Much to many fans’ surprise, War of the Rohirrim is dead on arrival, putting up measly numbers in its first week at the box office. The film had the lowest opening of any installment in the Lord of the Rings franchise and is on track to be a financial flop, even with its relatively low budget. This is a major shock for analysts, as a major franchise film failed to open in first (or even second) place at the box office in its opening weekend. Even more surprising, The War of the Rohirrim is the first Lord of the Rings movie to be released theatrically in a decade. This should be especially concerning for Warner Bros., which plans to release new Lord of the Rings spinoffs in the next few years. Why is the new Middle-earth movie flopping and what does it mean for the future of the Lord of the Rings?
The Lord of the Rings Tries Something New With The War of the Rohirrim
The War of the Rohirrim Is the First Anime Lord of the Rings Movie
War of the Rohirrim is an anime film set within the world of Middle-earth. This is the first project of its kind in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings franchise and an experiment of sorts to see where the films could go in the future. The experimental nature of The War of the Rohirrim could be to blame for the film’s defeat at the box office, with Lord of the Rings fans perhaps deciding that the anime medium isn’t right for this franchise. The movie also tells a relatively self-contained story that doesn’t connect to the larger storyline of the franchise and therefore could easily be skipped. While many fans who did see War of the Rohirrim have given it positive reviews, the film’s mixed critical reception could also be to blame for its underwhelming performance, with audiences deciding to spend their money on other films with a better chance of entertaining them.
One concerning theory circulating online is that the film flopped because it features a female protagonist. Hera Hammerhand is the star of War of the Rohirrim, marking the latest in a long line of film franchises to be criticized for putting a female in the lead of a movie. This, however, is an unlikely reason for the film’s failure circulating in unsavory corners of the internet that aren’t worth contesting against. It is unlikely that the film would have fared any better had Helm Hammerhand or one of his two sons been the main character. It may simply be that The War of the Rohirrim failed to capture the interest of general audiences and is now paying the price for its marketing failures.
The War of the Rohirrim Has Steep Competition
The War of the Rohirrim Goes Up Against Moana 2, Wicked, and More
Another major reason for The War of the Rohirrim‘s poor box office reception is that it is up against several financial juggernauts hitting theaters around the same time. Wicked has broken box office records over the last few weeks, becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of 2024. The film’s popularity has carried it through several weekends in the Box Office Top 5, making it competition even for films that came out a month later, like The War of the Rohirrim. Furthermore, Gladiator II is still proving to be popular with older audiences, who tend to come out to theaters later than the younger crowd. These audiences are still trickling into theaters to keep Gladiator II in the box office competition from week to week. The continued success of Moana 2 also leaves The War of the Rohirrim with heavy competition, proving to be a more popular animated film that is better suited for families.
Things are only going to get more difficult for The War of the Rohirrim. The film will now have to contest with Mufasa: The Lion King and Sonic the Hedgehog 3, both major franchise films that are expected to draw large audiences in their first few weeks. With the holiday movie season here, The War of the Rohirrim is likely to get lost in the tumult as other more popular movies take over.
What Does The War of the Rohirrim’s Failure Mean For Future Lord of the Rings Spinoffs?
Warner Bros. Was Testing the Waters With The War of the Rohirrim
The first Lord of the Rings film of its kind, The War of the Rohirrim tests the waters for the franchise to see how it can move forward with more spinoffs and standalone movies. The film’s financial failure could mean that Warner Bros. will not produce any more Lord of the Rings anime, instead focusing on live-action projects. While the producers behind The War of the Rohirrim seemed excited about the prospect of more animated Lord of the Rings movies, the studio may not want to risk another flop like its most recent release.
While there likely won’t be more anime, Lord of the Rings movies, the franchise is also looking to expand with more live-action spinoffs. The first of these films, The Hunt for Gollum, will prove to be a major turning point in the franchise. If it performs well, fans can expect to see many more live-action Lord of the Rings films. If it flops as The War of the Rohirrim did, The Lord of the Rings could become a dormant franchise once more, with no new films on the horizon.
The Lord of the Rings franchise is at a turning point as it looks to expand with more films set in Middle-earth. While the first spinoff was a failure for a variety of reasons, there is still hope that future films will perform better. However, audiences will have to wait until 2026 to find out the fate of Middle-earth.
