By Physical media might slowly be dying, but that’s not stopping studios from attempting to spur sales. In a video posted on Lord of the Rings fansite TheOneRing, none other than Sean Astin revealed that Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema will be releasing a 4K UHD Blu-Ray collection of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Ring trilogies on December 1, 2020. It will be include both the Theatrical and Extended cuts of each film.
As spotted by Comicbook before getting removed, Best Buy is prepping an absolutely amazing looking steelbook set for Lord of the Rings. There’s likely a similar collection for The Hobbit, but the listings have been removed prior to their official unveiling. If you happen to want all six films in one collection, then an “Ultimate Collectors’ Edition” will be available in 2021 with extra bonus features and everything in one package.
Over on Amazon, two different sets will be available for purchase. The standard version will set you back $90 and simply includes all three films in a basic package. The more luxruious “Giftset” edition will come housed in a tome shaped box that includes “The One Ring” and is going for $140. Both of those are a bit pricey for films in 2020, but I suppose diehards won’t mind.
If you’re not convinced that 4K will ever become that big, then a remastered 1080p Blu-Ray set will also be releasing this fall. According to Astin in the above video, director Peter Jackson personally oversaw the restoration done for this 4K remaster. It should prove to be the definitive way to watch these films at home unless you happen to get the original film reels.
