Watch Lord of the Rings in Chronological order (not release date)

 If you want to watch the Lord of the Rings movies in chronological order, then you should follow this sequence:

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (set in 2941 Third Age)
2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (set in 2942 Third Age)
3. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (set in 2943 Third Age)
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (set in 3018-3019 Third Age)
5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (set in 3019 Third Age)
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (set in 3019 Third Age)

This order follows the timeline of the events in Middle-earth, starting with the earliest events in The Hobbit and progressing through to the end of the War of the Ring in The Return of the King. Note that The Hobbit movies were released after The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but they take place before the events of the trilogy in the story's timeline.