Though unlikely to overtake Avatar as number one in the all-time UK box-office rankings, Pixar’s animated film is expected to make an assault on second place in the next few weeks. A week ago, this column reported that Toy Story 3 stood at 12th place in the all-time UK box-office rankings, after just 21 days of play. Seven days later, and it’s now moved up to seventh position, overtaking The Full Monty, the second Pirates Of The Caribbean, the second Harry Potter, Casino Royale and the second Lord Of The Rings. In just 28 days, Toy Story 3 has grossed £58.91m. Next in the Pixar animation’s sights are Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King (£61.06m) and Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring (£63.01m). It should overtake both during the next seven days, earning fifth place in the all-time rankings. More..
Category: LotR Movies
The New Zealand farmland that was transformed into Middle Earth for the Lord of the Rings film series has been recolonised by sheep, some of whom have set up home in the deserted hobbit holes. The rolling green pastures that provided the backdrop for director Peter Jackson’s trilogy were originally going to be converted into hobbit theme park, to attract tourists to the town of Matamata on the country’s North Island. But the plans were shelved, and the land is now home to 12,000 sheep and 250 cattle. They are allowed to roam around the 17 hobbit holes left behind after the production team departed. More..
Tim writes: Thought you might like to know that Sean Astin appears (rather
tragically) in another NASA video released today. It also features Sandeep Parikh from the web series The Guild. Continue reading “Sean Astin Appears in NASA Video”
Writer and director Peter Briggs spent a little time at the Weta booth during Comic-Con and just as in previous interactions with the TORn staff, he was friendly and funny. Now rumors are circulating that he may be involved in a film with Weta called “Panzer 88.” The premise of the film, talked about by Briggs at a panel during the convention, sounds perfect for Richard Taylor and his team. It reportedly depicts “a German tank crew on the run from a malevolent supernatural entity in the snowy Russian wastes.” Bloody-disgusting.com has a well-written speculative piece on what could be keeping the Peter Jackson / Richard Taylor effects company busy. See the story here.
So you think you’re a geek? Associate physics professor Rhett Allain recently posted an entertaining analysis of the speed and distance of the lighting of the Beacons of Gondor in his dotphysics blog. Even if mathematical equations make you cross-eyed, his tongue-in-cheek logic still makes it an entertaining read:
“The Lord of the Rings trilogy came on TV again recently. My wife and I can’t help but to watch this even though we have it on DVD. Anyway, I was thinking about the part where Gondor sends a signal to Rohan asking them for military aid. Since this was before the invention of email, they had to do it with a signal fire.”
Hint: also read the comments at the end of his blog entry: lots of geeky Tolkien goodness. Thanks to Finding Frodo for bringing this to our attention by posting about it on our message boards.
Love Lord of the Rings? Love slot machines? Now you can combine the two! It looks like Spotlight 29 Casino in the Coachella Valley has added 10 new penny slot machine games to their line-up, and they include the brand new LOTR game:
Lord of the Rings has taken the J.R. Tolkien trilogy and created an innovative experience that utilizes the latest gaming technology. The player will embark on a mission through Middle Earth and complete different levels of the storyline through wins. “Adaptive Gaming” technology allows control over the spinning reels during a turn, while “Sensory Immersion” incorporates chairs with Bose sound systems to complete the illusion you are traveling with Frodo and friends through the elements of Tolkien’s fantastical world.
Read on for further details. [Press Release]