The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the third part of a film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson, based on J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The film premiered in Wellington, New Zealand, on December 1 2003, attended by the director and many of the stars. Further premieres took place in major cities around the world in the days leading up to the film's worldwide theatrical release on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 with a runtime of 200 minutes (that is, 3 hours and 20 minutes).