A cinema re-release is never late, dear Empire reader, nor is it early. It arrives precisely when it means to. And with that being said, following last Friday's news that the original Star Wars is returning to cinemas in 2027 as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations, Variety has confirmed that Warner Bros. is bringing all three of Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings movies back to multiplexes in January 2026 as Fellowship Of The Rings marks its own 25th anniversary. And yes, they are the extended editions, naturally.
Now, it is important to note that Variety's reporting only specifically confirms plans for Fathom Entertainment and Warner Bros. to bring J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epics back to American cinemas at this point, with 16-19 and 23-25 January the dates for fans to mark in their calendars Stateside. That being said however, just last year saw Jackson's newly remastered trilogy hit UK cinemas, and we would be surprised not to see Rings back on big screens this side of the Atlantic when there's such a significant anniversary to be celebrated and such a passionate Middle-earthian fanbase here in the source material's home country.
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In the wake of last week's discourse stoking news about Netflix and Warner Bros.' prospective merger, it seems that studios, distributors, and exhibitors are moving fast to reassure cinemagoers that the theatrical experience is going nowhere anytime soon. In addition to Star Wars' milestone re-release and the Lord Of The Rings announcement, IMAX weighed in just last Friday to reveal that more Studio Ghibli movies are set to get the 4K IMAX treatment in the wake of Princess Mononoke's hugely successful big-screen return this Summer. And to that we say long may the re-releases, the new releases, and the theatrical experience in any and every form continue. It is most precioussssss to us.