The Lord of the RingsandStar Warsare two of the biggest movie franchises of all time, absolute juggernauts in the fantasy action space, making the next two years extremely exciting when it comes to comparing them.Lord of the RingsandStar Warswill face off at the box officefor the first time in December 2027, when they are both currently scheduled to have a movie hitting theaters.The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumwill see franchise icon Andy Serkis returning to the lead role, as well as stepping into the role of director.
As the title suggests,The Hunt for Gollumis expected to be about Gollum being pursued by Gandalf and Aragorn during the rough timeline ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, when Gandalf worried that Gollum could divulge information about the One Ring to Sauron. On the other hand,Star Wars'2027 movie is not yet confirmed, but there are severalupcomingStar Warsmoviesthat could take this slot. Ultimately,Star Warsis on shakier footing at this point, andLord of the Ringsis likely to win the future box office racefor several reasons.
5The Hunt For Gollum Is Bringing Back Major LOTR Actors
The Star Wars Legacy Actors Are Probably Done
In addition to Andy Serkis,there is widespread speculation about whatLord of the Ringsactors could return forThe Hunt for Gollum,namely Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn. Given how long it has been since fans saw these actors playing these characters, especially Mortensen, this will be a huge box office draw. Unfortunately, none of the possibleStar Warscontenders have anyone to match this.
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Shawn Levy’sStar Warsprojectmay have Ryan Gosling attached to it, whileDaisy Ridley’sNew Jedi Ordermoviehas her returning, but neither of these projects is likely to feature the likes of Harrison Ford — Han, Luke, and Leia’s part in the story is largely over. While there will certainly be more A-list actors in the various newStar Warsmovies, they don’t carry the same mythos or fandom appeal as the stars of the original trilogy.
4Star Wars Will Have A Hard Time Coming Back From Rise Of Skywalker
Star Wars' Last Major Release Was A Huge Disappointment
Lord of the Rings’only real flop isThe War of the Rohirrim, which took some big risks that alienated some audiences. On the other hand,Solo: A Star Wars Storywas the firstStar Warsmovie to lose money, whileStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalkerresulted in widespread fandom disappointment with the story.After such a disastrous finale to the Skywalker Saga,Star Warshas its work cut out for it to regain goodwill with moviegoers.2026’sThe Mandalorian & Grogucould repair some of the damage, but may have to be an impossible, unprecedented masterpiece to truly turn things around.
3The Hunt For Gollum Is Working With A Better Premise
Delving Into The Psyche Of Gollum Sounds Fascinating
Especially if theNew Jedi Ordermovie ends up with the 2027 release date,Star Warsruns the risk of delivering another movie that is too similar to what has been seen before.Star Warsloves its hero’s journeys, and may end up with another rehashed plot, or more exploration of the Skywalker Saga timeline, which has been pushed to the breaking point.
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However,Lord of the Ringshasn’t looked too closely at things happening off-screen during the timeline of the original trilogy, and Gollum is a promising story. WhileAndy Serkis' performance in the movies reveals much when it comes to Gollum’s complicated psyche,the premise of a movie focusing on him blended with a game of cat and mouse with another legacy character could be even more chilling.
2Star Wars' Oversaturation Problem Is Worse That LOTR
There Are Several Star Wars Movies In The Works
Getting the most out of franchises that are known to be profitable at the expense of the story is a common problem in Hollywood these days. However,Lord of the Rings’projects are still fairly spread out, and somewhat separate from each other. Meanwhile,Star Warshas inundated us with movies and TV shows since Disney acquired the franchise;they have at least four movies that are probably coming out in the 2026 to 2030 range. Overall,The Hunt for Gollumis far less likely to feel like another bland sequel-prequel-spinoff made only to make money.
Lord of the Ringsis already building up hype forThe Hunt for Gollumwith specificity. We know that it will be a movie about Gollum, possibly featuring Aragorn and/or Gandalf, directed by and starring Andy Serkis. All are very exciting elements.Star Warshas booked the 2027 because it knows it will have something, but can barely tell moviegoers what that is yet,banking on theStar Warsbanner alone to get people invested early.
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And this, given the varying quality ofStar Wars’releases in recent years, isn’t enough anymore.Lord of the Ringsknows exactly what it is doing, and can continue to drop tidbits for the next two years for the most effective marketing possible for a promising new adventure.
