Warner Bros. to release 'Lord of the Rings' limited-edition NFTs

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If you are intrigued by the magical and mystical Middle Earth of "The Lord of the Rings" movie franchise, or motivated to get into the space of nonfungible tokens, a new partnership between Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and blockchain company Eluvio might be of interest to you.

For the first time, a major studio is releasing a film in NFT form, per Variety.

The first installment of the franchise, "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," will be available for purchase Friday at web3.wb.com, as two separate exclusive extended versions.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” was released in 2001 and was the first of three movies in the series.  (Warner Bros. / Fox News)

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In comments relayed to the outlet by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment General Manager and Executive Vice President Jessica Schell, it was revealed that more titles from the series will eventually be released. Fans will also be able to buy, trade and sell said movies in their NFT form.

Schell said, "First and foremost, we’re always looking at ways to delight and surprise our movie fans and collectors, and that’s especially true for ‘The Lord of the Rings.'"

“The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” also stars Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf. (Warner Bros. / Fox News)

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For $100, you can buy one of 999 copies of the Epic Edition. For $30, you can buy one of 10,000 copies of the Mystery Edition. Along with the purchase is an extended version of the film, which is nearly four hours. 

Buyers will also have access to hidden AR collectibles, images, and special feature footage. 

To purchase a NFT, consumers have to create an Eluvio media wallet, but can use a credit card or cryptocurrency for payment.

Both Warner Bros. and Eluvio say that what you are purchasing is really a "living movie experience," as opposed to a copy of a movie you can see on another streaming service or buy in a store.

Pictured from left to right are Merry, played by Dominic Monaghan, Frodo, played by Elijah Wood, Pippin, played by Billy Boyd, and Sam, played by Sean Astin. (Warner Bros. / Fox News)

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The original installment came out in 2001 and grossed $880 million dollars.

In September, the program "The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power" debuted on Amazon in an 8-episode season. In 2017, the estate of the late J.R.R. Tolkien and Warner Bros. sold the television rights for the franchise to Jeff Bezos and Amazon.

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