How To Watch The Hobbit Movies At Home
by Jaron Pak · /Film(Welcome to Where to Watch, which provides a clear and simple answer to the question, "Hey, where can I watch this thing?" In this edition: All seven "Hobbit" movies that are out there to stream on the interweb.)
There's nothing quite like heading to Middle-earth when you're craving a rewatch. There are a lot of Tolkien adaptations out there, too (if you're not sure where to start, check out Slash Film's official Lord Of The Rings and The Hobbit Movies rankings). If you're itching to start with "The Hobbit" (especially to set the stage for "The Hunt for Gollum" movie, which fits in between "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogies), here's where you can find all three adaptations of Tolkien's iconic book streaming online.
The Hobbit trilogy (Peter Jackson's trilogy)
Where to stream: HBO Max (direct subscription, as well as through Prime Video).
Trilogy includes:
- "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"
- "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
- "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"
HBO Max has been the home of all three films in Peter Jackson's "Hobbit" trilogy for a while now. That means you can find and watch them in order with a single streaming subscription. (It sounds like a stupid detail, but in the modern streaming world we live in, getting every part of a movie trilogy in one spot isn't always assured, as we'll see in a minute.)
If you want to start in the Shire and follow a young Bilbo Baggins on his eastward journey from the door of Bag End all the way to the Lonely Mountain and back, HBO Max is the streaming service you want. Especially if you're looking for the leaner theatrical version of the story. If you want the full-blown experience, though, keep reading.
The Hobbit trilogy (Peter Jackson's trilogy - extended editions)
Where to stream and rent: HBO Max (direct subscription and through Prime Video) and Amazon Prime (to rent).
Trilogy includes:
- "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (Extended Edition)
- "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" (Extended Edition)
- "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" (Extended Edition)
If you're a Tolkien superfan who just can't get enough of the Middle-earth experience, you may want to opt for the extended editions for all three films. (Heads up: the runtimes for the extended editions of "The Hobbit" trilogy tack 51 more minutes of viewing time onto the total experience.)
Here's where things get sticky. As of this writing, you can get "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" and "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" extended editions by signing up for HBO Max. However, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" (Extended Edition) isn't available to stream anywhere at the moment. Instead, you'll need to buy it straight up on Prime Video.
Why can't you get all three extended versions in one place? Ask the streaming gods. Of course, you can always mix and match. Stream the first theatrical version and then the extended versions of the other two. Then, watch this list for updates to see when "Unexpected Journey" pops up on a streaming provider again.
The Hobbit (animated 1977 film)
Where to stream: HBO Max (direct subscription, as well as through Prime Video).
If you want to go the opposite direction of a three-movie extended edition marathon, you can get a short and sweet version of the "Hobbit" experience via the Rankin and Bass 1977 made-for-television animated classic. Clocking in at a little over an hour (1hr, 17min), this PG take on Tolkien's beloved children's story is a fun way to see a visual version of the book without committing a weekend or more of your life to the experience.
You also don't have to keep track of all of the Sauron as the Necromancer side plot stuff or the random stuff (like Galadriel and Gandalf's simmering tension) that Peter Jackson made up for his ballooned three-part version of the single book. If you do go this route and you find yourself craving more Middle-earth media, here's a list of the top Tolkien reading options to round out the experience.