Before ‘The Rings of Power’ Returns, Peter Jackson’s Epic Fantasy Is a Global Streaming Hit

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has entered Netflix’s top 10 films internationally, giving fans a chance to revisit Middle-earth before The Rings of Power returns. The streaming boost highlights renewed interest in Tolkien’s world and Peter Jackson’s film trilogy.

The 2012 film follows Bilbo Baggins, recruited by Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield to help the Dwarves reclaim their homeland from Smaug. It adapts the opening part of Tolkien’s novel and adds links to the wider lore, including Gandalf’s investigation of Sauron’s return; the article notes that the trilogy’s later expansions are less even.