It is Wednesday June 15th 2011, and many of us are just waking up from a long night of Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition bliss. As requested, many fans have emailed in their photos and experiences. So to make things easy on everyone, we are going to continuously update this particular post with your experience as you send them in. Make sure you are including your theater and location in the emails, otherwise they may not get posted. We did get quite a few reports of technical issues with the screening, and we’ll pass that along to the folks at Fathom and WB. Of course, check out our Facebook page as many folks are directly posting to it with their experiences. Without further delay, click the ‘continue reading’ button to read more about experiences from fans throughout the US and NZ as they saw The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition on the big screen for the first time! You can still buy tickets to TTT and ROTK, and don’t forget to order your copy of LOTR Ex on Blu-Ray! [TORn on Facebook] [Buy Tickets] [WBshop.com]
Bacon Raton, FL
Dear TheOneRing.Net:
Not only is it wonderful to experience FOTR on the big screen again, the high definition projection definitely adds to the film. Many HD films look truly terrible because the picture is so clear that you can see the makeup, the poor quality of costumes, or the styrofoam and plastic used in sets and weapons. Not this time! You can absolutely tell the care, love and high quality of craftsmanship that went into every single moment of this movie. Once again, kudos are due to the entire crew, from Peter Jackson to whoever embroidered Boromir’s jerkin to the amazing work on makeup and hair, weapons, scenery, script, continuity — I could go on through the entire roster of credits — every tiny little detail is perfect.
Every funny moment is still funny, and every poignant scene is still a tearjerker.
Boca Raton loved the film, and the only problem here was 1) the movie started 30 minutes late, which was rough on those of us who arrived 40 minutes early! and 2) there was not enough local promotion – several folks I talked to had not heard of the showing until this week, and one fellow had only learned about it this afternoon. The theatre was full, but not sold out.
Excellent evening – so happy. I am looking forward to the next two Tuesdays! And I sincerely hope this event happens again when The Hobbit films come out!
Best, Karen
Roxy Cinema, Wellington, New Zealand
A Night at the Roxy
How many of us have not seen LOTR in a theatre since the extended editions came into our lives? I, for one, can no longer imagine the films without the additional scenes, and to see it all again in the newly restored Roxy Cinema in Miramar, Wellington was a delight. It’s Miramar – Park Road, Miramar! How perfect is that?!
Cineplexes have their place, but the Roxy is intimate, tasteful decor of yore, with the elegant but friendly and well-staffed Coco Restaurant as a place of welcome just inside the entrance. I arrived early for dinner, and as I savored my excellent pasta and cappuccino, a special bonus was that Jamie and Ann Selkirk, co-owners of the Roxy with Tania Rodger, were also enjoying a pre-show meal. Academy Award winning ( ROTK 2004) film editor and producer Mr Selkirk greeted us later in the Art Deco lobby- wearing his signature baseball cap – as we gueued to enter the theatre. Before the showing of FOTR, which was a benefit for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal, the Selkirks drew for spot prizes of Weta LOTR collectibles. Lucky winners!
We settled expectantly into our luxurious seats with our wine glasses or ice creams as, first, Sir Peter Jackson came on the screen in a personal video about the journey of making LOTR and now The Hobbit. And finally, “The world is changed….” , and suddenly I’m ten years younger and just as awe-struck as I was the first time I saw Frodo’s big blue eyes and the Mines of Moria. An intermission at the point when Frodo awakens in the House of Elrond reinforced the “cinema experience the way it used to be” feel of the evening.
There were, unfortunately, only a few days notice before this first event, which meant quite a few empty seats. As word gets out, hopefully more local fans and possibly tourists in town for the day will enjoy The Two Towers (June 21) and The Return of the King (June 28) at the Roxy. You can call the box office at 388 5555 ext 2 to reserve seats with your credit card. Make an afternoon and evening of it; the Weta Cave is just down the road (open until 5:30), and there are several small cafes and take aways around the theatre in addition to the excellent Coco. And who knows who might be strolling down Park Road or eating pizza around the corner!
Thank you to everyone who made this possible. This Extended Edition Event in Wellington was a most satisfying experience. I wish those of you in the US a similarly memorable one tonight.
– Lissuin
University City, Philadelphia, PA
I got to see the extended on digital projection at Rave in University City, Philadelphia, Pa. While I enjoyed the sound and quality of picture, I was highly disappointed that the theater did not show the advertised (by Fathom events) introduction by Peter Jackson, one of the reasons I rearranged my schedule to go see it. I wonder if anyone else writes you of no introduction. Fan who was let down.
– Lori
Cinemark, Robinson Township, PA
Had a great crowd tonight at the Cinemark in Robinson Township, PA. Lots of enthusiasm and laughing. During the scene where Galadriel is giving out her gifts to the fellowship, the power went out. After 10 minutes and some fast forwarding of the video on screen, an employee comes out and tells us to yell forward and reverse till we find our spot we were at! Was a bunch of fun having the entire audience yelling to the camera operator “Forward! Forward! No, Reverse!” One of the best theater experiences I’ve ever had. Can’t wait till the 21st and 28th!
– Nathan
Independence, Missouri
Wanted to report in from my screening in Independence, Mo. The theater was virtually sold out with just a few empty seats in one of the big screen areas in the theater. Which was great to be in there with so many ringers so many years after this first hit the big screen. I even ran into a buddy of mine from High School and his family and we sat together which made the experience even cooler. Seeing the trivia questions before, the awesome TORn video, Weta Video, and the intro by PJ leading into one of my all time favorite movies made for a great night. These movies are classics and mean a lot to me personally so seeing them in all their glory on the big screen with just how amazing they are is something everyone should get a chance to do. I’m already looking forward to next week and The Two Towers.
– Josh
Boston, MA
I just came from the Boston FOTR EE screening. What a showing! It was nice to see prominent members of TheOneRing.Net amongst us. Bilbo, Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, Aragorn and the gang were as timeless as they were when I was 13 in 2001. I loved that there were big laughs and people came together to share the experience. I was there alone, but I was glad there were others from my area so interested in the films. I liked the introduction to the showing from one fan, “I loved Star Wars as a kid, and then I got this, and people always say ‘the trilogy’, and I say ‘which trilogy?'” Exactly. The film looked amazing on the silver screen again, digitally remastered. Some things have changed, but some things stay the same. My passion for this timeless epic story remains. I can’t wait to see The Two Towers next tuesday!
– Paul
Orange Park, FL
TORN,
Just got back from viewing Fellowship on the big screen in Orange Park, FL. The projection was excellent. This is a film meant to be seen in theaters if there ever was one.
One scene stuck out to me: When Aragorn and Boromir have their conversation in Lothlorien, the color looked different from what I have at home. It’s not nearly as blue. The red in Boromir’s sleeves can be clearly seen. In my opinion, it was definitly an improvement. I always felt the grading in that scene was too extreme.
Brian “GlumPuddle,” – NarniaWeb.com
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Cinemark 16 — tonight I was the first in line! I’ve never been first in any movie line any time. After a slow start, people began trickling in. We were let into the theater about 6:30, got great seats, and had the most amazing experience ever.
The quality of the projection gave even more layers to this already layered and nuanced film, and sharpened and clarified many scenes, much of the dialogue, and all the voices and faces. It was wonderful.
Though I’ve seen FOTR many, many times, it’s been a long time since I viewed it on the big screen; to me it was like seeing it for the first time all over again.
Thanks to Peter Jackson and his wonderful “helpers” for making one of my favorites even better than before. I can’t wait for next week!
– Julie
Eatontown, NJ
Hello,
I attended the event of the extended version of the Fellowship of the Ring in the Lowes theater in Eatontown, NJ. I usually go to a theater complex in Hazlet, NJ, so I was not very familiar with the Eatontown theater. I was very pleased to find that the event theater was large, with very comfortable seats and nice elevations so all seats had great views.
I was a little disappointed that the event was not better attended as the theater was only 1/3 to 1/2 full. I was surprised that no one was dressed in costume. There were no previews, only the video message from Peter Jackson, and no intermission. (Given the lengths of TTT and ROTK, I hope those events include an intermission.)
I had never seen the Lord of the Rings movies in the theater before because I was too busy with my 3 very young children in 2001, 2002, and 2003, so I was very excited to get this chance to see the films in the theater. I had read the books many times and I watched the extended versions of the DVDs
many times, but I found seeing the extended version of the FOTR on the big screen provided a great experience with awesome sound, magnificent details of facial expressions, clothing, sets, and landscapes, and beautiful colors.
I brought to the event a friend (who had not read the books but had seen the FOTR in the theater in 2001), my 13 year old son (who had seen the extended version DVDs but never read the books), and a friend of his (who had never read the books nor seen the movies), and we all really enjoyed the event. The audience was enthusiastic and appreciative, clapping at the beginning and at the end of the film.
I highly recommend attending TTT and ROTK in theaters in the next 2 weeks.
Edwards Theaters – San Marcos, CA
Here’s some pix of my son (Gavin) and I from tonight! This was his first time seeing it on the big screen and it was, in his words, “Epic!” So much fun to see it again in the theaters and loved the intro from PJ! Thanks so much!
-Trisha
Santana Row, Cambell, CA
Hello TORN!
My name is Kellie Rice (Arrowmare on the boards) and I attended the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring at the CineArts theater on Santana Row in Cambell, California. Before the film, the theater played the LOTR:FOTR soundtrack while trivia cards appeared on screen (of which I sneaked pictures which I’m sending you now). The theater was pretty packed and it was great to be with a respectful, enthusiastic audience. As far as I could tell, however, my sister and I were the only attendees with themed attire! We each wore a Legolas shirt. After the trivia, there was an awesome ad for TORN then one for WETA Workshops. Following that was the special message from Sir Peter Jackson. When he thanked us for coming out to see the extended edition in the theater, someone in the front shouted “we’re glad to be here!” which earned applause.
When the film started, everyone was quiet. I have seen the extended edition more times than I can count, but seeing it again on the big screen, with the image and audio so crystal clear, was certainly a new experience worth having. I saw things I had never been able to see before, and heard dialogue that, when watched at home, was lost amidst the score. The only complaint I had was that the FX track was so loud at our theater that we were covering our ears during the battle scenes. Hopefully they’ll get that adjusted before Helm’s Deep next week!
What I loved was that I knew most of the people in attendance had to be fans of the franchise, and therefore have seen the film before. Yet folks still made funny comments and laughed at the jokes, as if they were new to them. When Pippin accidentally sent the corpse down the well, and a goblin drum answered, someone said “Oh, sh&*t,” and the audience chuckled. It was a great communal experience. When Boromir was first wounded, you could hear a pin drop, as if we were all holding our breath. Though it was sad to have the film end, it was wonderful to hear so many strangers greet the patron beside them once the lights came back on, saying, “See you next week!” If only we could always go and see LOTR next week!
It was a wonderful experience and I strongly urge people to head out to see The Two Towers, even if they’ve seen it at home a hundred times. As Peter Jackson said in his intro, “Thank you for choosing to see these films on the big screen, for that is how they were meant to be seen.” I couldn’t agree more, PJ!
Included are some of my pictures of the trivia slides. More to follow!
~ Kellie
San Diego, CA
LOTR extended version in San Diego. Few moments of technical glitch, then a short video of Peter Jackson discussing. He’s looking good, hope he’s around a long time! Another short period of nofilm, then saw the movie. Excellent seeing it in a theatre once again – just wish people would not have kept talking during the Weta promo, etc., and kept their asides to themselves during the movie. Sat two seats away from a guy who just had to chime up with comments “Woah, that’s a big horse!” “Sarumannnnn!” etc and huming the theme music loudly along with the sound track. Much rumpling of candy packets during intense (quiet) scenes etc., etc., etc, but only one cell phone ring, and that was towards the beginning. ~sigh~
This movie is at its best on the big screen with a good sound system, magical. Could have heard a pin drop after Boromir was killed. Even commentboy could say nothing. Thanks, Peter! (We have our tix for the next two.)
– Nan
AMC Loews Rio, Gaithersburg MD
The movie itself – stunning.
The theater – not so much. Myself and 2 friends bought tickets to see all 3 movies at the AMC Loews Rio in Gaithersburg MD. Instead of starting the movie at 7 pm, they stuck us (a packed house) with 40 minutes of a continuous loop of theater ads and LOTR trivia questions. The crowd was getting very angry and loud. One of my friends finally went in search of a manager and was told, after 40 minutes mind you, that “we didn’t know that was happening until now.” WHAT??? No one checks to make sure the movie is actually running??? No one sits up there in that control room??? Very very very poorly managed. And instead of just starting the movie after all of that, they started from the very beginning, subjecting once again to the long string of ads and Weta piece before FINALLY showing the bit that PJ did and getting on with the movie.
We can only hope they learned there lesson last night and that next Tuesday will be better. We have the tickets now and probably cannot get another set anywhere else. After the trilogy is over we certainly won’t be going back to that theater for anything. Also, we could clearly hear the booming soundtrack from the theater next door almost the entire time.
Mrs Baggins
Maryland
Colorado Springs, CO
I just returned from the Colorado Springs showing of Fellowship. As I left the theater, I treated my bladder to a chorus of Martin Pearson’s “Oh, dear lord, I need a loo break.”
Strangely enough, or perhaps not so strangely, I thought of Christchurch throughout the film. “When the seas and mountains fall” and Boromir’s “The world of men will fall, and all will come to darkness . . . and my city to ruin” and the tumbling, crumbling staircase in Khazad Dum—one thing after another kept reminding me of poor old Christchurch. It’s funny how we’re co-creators in art. What we bring to a great film shapes what it brings to us.
It was WONDERFUL to see FOTR properly, on a big screen, with proper sound and a splendid audience. It still has the power to make people hold their breath. It was also a whole lot of fun to keep saying gleefully (to myself): “I stood there and I stood there and I stood there” as sites I visited in NZ flashed by. I doubt that it’ll become an annual event, but if it does, I’ll be there (and back again).
Next week, The Two Towers!
Nancy
AMC River Park Square 20 Spokane, WA
I attended The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition @ the AMC River Park Square 20 in Spokane, WA last night and wanted to announce, it was utterly fantastic finally seeing this movie come alive on the silver screen. I’m absolutely stoked for The Two Towers. They should of done this years ago, but I’m grateful for the respect the extended releases are finally getting in the wake of The Hobbit. It was surreal to see the added footage sown into the film so beautifully without any breaks, abrupt pauses, or disc changing right there in the theater auditorium. It truly brought out all of my Tolkien emotions. I now realize, these next two weeks are going to fly by as I count down the days until this whole ordeal is over, but I will not forget one glorious second of it. I highly encourage anyone to definitely check out these special events while they still can. Forever yours, a LotR fan, Clint.
Dole Theaters, Oahu, Hawaii
I live in Hawaii on Oahu and my mom and I went to the event at Dole theaters. The room was packed and I was relieved to find a decent (not a loud and annoying) crowd, because the only people there wanted to be there, so no pearls before swine tonight. ^_^ So that and the movie were great, not to mention neat to see a public acknowledgment of TheOneRing.Net in Hawaii. But I’m saddened to say the theater stuffed us in with the small screen and the sound was awful, it wasn’t quite loud enough and the back speakers were hardly heard. You could get a better experience from a home surround sound system. No respect for a classic. To top it off, no video from PJ, before or after, and we were there a half hour early (hoping it comes with TTT or ROTK? And that Hawaii wasn’t left out?). At least there were looping LOTR trivia questions, Howard Shore tracks playing, and a nifty trailer or two for the next two movies. Anything with LOTR is nice, it was just disappointing it didn’t even meet standard theater quality or cinema experience (you know something is wrong when your mind is allowed to drift from the feature at hand). Lovely evening with Mum in Middle-earth, nevertheless. =)
Here are the pics from the reports above! Click on an image to see a larger version.
