In which country was The Lord of the Rings primarily filmed?

The Lord of the Rings was primarily filmed in New Zealand.

Peter Jackson’s film trilogy used locations across both the North and South Islands, turning New Zealand’s mountains, forests, rivers, farmland, and volcanic landscapes into Middle-earth. Principal photography for the three films was carried out concurrently from October 1999 through December 2000, over roughly 438 days.

New Zealand was especially important because Jackson was a New Zealander and could draw on the country’s varied scenery and growing film-production infrastructure. Wellington became a major production hub through companies such as Wētā Workshop and Wētā Digital. Matamata, for example, provided the setting for Hobbiton, while Mount Sunday in Canterbury became Edoras.

The films were financed and distributed by the American studio New Line Cinema, which sometimes causes confusion about the filming country. The production, however, was made and filmed in New Zealand, with later pickup work also centered there. The country’s connection with the trilogy later helped make Middle-earth tourism a major attraction.