The Disappointing Reason 'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' Actually Exists

The expansion of a beloved franchise is always exciting, and the new film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a great example. Though narratively and visually distinct from both The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, The War of the Rohirrim returns fans to Middle-earth as brought to life by Peter Jackson for the first time in a decade. This exploration of the history of Rohan is interesting but vastly separated from the central story in the world, making it an odd choice to relaunch a franchise lacking in new content. Yet, there is a reason, just not a great one.

The War of the Rohirrim comes at a complicated time for the fans when there are multiple interpretations of the world. In addition to the film universe, there is a completely separate Middle-earth in Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. With this and Zaentz Co. recently selling the rights to Embracer Group, the legal requirements are a large part of the decision to release The War of the Rohirrim. While the anime film hasn't gotten the reception or attention that any new film in a popular franchise hopes for, that may not matter because the point of the film was for Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema to retain the rights to the story so they can continue to develop the world.

'The War of the Rohirrim' Was Released to Keep the Film Rights

Rather than reopening the franchise with its biggest, most dramatic story, Warner Bros. fast-tracked The War of the Rohirrim for legal reasons. For a while, Zaentz Co. and Warner Bros. went through mediation about whether the film franchise was meeting its requirements. The exact deal Warner Bros. has is unclear, but it has already been a decade since they released The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Warner Bros. had to renew its claim by releasing new content to compete with other parties interested in the rights to adaption (namely Prime Video, who has worked to draw in fans of the film for their own series). After Zaentz Co. sold their rights to Embracer Group, the new rights holders reached a multiyear deal with Warner Bros., and The War of the Rohirrim seems to be part of it, as does the development of new Lord of the Rings films. But the upcoming live-action films in the works will be years before they can make it to theaters, and The War of the Rohirrim was able to buy time for those to happen.

What Does That Mean for 'The War of the Rohirrim'?

As the franchise's first animated film and a more removed story, The War of the Rohirrim is unlike the ones that came before. Centering on an ancient king of Rohan and his daughter Héra (Gaia Wise), in particular, it maintains a connection to the story without going overboard, but it hasn't been a rousing success. The reviews are mixed, and the box-office numbers have been disappointing, so far, especially for a franchise that has, in the past, been a rousing success. However, The War of the Rohirrim was a calculated risk for the studio. With a budget that is a fraction of its predecessor, the anime requires much less attention to recoup the investment and ultimately buys time for other films in the series.

The success of The War of the Rohirrim is more about where the franchise goes. If the upcoming The Hunt for Gollum and the other film reportedly in development are major successes, then the risk of The War of the Rohirrim will be well worth it for the studio. The latest Lord of the Rings accomplishes its goal, though what comes next for the franchise will be the deciding factor in The War of the Rohirrim's success. Yet it is disappointing that this film that took so much effort to animate isn't getting recognition, especially when the rush to get it out is likely a contributing factor.

The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim is in theaters now.

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