Press Release from Warner Home Video

Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, one of the most magical, intensely spectacular epic adventures in motion picture history, can now be seen as never before when all three of Peter Jackson’s visual masterpieces explode onto Blu-ray Disc April 6th as The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy. The nine-disc set will reawaken the powerful connection that fans have to these films through rich, robust colors and crisp sound that home audiences can only experience on Blu-ray Disc. The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy will include digital copies of each film on three separate discs and will also be BD-Live enabled, offering exciting new interactive possibilities. The highly anticipated release will precede Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest videogame launch.

The Lord of the Rings, the highest grossing adventure film franchise to ever be created, was born with the release of The Fellowship of the Ring, followed by The Two Towers and The Return of the King. The multi-billion dollar franchise is expected to grow significantly as The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy brings together all three treasured films on Blu-ray Disc for the very first time, presented for home audiences the way they were meant to be seen. The Trilogy’s Blu-ray release captures the enduring Fellowship and ultimate sacrifice while enhancing the chaos and destruction of Middle-earth, delivering a visual feast that will not soon, if ever, find its equal. Of the 30 total Academy Award nominations the three The Lord of the Rings movies received, they won a record 17 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and 8 others for the third film. Based on the best-selling novels by J.R.R. Tolkien, Jackson’s movie trilogy is an epic journey of men, hobbits, elves, dwarves and the rest of Middle-earth’s creatures and cultures. The films chronicle the struggle of good versus evil with fantastic special effects and a strong emotional center.

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy contains the original theatrical versions of the three films on Blu-ray Disc, with more than seven hours of special features. The Trilogy will be packaged in multi-disc elite packaging inside a premium rigid slipcase and will retail for $99.98 SRP. Orders are due March 2, 2010. Extended versions of the films will be released at a later date on Blu-ray Disc.
The Trilogy debuts at a time when consumers are rapidly adopting Blu-ray Disc. According to third quarter figures compiled by the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG), in 2009 Blu-ray Disc set-top player sales grew 112 percent over the same period last year and this holiday season consumers can expect to see Blu-ray player prices starting around $100, making it that much easier for home audiences to see the films they love the way they were meant to be seen. Blu-ray devices are projected to be in 15 million U.S. homes by the end of this year.

The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy will also be available day and date on Video on Demand from cable and satellite providers. The films will be offered for electronic download from online retailers including iTunes, Microsoft Xbox LIVE, Zune marketplace and Amazon Video on Demand.

On April 13, 2010, renowned animator Ralph Bakshi’s literal adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic fantasy trilogy, The Lord of the Rings animated version will be released in an all-new Deluxe Edition on Blu-ray Disc for the first time and newly remastered with new Dolby 5.1 audio and newly created extra content.

Additionally, Warner Bros. Consumer Products has teamed up with top licensees Games Workshop Ltd., Tonner Doll Company, Inc., Sideshow Collectibles, The Noble Collection, WETA, Pez Candy, Funko, LLC, Bioworld Merchandising Inc. and WMS Gaming to create an array of merchandise supporting The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, including apparel and accessories, novelties and collectibles, stationery and paper goods, toys and games.