is facing a significant problem after a release date change. While the most recent The Lord of the Rings movie, the anime The War of the Rohirrim, was released in theaters in 2024, . Andy Serkis, who played Gollum/Smeagol in the previous movies, is directing the project while Peter Jackson is attached as a producer.

The Hunt for Gollum's confirmed cast includes Serkis reprising the titular role and Ian McKellen returning to play Gandalf. The story will see Gandalf and Aragorn going on a quest to find Gollum prior to the events with Frodo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring. The Hunt for Gollum was delayed from December 2026 to 2027, which was a wise move given that the movie is only at the beginning of the writing process. However, a different movie's schedule change is now creating an issue for The Lord of the Rings' next movie installment.

The Hunt for Gollum is slated for December 17, 2027, which gives the movie more time to be properly developed. Meanwhile, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars were delayed to December 18, 2026 and to December 17, 2027 after being previously scheduled for May 1, 2026 and May 7, 2027. This now means that , which is poised to feature a battle between two of the biggest franchises in popular culture.

A Lord of the Rings and Star Wars box office battle previously seemed like it was going to happen in December 2027 when an untitled Star Wars movie was slated for that month. With the Shawn Levy-directed and Ryan Gosling-led Star Wars: Starfighter releasing in May 2027, though, Star Wars no longer has a movie coming out in December 2027. The primary box office competition of that month will instead be between The Lord of the Rings and the MCU.

The Lord of the Rings is an undeniably lucrative franchise, with the majority of the previous live-action movies earning close to or more than $1 billion at the worldwide box office. With The Hunt for Gollum being the franchise's first live-action movie in 13 years and featuring the returns of Serkis, McKellen, and probably other legacy actors as well, it has a good chance of reaching the $1 billion mark as well. The most recent Avengers movies, Infinity War and Endgame, far surpassed that, though, with both making more than $2 billion worldwide.

given its extensive cast of beloved superheroes, being a continuation of Doomsday's story, and concluding the Multiverse Saga that began in 2021. The Hunt for Gollum cannot financially compete with this. Both movies will probably take a hit at the box office if they release on the same day, but The Hunt for Gollum will likely struggle more than Secret Wars. This is not a financial risk that The Lord of the Rings can take after War of the Rohirrim's record-low box office numbers.

Every single The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie has been released in December. Regardless of War of the Rohirrim's performance, given how well it has served them in the past. The Hunt for Gollum could be moved to an earlier date in December 2027, giving it time to perform well before Secret Wars debuts. This still presents an issue with having legs at the box office, though, and it will still likely struggle during the valuable holiday window.

Moving further back into November 2027 is another possibility, but it comes with a different challenge considering that Frozen III is releasing on November 24. There is arguably less overlap between The Lord of the Rings and Frozen's audiences than between The Lord of the Rings and the MCU's audiences, but Frozen is still another major franchise that has proven to be a box-office juggernaut. To avoid Frozen III and Secret Wars, The Hunt for Gollum could move to 2028, although this would be disappointing after the movie was originally slated for 2026.

Secret Wars' delay has created a challenge for The Hunt for Gollum, which now needs to find yet another release date unless it wants to end up competing with a movie expected to make more than $2 billion. Nevertheless, Warner Bros. should still have faith that The Hunt for Gollum can be a hit. With Serkis having one of the best performances in The Lord of the Rings movies, the idea of him playing Gollum again is already enticing, as is seeing him direct his first movie in the franchise.

Ian McKellen playing Gandalf is just as exciting and is a compelling draw given how beloved the actor and the character are in popular culture. Viggo Mortensen is not yet confirmed to be returning as Aragorn, but given Aragorn's importance to the story, there is a good chance that he will be in The Hunt for Gollum's cast as well. Many of the original Lord of the Rings cast have also said they are open to returning. The nostalgia of familiar faces and ties to the original trilogy will help the movie to have widespread appeal.

The story will hopefully be compelling as well, providing further insight into Gollum, Gandalf, and Aragorn prior to their stories in the novels and films. In order for The Hunt for Gollum to reach its full potential, though, . One of the best ways to do this is by providing a release date where it does not have to compete with an Avengers movie that will conclude the MCU's Multiverse Saga. should be released at a time when it can fully thrive.