Showdowns

Lord of the Rings Vs. Harry Potter: The Ultimate Fantasy Franchise Face-Off

Does the Boy Who Lived out-magic the hobbits, orcs, elves, and dwarves of Middle-earth? Find out as we break both series down by Tomatometer, box office, character quality, and more!

by RT Staff | May 21, 2020 | Comments

It’s the Super Bowl of fantasy series showdowns in the latest edition of Vs., in which we’re pitting the Lord of the Rings movies against the Harry Potter films – including, for both franchises, the prequels. (And no, this does not help either side on the scoreboard.) Do Peter Jackson’s big-screen takes on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels walk all over the movie adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s books like so many Ents stampeding through a forest? Or does the Boy Who Lived snatch up victory as if it were some quick-darting Golden Snitch? Find out as Rotten Tomatoes Contributing Editor Mark Ellis breaks down each franchise by Tomatometer and Audience Score, box office, heroes and villains, and one special wild card category.

The Lord of the Rings films are available to rent or buy on FandangoNOW, Vudu, iTunes, and Amazon. The Harry Potter films are available to rent or buy on FandangoNOW, Vudu, iTunes, and Amazon.