The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) offers a comprehensive collection of films and series. The portal allows movie lovers worldwide to submit their ratings for titles. Based on these ratings, a list of the 250 most popular films of all time has been compiled. We reveal which fantasy film is at the top of the list and is considered the most popular in its genre.
A fantasy movie that made film history
In 2003, a movie was released that would change the film landscape forever: “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King”. As high as the expectations of its two predecessors were, they were all exceeded. As the third and final part of the world-famous trilogy, the film not only continued the high standard, but also set new benchmarks. It’s a masterpiece that not only delighted fantasy and film fans, but also the professional audience and won eleven Oscars, including Best Picture.
The IMDb list of the 250 best films also paints a clear picture. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” is in 1st place on the fantasy list with 9.0 out of a possible 10 stars and around 2.1 million votes, and in 6th place overall. The two predecessors, “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Two Towers”, also ranked 8th and 11th, meaning that the Lord of the Rings trilogy claimed the top three spots in the entire fantasy genre for itself.
The entire Lord of the Rings series is currently available to watch for free on Amazon Prime Video, provided you have an active Prime subscription. However, it’s no longer in 4K resolution as it was previously. If you don’t have a Prime subscription, you are spoiled for choice. The trilogy is currently available on many different streaming platforms. The rental fee is 3.99 dollars per film, while the purchase costs between 5.99 and 9.99 dollars.
The “Lord of the Rings” universe
The Hobbit trilogy does not appear in the IMDb list – and for good reason, as those responsible decided to make three overlong films based on a single short book. The result: the plot was stretched out considerably and often strays far from the original material. The same applies to the Amazon series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”. The scriptwriters seemed to have invented most of the plot here. It’s therefore not surprising that the result fell far short of most fans’ expectations.
Another failure: “The Lord of the Rings: The Battle of the Rohirrim”. This is a prequel to “The Two Towers”, released in 2024 and set 183 years before the events of the original Peter Jackson films. A special feature of the film is that it’s animated in a typical anime style. Unfortunately, neither the plot nor the characters were able to win over viewers. The IMDb rating was correspondingly poor: 6.3 out of 10 stars. And this despite the fact that Miranda Otto reprised her role as Éowyn, this time as the narrator.
More movies in Middle-earth
Netflix and Paramount are currently outbidding each other in an attempt to take over Warner Bros. Discovery. The deal would also include franchises such as Batman, Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings. In addition, “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum”, another film set in the world of Middle-earth, will be brought to the big screen. Directed by none other than Andy Serkis, the actor who played Gollum in the original trilogy. Before that, however, the 3rd season of “The Rings of Power” will continue in Summer 2026.
