<Li> The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) </Li> <Li> The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) </Li> <P> The trilogy was a box office and critical success . The three films won seventeen Oscars altogether (at least one in each applicable category for a fictional, English language, live - action feature film, except in the acting categories). </P> <P> The Hobbit (film series), a live - action adaptation of The Hobbit, was made as a prequel to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, produced in New Zealand under the direction of Peter Jackson . Although Tolkien's novel The Hobbit is a single book, unlike The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit film series is a trilogy like The Lord of the Rings film series . The films were released in December 2012, December 2013, and December 2014 . </P>

When does the lord of the rings take place