New Line Cinema is a film studio and subsidiary of Warner Bros. known for being the distributor of many film franchises, including The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Austin Powers, The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Mortal Kombat (1995), Elf, and Rush Hour.
Because of their status as a subsidiary of TimeWarner, Warner Bros. had the rights to use elements from The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, although they had to make a licensing deal with Middle-earth Enterprises, as they are the primary owners of J.R.R. Tolkein's works.