, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wins only 0%. Some matchups simply don't go your way. The Godfather causes similar problems at 30%.

Near the top of Peter Jackson's 3-film lineup on BingeBracket. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring at 61% is the benchmark; The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at #2 isn't far behind.

BingeBracket Record
52%
Win Rate
#17 of 41 in Adventure #15 of 41 from the 2000s #2 of 3 Peter Jackson films
Scores based on real fan votes in head-to-head brackets. 50% = wins as often as it loses — perfectly average.
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About These Rankings

BingeBracket ranks films through head-to-head matchups in 8-film brackets — no star ratings, no reviews, just direct comparison. Browse tournaments, try Discovery mode, or explore the leaderboards. You can also .