News for Oct. 18, 2001

'LORD' Of The Budget

10/18/01, 1:09 pm EST - Xoanon

AND you thought "Titanic" was big. Get ready for "Lord of the Rings," the biggest gamble in Hollywood history: a $300 million trilogy based on the J.R.R. Tolkien tales. And that doesn't count the expected $150 million marketing budget. Though the first film doesn't open worldwide until Dec. 19 - on an unprecedented number of screens - the marketing push is already well under way. [More]