Good Morning America: Let me talk to you. If you don’t know by now that the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is taking theaters by storm, well, my friends, you need to get out a little more. The third and final installment of the Rings trilogy just opened yesterday but is already being talked about as a front runner for a Best Picture Oscar. With us today, the film’s right-hand hobbit, Sean Astin.
Sean Astin: (laughing) I hadn’t heard that one before.
GMA: (laughing) I’m sure you haven’t. Well, not today, anyway.
SA: No, no! I have never heard right-hand hobbit. That’s a good thing.
GMA: Thank you very much. I’ve got to tell you, your character, you are SO loyal, you are so self-less, you will do anything for Frodo. Excuse me, Mister Frodo.
SA: Mister Frodo, or Master Frodo as is written in the books a lot.
GMA: I heard it wasn’t a deviation for you from your character because the way people talk about you is very similar to how they talk about Sam.
SA: Well, that’s flattering. I mean, one of the things that I love about the character is that he’s an emblem for decency and goodness and determination and faithfulness, and I think if I was judged by the best parts of my life, then yeah, I’m exactly like Sam. If I was judged by the kind of all of my life, maybe not so –
GMA: Fair enough, fair enough! But I mean, you grew up, I mean, we all know that your parents, Patty Duke, John Astin, that are fabulous actors.
SA: Thank you.
GMA: They did a wonderful job, despite being in that atmosphere of keeping you grounded.
SA: Well, you know, I’m very grateful to my parents. I’m extraordinarily grateful because, when I grew up, even though people think that I sort of had a Hollywood upbringing, it didn’t feel like that as a kid. My Mom was always more interested in our little league and our normal life.
GMA: (as a picture of a young Patty Duke is shown) I’m sure your Mom appreciates that this is the shot that we show of her.
SA: She still looks like that, interesting enough. Mom, if you’re watching Good Morning America, I love you.
(from off camera audience, the sound of AWWWWwwwwww)
SA: (joining in,. bashfully) Awwwwwwww.
GMA: Awwww. See? You are just like Sam! You are.
SA: My dad’s probably teaching at Johns Hopkins right now. He’s a drama professor, so, and he always stressed the importance of education.
(GMA shows a publicity still of John Astin as Gomez)
SA: He looks very serious there.
GMA: It’s what they did. They did not let you be affected by that. It’s very difficult to take any clip from the movie. I mean, you just try and choose one but its so difficult to do, but I want to let everybody know what we’re talking about. Let’s see Sam in action.
(show Frodo, Sam, Gollum clip)
GMA: How do you prepare for a role like that, and the length of time. Was it like four or five years?
SA: Yeah, well, 18 months for principal photography and then going back and doing additional photography each year. You know, we just immersed ourselves in the world and the world of sort of Tolkien culture, and we had six weeks to prepare with the director to talk about it, and we worked with dialect coaches and there was a sword master and we learned how to sword fight, and there was a dialect coach so we could get the dialect. There was a lot of intense preparation that went into making the movies.
GMA: There is something about these movies, and the Golden Globe nominations came out.
SA: Today?
GMA: Yup. The movie just received four . . . this just in!
SA: (laughing) Uht-Oh.
GMA: It was nominated for Best Picture.
SA: Was it? That’s great.
GMA: So what is it about it that the public just can’t get enough of?
SA: Well, I think two things, really. One, Tolkien was an incredible student of human nature and I think he infused into his life work, these books, lots of incredible observations about what it is that we think and feel, especially people in positions of leadership and in positions of power, and there’s poetry and a lot of other things that really connect with people on an emotional level. And then for the movies, they were made with passion. With an extraordinary love and passion and I think when people sit and experience the movies, they can feel that kind of intensity that the film makes put into it.
GMA: But the passion’s not only felt here in the States. New Zealand, of course where you filmed these . . . did you know you’re money? Did you know?
SA: (laughing as she hands him a NZ minted coin with the One Ring on the back) That a little hush money there?
GMA: (laughing) No.
SA: The Royal Mint came out and actually told us that they sort of forged these coins. This one actually has the Ring on it and Queen Elizabeth, but there are other ones with Frodo and Sam and –
GMA: So what coin are you?
SA: It’s a 50 cent piece, because we’re halflings.
GMA: (laughing) No, stop!
SA: 50 cents. Like that?
GMA: I set you up for that one.
SA: Yeah, you did. I feel like Gulliver. I said, no, really, if you, if I leave New Zealand and I go to Hong Kong or something and I go to the Exchange, can I actually turn this in and they’ll give me other money for it. And they said, yeah, you’re actually legal . . . so I feel like Gulliver.
GMA: And finally, since we’ve had some of your other costars here like Liv Tyler and Elijah Wood, okay, the tattoo.
SA: The tattoo.
GMA: The you guys all got.
SA: Yeah, people are so intrigued by the idea that we did this. It’s just a little elf number nine, it looks like Hebrew or Arabic.
GMA: Where’s yours?
SA: Mine is on my ankle. Hurt like a bear. My daughter was holding my hand the whole time and was like, “Daddy, if it hurts too much you can just crawl under the table with me.”
GMA: And your daughter’s in this movie!
SA: (beaming) Yes, she is. Yeah.
GMA: She is? A little cameo?
SA: She has a little moment at the end. She plays the hobbit Elanor, yeah.
GMA: The tradition continues.
SA: It does. (grinning) Hopefully.
GMA: Sean Astin, terrific!
SA: Thank you.
GMA: Continued success.
SA: Here, I’m going to pay you back. (hands her the NZ coin).
GMA: (laughing) What a guy! Thanks. Come back any time!
You thought we were done on Trilogy Tuesday reports? There’s still more, and here’s some from Canada and Hawaii. These ones contain some spoilers – so beware!
Ringer Entwife Wandlimb, Sacramento
Hi! I got home this morning after 2 a.m. from Tuesday Trilogy in Sacramento, California. My husband and a friend got there at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday to wait in line for good seats for the 1:00 show. There were over 90 people in line ahead of them, and that soon mushroomed as their friends and family arrived and joined them. The Century Theater began seating around 10 a.m. and my husband and friend got good seats. I called on the cell phone when I got there at about noon and my husband came to meet me. There was still a very long line of people waiting to get in to be seated. When I got there, I was able to sit down right after I got the hot dog, popcorn and drink included in my “orc feast.” (It also included pizza and M&Ms, but I was really craving produce — maybe from all the apples and carrots in the films). I did not go in costume and neither did most people, but there was an very good Sauruman, a family in costume including some decent elves and hobbits, and several people in what looked like Renaissance costumes. Arriving too late for good seats were a pair of women who made an excellent Sam and Frodo, including a large pack with pans and hairy feet. They looked appropriately weary (from waiting in line) and rather lost and discouraged (from looking for seats).
Some people had been sitting in the theater for over 3 hours when The Fellowship of the Ring started with a hearty cheer at the sight of the new line logo. The cheering and applause showered all three movies at appropriate parts and was lots of fun. The only problem was when the applause drowned out some dialog. The audience also enthusiastically hissed Grima Wormtongue, and laughed in all the right places (plus a few surprising ones). One thing I was dreading was a running commentary from the audience. This thankfully did not happen. I think the only time I really heard much muttering is when Elrond says to Frodo “Welcome to Rivendell…” dozens of people must have said “Mr. Anderson.” The other time was for Peter Jackson’s cameo in Fellowship when there were a few shouts of “Pete!” On the whole, watching these movies with fans was a real joy.
At the break between 1 and 2, an employee with a good set of lungs announced that she had received an email from New Line and that a New Line rep. would be here to give out frames after the Return of the King at 1 a.m. As people relayed this info. around the theater to their companions, I heard them say “picture frames.” In fact, they were frames of film. Each of us got a souvenir with a frame from each movie. I scanned in the box so you can get the idea. My frame had one of Frodo, one of Sam and one Aragorn and Theoden. My husband’s had one of Sauron, one of Arwen and a shot of what looks like Gondor but is hard to tell. Really, really cool!
At about 9:15, there was a LONG break between TT and RotK — over 45 minutes. This was a good chance for me to stretch my aching legs but really torture since I was dying to see the conclusion! Wandering around the lobby, there was a local news crew filming people in costume. There were quite a few folks in costume since people were there early to see the midnight showings of Return of the King.
When they FINALLY started the projector at 10 p.m., they started with previews, which received boos. People did cheer the Spiderman 2 preview, but everyone was really just wanting to see RotK (by the way, we saw about 4 previews, none of which were for Harry Potter). Finally, RotK started to much applause. Unlike the others, though, the cheering stopped at the Lord of the Rings title and the Return of the King title was met with an expectant hush.
Well, I will conclude this painfully detailed report to say that we saw the movie we all had been waiting for, filed out at 1:30 a.m., got our souvenir frames and were tempted to sneak into one of the midnight showings to see it again.
Ringer Hugh, Vancouver, BC
My experience with Trilogy Tuesday was identical to that already stayed here. I got to wait in the cold with 200 plus other people for 3 hours, then another 2 in the theatre. It was was fun though. Despite it being rainy, windy, and cold, everyone was in high spirits.
The most memorable piece from the night was the audience. They were really into everything, clapping and cheering during eery “heroic” momment. Many involving Sam. The other stand out of the night (for me) would have to be the Sideshow Weta collectible film frame sets they handed out to everyone with a ticket.
I read another readers submission and I would like to say I’d much rather have an actual piece from each movie opposed to a t-shirt. I can buy one of those. This (unless you go ebay) you can’t. The framed film negatives are one of kind, meaning each set is different.
Ringer Lobelia Took, Coquitlam, BC Canada
As far as the three films were concerned – what can one say?! They were incredible! I’ve seen FOTR EE countless times, but it was a wonderful experience on the big screen. While I’ve only seen TTT EE a half a dozen times or so, seeing with such an appreciative crowd really improved the experience. Some scenes were really enhanced in the theatre setting.
But what an experience ROTK was!!!! For the first part I laughed at the humour, during the middle I was gripping my armrest with tension or adrenaline rushes from all the excitement, and for the last part, I cried, then I get myself together only to cry again. I think I cried for 50 minutes straight – sad, happy, tragic, happy, sad – whatever!
But the best part was seeing it with 449 other true fans. They cheered at the great moments in a way no other group I’ve ever scene a movie with ever has. It was a once in a lifetime experience. Thank you New Line.
Ringer Dana, Fresno
Just wanted to report what a super outstanding job Chelsea did as our TORN line leader. We had the 6th largest line party sign up and Chelsea made sure we all had a great time. I got there with my family at 8:00 a.m. Several of us made Lembas and handed out to folks (wrapped in green napkins of course!) as they were standing in line. Chelsea arrived and immediately showed off her well made and very handsome mini-banners (see photos) with the appropriate Middle Earth insignia! The Rohan one was the coolest! I ended up with the Gondor flag.
New Line had sent a bunch of stuff to give out at the line part including Sideshow-Weta busts, medallions, etc. Chelsea as always had a ton of activites and got people involved in order for folks to have a chance at winning. The mood was festive, there was a lot for folks to do and by the time we entered the theatre we were having fun.
The only dark note, and TORN should take note of this, is the way both Chelsea and the fans were treated by the Regal Edwards theatre. I was appalled at their attitude and, frankly, rude treatment of everyone. This theatre was completely unprepared for the event. Not only did they not have adequate concessions (and the only thing to eat basically besides sweets and popcorn was nachos and hot dogs?) but there were long concession lines and clearly understaffed. Furthermore, the refused to let Chelsea originally do any of her fun activities in the theatre itself, telling her because a local radio station was giving away posters etc. she would not be allowed to do so.
She was taken in and “grilled” by the theatre managment about her intentions, and apparently Regal Entertainment backed their theatre’s decision. Chelsea was finally able to do a very small amount of stuff only after the audience was forced to sit through a 5th grade level trivia contest put on by a local radio station, whose announcers had to ask how to pronounce Legolas’ name. In addition some of the folks had their flags confiscated and held and I was told to leave and take my camera to the car as I was taking pictures of one of the skits (there was an hour until the movie started for pete’s sake!).
They told me “I could not have my camera in there at all – no exceptions. I promised them I would take it to the car when we were finished with the activities. No dice. They escorted me to the door. Most of us felt like we were being barely tolerated by the theatre management…
Bottom line is, Regal is getting an email from me and other people in my line party. Chelsea was the epitome of an excellent host and took everything in stride, although she too was completely appalled at their behavior. I just don’t think customers should tolerate that kind of treatment when they are paying $35 a ticket to an event.
Overall outstanding and New Line is to be commended! Enjoyed the event thoroughly in spite if the theatre!
Ringer Diane, Bakersfield, CA
It’s amazing that we even got a trilogy showing here. There were two other theaters in Southern California! I was actually the second person to buy tickets because they didn’t sell online and the phone line didn’t work so you had to go to the box office. For me that is an hour away. I bought four tickets on the day, and then yesterday in line a woman gave me a ticket(!) because her companion had come down with the flu. So my husband was able to come from work, 2 hours away, and join our boys and me. It will go down as one of the most special family days ever!
The Pacific Theater handled it all so brilliantly! They allowed us in at 8:00 am to reserve seats so we didn’t have to wait around the theater all day. They also let us reserve with the tickets, so the boys didn’t have to get up at 6:00, drive down and wait in line with me. I didn’t expect much of a line. In Bakersfield people generally don’t line up.
Until TTT I hadn’t waited in a movie line in Bakersfield since Star Wars in 1977! But people actually started lining up at 3:00 am! And it was darn cold for us thin skinned Californians! I needed to get 5 seats together and there were 200 people in line ahead of me, but we actually got really great seats on each side of the aisle second row. They gave us beautiful lanyard badges with seat numbers and we were free until 1:30.
During the day they had one door open just for trilogy people so we could go in and out with ease, which was really helpful because we had less than 30 minutes between shows. The theater they chose to use had restrooms right across the hall and the snack bar just to the left. Extremely convenient. They gave free refills on popcorn and soda all day long. Our line party leader had arranged fantastic giveaways between shows which is always fun. A lot of people dressed up. The local news showed up and interviewed people. The crowd was so much fun, cheering and clapping through each movie. The excitement was so high by the time ROTK started they were cheering the Feature Presention screen!
They started it at 10:00, which was really great because many people had long drives home, and it took quite awhile to hand out the frames, which was such a great surprise! Snaps to Newline for that! It was so wonderful to see the EE’s on the big screen. Seeing them all together, and without previews or ads, made ROTK so much more intense and enjoyable! I’m so thankful we had the opportunity to experience Trilogy Tuesday!
Ringer Asphodel the PR Hobbit, Columbus, Ohio
I volunteered to do PR for the Columbus, Ohio Trilogy Tuesday line party, so I sent out a news release last week. We were very lucky to get a photographer from the Associated Press to cover the event. (He was amazed at what he saw.) For the record, Scott Davis, pictured in the photo, won the costume contest. And he stayed in character the whole time…12+ hours. He even had a beanbag fish toy that he bashed onto the floor as he sang Gollum’s Fish Song from TTT.
Trilogy Tuesday was a fabulous experience thanks to our Line Party co-leaders Sidhe and Sidley and the many other volunteers involved. By the time I got to AMC Lennox Town Center 24 at 10:00 a.m., there were already about 125 in line ahead of me. It was cold, windy and raining on and off, but line party volunteers were handing out brochures from the newly-formed Ohio Ring Council (“ORC”), each with a sample Decipher card, and hot chocolate. The people behind me in line were very friendly and the time passed quickly as we talked about the movies (they hadn’t read the books yet.) At about 11:15 Bob, the manager, came out and announced how the logistics would work: each of us would get a hand stamp and an incredibly cool “Trilogy Tuesday All Day Pass” on a lanyard. This would get us into the auditorium, as well as get us discounts on food all day. The doors opened about 11:30 and we all made our way into the deserted theatre, feeling very smug and fortunate! I got three unbelievably great seats in the center of the fifth row. My two friends would come later; they were resting at the hotel. (They both have physical problems and we really didn’t know if they’d be able to hold up through the whole marathon.) All of us costume geeks w andered around admiring each other–all in all, about 35 people came in costumes they’d made themselves. We filled up several Toys for Tots collection boxes that the line party had stationed in the lobby. There were also many freebies at ORC’s table. ORC/line party volunteers ran a trivia contest (I won a starter deck of Decipher cards and three booster packs!) while we waited for Fellowship to start.
The atmosphere was electric! As it got closer to 1:00 p.m., people were showing up to see other films. I think they really enjoyed standing in the concession lines with characters from Lord of the Rings!
In the few minutes before Fellowship started, the crowd was bursting with excitement and the talk got louder and louder. Then, the theatre went dark and we all cheered! Mercifully, AMC skipped everything (no trailers, no “visit the concession stand,” no ads) and went straight to the New Line logo. There was another roar from the crowd and then total silence as the film started.
Excitement and tension built throughout the day as the time just flew by. The crowd was like some kind of multi-celled organism–we laughed and cried together all day long. Everyone–and I mean everyone–was kind, enthusiastic, generous, thoughtful, grateful and so happy to be taking part in such a meaningful experience. The theatre management was tremendously supportive (Thanks AMC, thanks Bob the Manager!!)
It seemed like everyone was back in their seats waaay early for ROTK. The line party leaders started playing LOTR trivia again, just to kill time. My friends had brought a package of Keebler elf-shaped cookies, and they gave them to the line party folks to reward correct answers. Leftover cookies were then tossed into the crowd like apples for Pippin.
By the time Return of the King was ready to start, we had whipped ourselves into a frenzy! And we were not disappointed. We cheered each character as they each had their “hero moments.” The loudest was for Eowyn–people involuntarily leapt out of their seats when her time came. We cheered Gandalf and Sam and Aragorn and Pippin and Gwaihir…and we all cried like babies during so much of the film (men and women alike). But it was okay, because we were all in it together.
It’s an experience I will never, ever forget…and I want to thank Tolkien for writing my favorite books ever; Peter Jackson and the best cast and crew ever; all of you at TORN, the best “fan-moot” ever; Maegwen from TORN, and her work on the Ticket Exchange that made my Trilogy Tuesday experience possible; thanks so much to AMC and Bob; the line party volunteers; New Line, the businesses that donated line party prizes, my fellow audience members, and the friends who came with me. Despite their problems with chronic pain, my friends made it through the day thanks to the best pain meds around: escapism courtesty of Tolkien and Jackson et al.
Ringer Almarek, Birmingham, Alabama
This past Tuesday, at only two movie screens per state, New Line Cinema gave an early gift to movie aficionados – an eleven-hour marathon showing of the extended versions of the first two Lord of the Rings movies, followed by the premiere of the final installment, Return of the King. We arrived at 11:30 for the 2:15 showing; we stumbled out of the theater about 2:30 am, tired but thrilled.
An event just for geeks? Perhaps, although the audience ranged from teenage to 50s, only a handful wore costumes, and this was the most polite, savvy audience I’ve ever been in a movie with. Not a single cell phone went off during all three movies. At the dramatic death of Boromir in the first film, not a sound was made by the audience during the sequence – not a cough, whisper, or rustle of popcorn bag or drink. How nice! How rare! At appropriate places during the second and third movies, there was cheering and clapping for our heroes.
The Carmike Summit (Birmingham, Alabama) management and staff deserve great praise. From letting us into the theater early to providing us with (excellent!) food during the breaks to running a brief costume contest, they bent over backwards to make this a special day for us – we appreciate it! As a souvenir, each trilogy “survivor” was given a film cel from each of the three movies – truly cool!
Return of the King has been glowingly reviewed elsewhere, and I concur – the third Ring is golden.
Ringer Pam, Short Pump
I had missed getting tickets originally for it for my husband and me and still offered to help the Line Party at Short Pump with anything, even though I wouldn’t see the films (I already was also Line Leader for Commonwealth 20, so knew would see ROTK on 17th (which did, with family)). Anyway, I dresed up in my costume, my husband fixed my pointed ear tips to my ears and I got my stuff and went to the theater, getting there at about 8:30PM. There was a line already, but I was not that far back in my spot. Met up with the neat people of Short Pump’s Line Party, including Karyn who made our lovely name tags in Tengwar. thank you, Karyn again! I wore mine the next day at Commonwealth 20, with pride!
Those with tickets were let in around 11AM, I think, and I stood by the theater door, waiting for someone who had e-maield me had a ticket I could buy at face value, but wouldn’t be there till about Noon. At maybe around 11:30AM a lady approached me and said that I looked like a real fan of the films and asked if I like to buy two tickets. Well, my husband wasn’t there as since never got the tickets originally he was working and I replied I only needed one ticket.
After a bit she sold the one ticket to me and I went into join the others, who had save me a seat with my pillow (thanks guys again!). Thanks again to that unknown woman (never got her name) for my ticket.
We had a costume contest (which I was the judge, along with another, Bill) and had some neat costumes that won (planned on five, which I had certificates made up and another member of Line got bookmarks to give with the certs), a trivia contest (one for movies, other for the books) and our second breakfast, which people donated breakfast non-perishable items (which it went real well) and got to put in their names for drawing of a basket of LOTR items.
Our Line’s resident hobbit, Karyn (who looked like Frodo it was uncanny and was only one at theater and won costume contest of most hobbit-like) won the drawing. So between that, and being allowed to get up and leave the theater (long as we kept our ticket stubs and our hands stamped with red stamp), which at one point before the movie another member and I went over to Barnes and Noble Bookstore, the time passed well.
Then the movies started and the time passed greatly for us all, esp. when at 10PM ROTK came on. Before knew it 2AM was there and we had to leave, picking up our New Line/Weta collectibles and go home.
All in all, it was a day and night well spent!
Ringer Scott, Hawaii
Our day was just amazing. As all things Hawaiian, the whole experience was filled with Aloha and good-will towards all Tolkien lovers who d come to participate. The event was 99% sold out and by day s end, the entire theatre was packed. The promoter of our event, Pono Shims, started back in early October to make sure that things turned out perfectly for all who participated by sending out an email telling us what to expect on the big day.
I started by waking up at around 6 AM. As I was getting ready, I was thinking to myself, This will be one of the greatest adventures of my life! I excitedly put on my comfiest clothes and prepared a backpack of books, and put a few tid bits to eat in a cooler for my car.
The email told us to show up at the theatre by 8 AM, though I came at 7 to make sure I got a good parking place! I knew super early arrival wouldn t matter since we all knew that the seating priority would be by (first) the day you bought your ticket and (second) next the time you showed up PAST 8 AM. Then your seat would be assigned to you and a lanyard with that seat number issued and would be yours for the entire day. BEST OF ALL, each person had to either show up personally or send a proxy to take their place. NO ONE WAS ALLOWED TO RESERVE SEATS for others by putting a sweater (or the like) on a seat. All was VERY clear, orderly, and most of all FAIR!
At 8 AM, we were lined up according to the day we purchased our ticket, which took about 20 minutes. Then we were filed into the building, our tickets torn and then escorted to a holding auditorium, where we sat and chatted with the people around us. Once we were all inside, we were taken by groups of 20 into the auditorium where we d be watching the films and each person in a group of 20 was allowed to pick their individual seat. I was about ½ way in the line outside and I STILL got a GREAT seat just off to the center of middle section. Only the really late-dated ticket holders had to sit down front (or if the ones who came too late because they didn t read their email close enough to make sure they got there by 8 AM).
After all the seats were chosen, assigned, and lanyards secured, only about 2 hours had passed. Then we were dismissed for the remainer of the morning with instructions to return by 1 1:15 PM (12:00 if you wanted to go to the special LOTR Gift Shop they d set up).
I hung out in the mall until 12, bought some Rings goodies (Trilogy folks got an additional 25% off too). Then around 1, everyone was showing back up in full gear! There were Hobbits, Elves, Wizards, etc, EVERYWHERE! I had only worn my One Ring T Shirt&I felt very underdressed! At 1:15 I took my seat next to my Tolkien family and for the next 12 hours I participated in the cheers, tears, applause and laughter of the LOTR trilogy. Between FOTR and TTT for those who preordered it, there was a special dinner of Rabbit Stew and Lambas bread (it WAS very tasty!). There were film introductions by the Tolkien Society of Hawaii, who issued Kleenex boxes for each row just before the beginning of ROTK and before long they were being passed up and down the aisles as ALL of us needed them! New line was there for us as well. Leaving with my gift of the 3 movie cells seemed a perfectly appropriate parting gift.
It felt so wonderful to be apart of this historic event. There, in the theatre, we were free to experience the trilogy wholly and completely as ourselves. All of us were there – Ring freaks, book geeks, story purists, LOTR movie enthusiasts, old timers, newbies, fans of every age, size, walk of life – to experience together, the complete work of Peter Jackson and final chapter of Frodo s journey. It could not have been a more perfect event.
When I returned home at 3 AM, I got ready for bed, the vivid images still playing in my mind, and as I lay my head on my pillow I thought to myself& I m back !
Ringer Julia, Hawaii
After reading about other’s Triology Tuesday adventures, I just had to write a few words about our wonderful experience at Ward Theatres in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Even long before the movie, the theatre and especially one person from the Concierge Services (thank you so much, Pono!) had gone to great lengths to plan everything and let the fans know about all the details in advance (through a mailing list). Apart from lots of great merchandise offered there was a commemorative t-shirt you could order, and for THE day you could also pre-order a real Hobbit-dinner (“rabbit”-muschroom stew with scones) 🙂
When tuesday finally came, pretty much everybody already knew the procedure. there would be no long lines and waiting outside. Instead, when the doors opened at 8 in the morning people were let inside in order of when they had bought their tickets, first day first. When entering the lobby, everybody was handed an “Air New Zealand” bag with some goodies and a ticket to win a trip to Middle Earth.
Everyboy was then seated top row to bottom in a theatre adjacent to the one that would show the triology. Then, row by row people were led to the “real” theatre and given time to select their seats. Once people selected a seat their name was written on a chart and everybody recieved a cool Triology Tuesday ticket in a little plastic cover (looked like a VIP concert ticket) which also had your seat number and dinner selection on it.
The whole process was very efficient and comfortable… no standing around, no racing for the best seats, no pushing and shoving, and no people taking away rows of empty seats to reserve for others. After a short while everybody had found a seat and we could now come and go as we choose, without ever worrying to loose our seats.
Lots of fans trekked over to nearby restaurants for a second breakfast and hobbits, elfs and wizards were seen wandering all over the mall 🙂 Around noon then, people started returning to the theatre, the merchandaise stand became crowded (with everything at reduced prices for Triology viewers) and TV crews started hunting down people in costume for interviews (hobbits with hairy feet, white wizards, shieldmaidens and even the “royal couple” were amongst those wonderful creations).
Finally, at about 1:45, everybody was back in the theatre and after some opening words from a member of the Tolkien Society Hawaii (thank you Shalane!) it was time for “Fellowship”. What an experience to see the Extended version on the big screen! There were also no commercials or previews shown before any of the three movies, so nothing would distract you from the pure joy of it all. After the forst movie was over everybody who had pre-ordered dinner could head over and pick it up in the lobby. The 30-minute break allowed for plenty of time to eat and stretch your legs before “Towers” started.
With two over, there was one to go and by 10 pm everybody seemed tired (people were sleeping streched out on the seats during the last break) but more than ready for “Return of the King”. Outside, long lines had already fomed for the three midnight showings, but inside, everybody was happy thatwe didn’t have to wait another two hours! The movie itself… what can I say? Apart from it being amazing and emotional it was a wonderful experience to share with all the people in the theatre that night. They were cheers (when Eowyn killed the Witchking and Sam wounded Shelob) and tears (all the way through the long end) and with the other two movies fresh in mind there was a feeling of completeness that was sad and wonderful at the same time.
At the end, picking up the gift from New Line it seemed like a perfect ending to a perfect day. A big Mahalo goes to the staff of Ward Theatres and the Concierge Services for making sure this day would be a a special experience we will always remember.
Ringer Sarkis316, Orange County
The AMC 30 at the block is Orange, CA put on a great show. Everything was extremely well organized and we were well taken care of. There was absolutely zero chaos and for the most part most of the people there weren’t too rowdy during the films.
We got free and heavily discounted food along with a special edition film frame collectible after Return of the King. I don’t want to spoil anything from ROTK but it was a very highly action packed movie with probably more memorable moments in it than either of the first two movies. I don’t think toward the end there was a dry eye in the house. It was tons of fun, AMC did a really good job.
Wow, I’ve only just scratched the surface on these reports – there are so many. I honestly don’t think we’ll be physically able to post them all. Nevertheless, much kudos to everyone who’s written in – here’s a bunch more from places as far flung as New York, New Orleans, Orange County, Arizona and Portland.
Ringer Earl, Tempe, Arizona
Twenty-and-a-half hours, red eyes, and a full heart. An emotionally draining and supremely entertaining experience.
I arrived at Harkins Arizona Mills theater at 5:30 am, but over a quarter of the audience – about 120 – were already there overnight in sleeping bags, tents, and chairs. The auditorium holds on the order of 440, and on infamous Ticket Thursday back in October all tickets were sold in less than 15 minutes, all to people standing in line at this very spot as the computers failed. So we know how to wait in line. I came at 5:30 am because I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. A fellow in front of me who came at 11pm said he didn’t intend to. But he found he couldn’t sleep, so he grabbed his sleeping bag and came on down. One of the line party volunteers I met at 6 am told me she had already been up over 26 hours preparing for this. We are the elite – the geekiest of the geeks, and this is EXACTLY the event we want. Apparently, we literally can’t wait.
Also already on the scene was the first of four television news teams that would cover the event with live reports that morning. People slept, talked, played games, read, or just shivered in the chilly (though not frigid) Arizona morning. My homage to the event was a simple leaf broach and cloak. Many very more elaborate costumes were in attendance including a full-on Gandalf, and a startlingly real Grima. A four year old with cloak and pointy ears was the image of a hobbit child.
To protect the line order and avoid chaos in seating, the theater established that there would be no seat saving. They started admitting at noon, twenty at a time. You picked a seat, got a wrist band with its number, and it was marked off a seating chart. That seat was your home for the next 14 hours. This caused some scrambling for me personally, as my wife had planned to skip the first movie and join me for the Two Towers – clearly impossible with these seating rules. However, since you could exit and reenter the complex as much as you wished, she was able to join me in time to get a seat assignment, then leave. Three IDs ruled our day – a ticket stub (needed to reenter the theater complex), a Trilogy Tuesday card on a lanyard for admittance to the auditorium, and a wrist band to enforce ownership of (and help you re-find) your seat.
A wide variety of food was available at the Mall’s Food Court right outside of the theater, and it appeared that our 440 new customers provided a significant impact on their Tuesday evening business in the half-hour breaks between movies.
FOTR-EE – it was like seeing it afresh – I won’t say like the first time, but with fresh eyes, anticipating the jokes and laughing at them as if they were new, knowing what’s coming, but getting swept away anyway. Cheers at the start and applause at the end, but mostly rapt attention. I see 440 faces in intense concentration – absorbing, becoming a part of what’s on the screen. During quiet parts, the audience is silent – not so much as a popcorn crunch. We – all of us – must have every detail, every nuance. This is active, participatory movie watching.
TTT-EE – even more so. Cheers (louder) start the show. Many, like myself, had not yet seen the Extended Edition, so it was almost like a new movie. From the point of view of watching in a theater, I found the EE edition was better – not because I wanted it to be longer, but the story was clearer, the motivations and relationships were easier to understand. I found myself many times saying “Oh! So that’s why …”. If FOTR was savoring an old, well known master, TTT was learning new and interesting things about an old friend. Also, in many places I found I was thinking, as I had so many times before, that it was too bad I would have to wait so long to see how this or that developed – and reminding myself that I don’t have to! THIS IS IT! I see it all tonight.
ROTK – It’s after 10 pm. The audience has already been at the theater on average for something like 12-14 hours – some much, much longer. So are we dragging? Bored? Complaining? Irritable? None of these. The energy has grown. The anticipation is palpable. Eager, excited faces that you would swear had just awakened. But mostly excitement. THIS IS IT! The culmination of years of anticipation is here in just the right environment. The journey through the first two movies is fresh in our minds, there are no distractions, and the payoff comes NOW! Cheers (loudest) greet the “Lord of the Rings” banner, then really intense movie watching begins. As a body, we say take us away, and away we are taken. We laugh, we cry, we cheer, but mostly we are just there inside Middle Earth. At the end, very heartfelt applause, but even louder cheers come for the first credit – “directed by Peter Jackson”.
After picking up our New Line gift, so many wet eyes, so many smiles. A warm glow of satisfaction and fulfillment. This was an unforgettable, and unlikely to be duplicated movie experience. The thanks start with Peter Jackson and New Line. But also thanks to the Harkins Theater management and to the TORN line party volunteers, particularly line leader Steve Thomas.
Ringer Tish, Washinton DC
Trilogy Tuesday, Uptown Theater, Washington, D.C. The Theater That Turned It Around
TORN covered extensively the many problems that arose with Tuesday Trilogy Tickets to the Uptown Theater, in Washington, D.C. The consternation is understandable for fans who wanted tickets and were thwarted by Fandango foul-ups and problems with the Uptown box office. The Uptown is a renowned venue in the mid-Atlantic. It holds over 800 people, has a 32 by 70 foot screen, a real balcony, a huge, old-fashioned marquee, and, of course, nightmare parking.
The confusion regarding tickets had persisted into the weeks leading up to Trilogy Tuesday. Among other things, it wasn’t certain, because tickets were sold individually, and not as a single set, whether we would have to clear out of the theater after each showing. I’d been concerned by the Uptown in the past — they have frequently seemed to be very unprepared for and caught off guard by the big event movies that always play there. Many were very concerned that the Uptown would not be able to rise to the demands of Trilogy Tuesday.
TORN regulars were really helped by Miriel, our outstanding Line Leader. She and other members came up with great ideas to solve the parking problems, the potential seating problems, food runs, and all other manner of things.
A special thanks is owed to Tom Whittington, managing director at the theater. Under his direction, Trilogy Tuesday went off beautifully. He was obviously aware of the negative reports on the Internet regarding the Uptown and Fandango’s handling of the tickets. He asked specifically that we report on the event. Given their outstanding efforts undertaken, it’s the least I can do. Among other things, the Uptown:
Refunded tickets to people who brought them to the box office on Tuesday!
For weeks prior, would try to complete tickets sets for those purchasers who had been confused and only bought tickets for one or two of the shows, thinking they were getting the whole set!
Let us keep our seats between shoes and did not empty the theater.
Brought in sandwiches and chips for sale between shows.
Had Starbucks provide free coffee in the lobby and free refills on soda.
Efficiently organized the hand out of the WETA/Sideshow Toy desk mount.
Were very lenient about letting people bring in outside food and let them eat it anywhere in the theater.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything they could do about the heat 800 excited bodies generated — it got uncomfortably warm in the balcony. And, the ads and trailers before ROTK were annoying.
And then, there were the moview. Wow.
It was really a great event and those in attendance were really grateful to Tom and the rest of the staff for really making it a great day.
Ringer Lisalas, Michigan
I attended Trilogy Tuesday at the Showcase Cinema West in Flint, Michigan. I’d love to offer my thanks to this theatre and the people there who made this event possible! It was AWESOME!
I planned to arrive at the theatre at 11:30 and go pick up lunch with a friend. The doors were supposed to open at noon. It was raining and cold, and when I drove in the parking lot, the crowd in line was filtering into the theatre early. Very kind of the management! My friend and I still went to lunch and arrived back at the theatre about noon. At lunch we noticed a couple of guys and one was carrying Kleenex and Advil; my friend thought they must be attending the Trilogy also. (She was right, as we saw them there later on!)
We entered the theatre, tickets in hand, and made our way back to where the activity was occurring. A member of management spoke to us about the theatre’s policies. We had to have our ticket stub to re-enter the area where the trilogy was being shown; we also needed it to redeem our free gift from New Line. They also had a menu with LOTR-themed names, such as Gandalf Wizard Wings (hot wings) and Frodo fries.
The theatre opened a second auditorium to show the trilogy, so we were NOT crowded at all. Therefore 800 seats were available for the approximately 388 ticketholders which was very spacious! It was very nice to be able to spread out a bit and not to have to walk past many many people’s knees to get in and out of our seats. It was also good, due to the current flu concerns.
It was wonderful to see the movies with an audience who obviously cared about the movie – clapping, cheering, laughing in the right places, etc… I heard many people conversing knowledgeably about Tolkien and the movies. I would have liked some organized sort of activity to get people bonding. Almost everyone I saw simply talked to the people they came with. An activity led by an audience member or by management would have been helpful in that regard.
I saw a few people in costume – Frodo, Arwen, etc… Not too many; most people dressed very comfortably – a good idea when one will be sitting in a theatre seat for 10 hours or more!
New Line gave us each a gift – it is a picture frame from Sideshow-WETA with a frame from a movie reel from each of the films in it – so 3 total. Mine has Merry, Frodo, and Faramir.
The first film was scheduled to start at 1:15. The second was at 5:30 and ROTK was set to show at 10:00 pm. There were breaks between each film of about 45 minutes. We had enough time to leave the theatre and go get fast food. The actual ROTK film started at about 10:20 due to all the theatre info reels and previews (6, I think!).
I used a lot of Kleenex from my LOTR-decorated Kleenex box – tears falling everywhere! Amazing, but I still cry at Boromir’s death EVERY time. I made it through all of ROTK without needing to visit the restroom, which was very conveniently located JUST outside the theatre door. (Not FOTR or TT,though, lol. I know right where to go in each of those so I didn’t miss much – Wizard Smackdown scene and part of the Warg battle.)
We asked a couple of other theatregoers to take our picture and we also took their photo and will send it to them.
It was heaven to see the FOTR EE and TT EE on the big screen! Once in a lifetime chance! I realized as I was sitting in the theatre that I get to up my count for the theatrical viewings of those movies, which makes 10 for FOTR and 6 for TT. YAY! (I plan at least 11 viewings of ROTK, to exceed my previous record. )
ROTK was wonderful. So many scenes from it are running through my mind today! Planning to go see it again tomorrow.
We exited the theatre about 1:40 to be greeted by some slippery looking snow showers. But I made it home in one piece, and during the whole drive was thinking about the people who were still watching it!
And, yes, my rear end was sore by the end, but it was WORTH IT!!
Ringers -Nevlothiel and Nevwethiel-, Silvercity
On December 16th, 2003, we skipped school and lined up at Famous Players Silvercity Richmond at 6:00 am, about 8 hours after the first people had gotten in line (There were 5 of them, and they camped out!!) It was about 2 degrees celcius. We had our LOTR soundtracks, blankets, gloves, schoolwork, and camp stools to sit on. We were in the line up outside the theater for about 5 and a half hours, although it seemed like 1. We met a lot of interesting people in the line up. Lord of the Rings fans are always SUCH nice people. One lady gave us an extra blanket, and the guy next to us in line gave us The Province newspaper (with RotK articles!) for free!! The doors to the theatre opened at exactly 11:35am (Of course, 5 minutes later than they said!) Everyone rushed in to get a good seat, even though the Famous Players workers told us all to walk SLOWLY.
Our seats were smack dab in the middle of the fourth row from the top. It was awesome!! On the way in, we each got a free collectible gift from Sideshow Weta collectibles. It was a film snippet of each film in a frame. Totally cool!! There were also about a million ticket checks to get into the theater, and the workers kept reminding us “DON’T LOSE YOUR TICKET STUB!!!!” At approximately 1:30 pm, The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Version began. It ran until around 4:45pm. We both cried our eyes out!
After that, we got a 45 minute break to go to the washroom and stretch. It felt as though it went by in 10 minutes!! Anyways, back in the theatre, we watched The Two Towers Extended Version. Once again, we cried our eyes out, even though we’d seen the movie a few hundred times before this!
We got another half hour break in between TTT and ROTK. We were both freaking out, and we started crying before the movie even started! At 10:00 pm on December 16th, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King began. Everyone began whooping and cheering at the top of their lungs. It ran approximately 3 and a half hours. We had tears pouring down our cheeks the entire time, and we even started to hyperventilate. Everyone in the theater cheered for the characters throughout the movie, and we even started some of the cheers! It was just so incredibly intense, you couldn’t help but feel like you were THERE with the characters. It was so sad, and extremely heartbreaking. We just didn’t want to believe it was over! At the end of ROTK, we both got up, faces and clothes soaked with tears, and gave it a standing ovation!!
ROTK was the truest to the book out of the entire movie trilogy. PJ, you did an excellent job on this movie, and that’s the understatement of the millenium. Words cannot describe how amazing this movie is. Our advice to all that have not seen ROTK: BRING KLEENEX!! YOU WILL CRY!! We guarantee it. Enjoy the movie and namarie!!
Ringer Sally, Orange County
I was one of the lucky ones to acquire tickets to Trilogy Tuesday at our AMC Theatre nearby in Orange Calif. Let me tell you that right from the start, it was an excellent experience.
I met up with some Line Party people at a local restaurant for breakfast at 6:30 AM. Met some really great folks and had a small breakfast. My stomach was a little too nervous to do the whole big breakfast thing. Anyway, after a quick breakfast, we headed to the theatre to scope it out. They had told us we could not start to line up until 8 AM. When we arrived, there were about 30-40 people standing next to the official line start, just having coffee. So we got right behind them and had some coffee too. At 8 AM we ducked under the official line marker and started the real line. Security was there and all was fine, no problems. Our theater held 576 people, so being about 40-50th in line was great. While in line, we chatted with all the other Ringers, played Trivial Pursuit and generally had fun. Then about 10:30 or so, the “suits” came outside and started telling us what was going to happen… they gave each of us a lanyard with a very cool “Trilogy Tuesday” picture of LOTR with all the cast. It was really cool, and a great memento of the day. You could wear this around your neck and go in and out of the theatre all day. Very handy for leg stretch time…
When it was time to enter the theatre, they allowed about 50 people at a time, so there was no pushing, shoving or anything like that. None of us granny’s got run over that way. It was all very organized. Very well run, and since this was my first time at this, I wasn’t sure what to expect.
Once in the theatre and you had your seat, all you had to do was ask a neighbor to save it for you if you had to leave during breaks… everyone was super nice about this. Just like I would expect from Ringers.
The FOTR EE started at 1:00 PM, with NO trailers. It was superb. then at 4:30 PM we had a 1 hour break. The AMC offered us hot dogs, nachos and pretzels for $1 all day. A soda was purchased once for regular price, it was re-filled all day for free. Then, at 5:30 PM TTT EE started, with NO trailers, and it also was superb. Big screen and sound is WOW. During each 1 hour break the AMC staff played trivia with us and gave away T-shirts for correct answers… it was fun. Although sitting with 575 other LOTR fans, I didn’t stand a chance of winning… way too much competition! During the break between TTT and ROTK the AMC furnished us with Pizza for free. A cool touch indeed.
Then the grand finale… at 10:00 PM ROTK started, again with NO trailers… although I heard that there was supposed to be trailers but they had “issues” with the projector and didn’t want to waste the time, or risk a riot if they delayed ROTK… not sure which is true. Anyway, it started and it was spectacular. I won’t go into all the details as I’ve read plenty of reviews already today, but it was not a let down. Peter Jackson did not let us down in my opinion. There were missing things, but just like the other two, the EE should pull it all together for us. After the ROTK was finished, I could not leave my seat for 15 minutes… it was that emotional for me. I LOVED IT. Upon exiting we rec’d a picture frame from New Line Cinema, not sure if the whole country got these, but it was a nice touch. Both that and the lanyard will make a great mementos of a perfect day.
The entire day was a great experience and my AMC Theatre (at The Block in Orange) did an outstanding job of making it a truly memorable experience. A huge Thank You to AMC for the whole day.
Ringer Kieryn Baggins, NYC
I just thought I would drop you a note about my experience with Trilogy Tuesday! Three friends and I had been looking forward to this for months, so we were all excited when the day finally arrived.
We were attending the Trilogy at the Palisades Center in West Nyack, NY. Living in NYC, we decided that we would just take the bus. Well we got to the platform at 8:30 thinking that would give us plenty of time to get there. However, when 9:30 rolled around and the 8:45 bus still hadn’t appeared, we started to get antsy.
Being theatre-folk living in New York, we decided that renting a car was out, but if we continued to wait for the bus, who knows when we’d get there! So finally, we made the decision. We went to the nearest U-Haul place and rented a cargo van. Granted there were 4 of us and 2 seats, so a friend and I ended up sprawled out in the back on the nasty floor, ducking everytime we passed a toll plaza or the cops!
Well we arrived at 11:30. Plenty of time to spare. We even got great seats, TOGETHER! Then 1:15 rolled around, and the event began.
It was great to see “Fellowship” on the big screen again… especially being the extended edition. After a 35 minute break, we were back for “The Two Towers”. My friends and I had decided not to see the extended edition because we knew we would be seeing it on the big screen… and we were not disappointed!!
The extended edition of “Two Towers” was incredible! As a fan of the books, I was certainly confused about some of the choices made for the film, but the extended edition made it all clear… especially about the change in Faramir. It was like seeing an entirely new movie, and it was fantastic!!
Then we had a 45 minute break before “Return of the King”. By this time it was 9:30pm and I thought I would be tired… but not at all! I was so jazzed about the thought of seeing “The Return of the King.” I could hardly contain my excitement!
The third installment of the Trilogy was AMAZING! I’m not going to say much more about it for fear of spoiling some of it, but I was incredibly impressed. I never thought that anything could out-do the first two films, but this one blew them out of the water! I was still a little disappointed in some of the choices made for the film, but that was only a very small blemish on an absolutely fantastic movie!
The Trilogy ended at 1:30am, and on the way out of the theatre, we all got commemorative picture frames made by Sideshow Weta. It has three windows in it and in each of those windows is a film frame from the movies (one from each). It was very nice of New Line Cinema to give these to us, and it just added the icing to an already wonderful cake!
Well, we all piled back into the cargo van and proceeded to duck cops once again and head back to the city. We arrived back in NYC around 3am, and we all had to be up in a few hours for work… but it was worth it. Trilogy Tuesday was an incredible adventure for my friends and myself, and we will always remember fondly of our quest into Upstate NY and the Fellowship of the Van!
Ringer Chuck, Hampton, Virginia
I would like to thank Susan and Company at the AMC Theater Hampton for their management of Trilogy Tuesday. Upon arriving at 7:50, there was already a sign indicating what time the theater would open to let us in. After 8:30, Susan came out and informed us that as soon as other staff arrived, they would open the doors to the theaters to get us out of the cold. At 9:30, we were taking our seats. AMC provided a nice lanyard that indicated that we were with the event and provided free refills on large drinks and popcorn; nachos and hotdogs were sold for $1.00.
Once Fellowship started, I noticed immediately an annoying flicker on the screen. I was a little miffed about this, but tried my best to get used to it (in fact, after a while, I did not notice it anymore). Immediately following the movie, the theater recalibrated the projector. They repeated this process just prior to ROTK. The presentation was perfect. In addition, besides the courtesy trailer (The Silence Is Golden Submarine trailer, really funny stuff), they did not show the customary “commercials” or previews. Between the TT and ROTK, they provided 2 slices of pizza: and there was enough for seconds and thirds (seriously, they were trying to get folks down to get rid of the cheese pizza).
But the staff and management of the Hampton Virginia AMC really went out of their way to provide a great experience for us ringers!
Ringer Matt, Seattle
Like the Lord of the Rings trilogy of films itself, this tale shall begin with a brief prologue of grim and dark things, i.e. the ticket mess up. We in the Seattle area hold the Cinerama as our Mecca for movies, an absolutely huge screen, managers that often reply classics, and exactly the right refreshments at the concession stand. However, even despite the mess-up on-line, our beloved Cinerama managed to make things worse by opening up the box office, not telling anyone who was or had been calling and/or emailing in, and thus those who spent hours and hours trying to get tickets were shut out while Joe-scalper could walk up and buy 10 or 20 and subseuqnetly scalp them on Ebay.
The dark ages over, those like myself who managed to get a few honest tickets (one on-line order went through after 7 hours of trying from 3 computers), ventured up to Cinerama at 9:00pm Monday night.
Sixteen hours early, we got our place on the sidewalk, ready to sit it out in the good ol’ Seattle rain and cold. The three of us took turns holding the line while others tried to sleep in their car. We made friends with those before and behind us, and even held their spot while they went for coffee or a shower (some rented hotel rooms across the street). I love this new social thing of “Line Parties”. I feel they’re just beginning to take their true form.
NOTE: Amy and Chris, this is Jessica and Matt (the one dressed up in green and chainmail), and we wanted to know if you’d like to talk in the future, perhaps form a friendship–we really liked you, so if you read this, contact me at golden-fleece@mindspring.com
Back to the tale: It rained off and on, we got soaked of course, and by morning’s light there were a good 30 or 40 people ahead of us (others holding places for their friends). We worked it out with them about who would be going for which seats. The Cinerama being after all full of seats beyond count, ours must have seemed of little importance, being neither renowned as great viewing spots, nor counting amongst the very best sound.
The doors were to open at 11:00am. A Dwarf of Lonely Mountain, clad in full mail and gear, stormed up and down the line pumping (and waking) everybody up. Other good costumes included Aragorn, the Witch-King (on stilts), Denethor, Merry, and other Elves and Hobbits, including two young looking (though they were probably of two or three thousand years) Elf ladies whom I imagine must be magical to have not frozen in their thin cloaks, and two hobbit lasses who sat next to us in the film and were absolutely adorable.
11:00am, and the doors stand closed, as if they were the very gates of Moria. Finally, after the crowd begins to get restless, at 11:15 they open, and doubt as to whether the Cinerama can regain our respect looms in the air.
To their credit, Cinerama planned to assign seat numbers once everybody was settled, so during intermission you kept your spot. However, they started handing out these tickets at 12:45, with a 1:00pm Fellowship start time, which thus did not begin until 1:25 as a result. More doubt cast upon our Mecca’s management. I mean, after all, we sat inside for an hour and a half doing nothing–why not hand out the seating tickets earlier?
But like the battle at the walls of Minas Tirith, the tide kept turning back and forth, as Cinerama had ordered 168 pizzas to feed everybody during intermission between Towers and King. But with 800 seats, everybody got only 1 or 2 slices, albeit big slices, and that was enough. They did hand those out in an orderly fashion, and everybody was happy.
Now, on to the Trilogy itself.
I saw Fellowship in the theater 17 times, and Towers 3 times (I came down with Mono last year and couldn’t get out much), and of course have watched both editions of both films at home several times. So, with little sleep, the first film was somewhat of a trial to sit through, as it was all “been here before, waiting for King”, even though fellowship IS my favorite book of the three volumes. However, this initial wariness invited a different experience altogether, and that I could relate with Frodo much, much more, feeling the burden of the journey he knows that lies ahead, and I kept telling myself, as he must have done, how I simply must keep going.
The crowd was into it–the classic cheer for Lurtz losing his head was only a prelude to the cheers that would begin during Two Towers, and grow in frequency throughout the evening. Towers of course was was more exciting and woke more people up, as anxiety built for King.
And the Return of the King? I won’t give big spoilers for those who haven’t seen it yet, but I will say this: It feels longer than 3:20 hours, but in a goods way. Just as Fellowship did not feel like the three hours it was, but rather like two, King feels like four, maybe even five hours, but it has a relentless pace, and you just cannot take your eyes off it (much like Frodo and the Ring).
This is partially because the film takes its time getting to the Shelob, which I would guess is somewhere late in hour 2, and then the siege of Minas Tirith is all condensed into a huge, single but satisfying battle–the tide does not turn back and forth so much, as it is simply more masses coming in one after another. A bit too much daylight for my taste (I always pictured an endless night filled with siege fires), but that’s a piddy preference.
The film makes you start to wonder how much of King will be left, as the film “must run out of time sooner or later”, but Jackson pulls it all together, quicking the pace. For example, Cirith Ungol is about as short a scene as Bree was, very rushed, and Frodo and Sam do not at all cross paths with orcs inside Mordor (being forced to march once being mistaken for Orcs). I’ll bet those scenes were filmed but cut, and we’ll see them (along with Saruman, who was also cut), in the extended DVD. And the end?
The end?
In Fellowship, most people wept when the Fellowship left Moria and mourned Gandalf, and some cried at the end as well. However, with 800 seats, maybe two or three were not soaked in tears for the last hour of King. It was heartwarming, and the ultimate tribute to Tolkien’s efforts, to see everybody, including macho 19-yo guys who would normally heckle and joke at the screen to cover up their insecurity when facing drama, openly weeping for this tale of friendship, fellowship, loss and love.
We then left, and after 30 hours of the Trilogy, I came home and slept until now, 12 hours later, when I write this report. I apologize for the length.
Farewell, and may the blessings of Elves, and Men, and all good movies be with you.
Ringer arwen_evenstar, line party leader Harahan AMC Palace 20
I woke up at 3:30am in order to get in costume and help my friend put on hobbit hair. We arrived at the theater around 5:00am. There were two people in front of us who had camped out over the night. They told us they got there at 11:00 the night before. My group consisted of three people at the time, so we all rested on the blankets and pillows that we brought.
Around 6:30am, another group of people showed up. We started playing Lord of the Rings Trival Pursuit (I won!).
People slowly trickled until about 9:00am. Then the line got quite long. I meet up with a few of the people who were in my line party and we took pictures.
We were lucky to be allowed in around 11:30. We got the all-day pass from New Line, which we all loved. There was a private bathroom in the back, which we tried not to let get around. The wait seemed to be mostly talking about how excited we all were.
When the first movie began, there was much cheering at the start. The reaction to Fellowship was very possitive. Everyone laughed even after probably hearing the jokes a thousand times. I even smiled thinking about commentary moments. I must say, I started crying as soon as they showed Samwise gardening in the opening.
Anyhow, we got discounts at the theater with out all day pass. $1 nachos, hot dogs, and pretzels with $0.25 extra cheese. We also got free refils all day on drinks and popcorn. Thank you, AMC! Everyone clapped and cheered and the start of Two Towers. It got more in-movie reaction than Fellowship, perhaps because we hadn’t completely worn our EE DVDs yet.
In the second break, we got pizza from Papa John’s. There were four different kinds offered. Everyone was very happy. As happy as I was with free pizza, I could hardly breathe through most of the second break.
The person in charge of the Trilogy for our theater came and talked to us often between breaks, and was always given a round of applause. Before RotK, he gave us one. We had a countdown, and RotK started! We all cheered at the start, and then there was silence. There were cheers, laughs, and tears for most of the film. By the end, I could hear sniffles all around me. I know I shook the entire time and pretty much didn’t stop crying for most of the film.
We all clapped when the words “The End” came up. We took a few more pictures, dried our tears, and went out to get our film frames. I got one with two Samwise pictures, much to my delight! I cannot wait to see RotK again. Thank you so much to New Line and AMC Theaters for this incredible experience. I still feel puffy from tears, but it was worth it!
Ringer Gayle, Colombus
On December 16, Carmike 15 in Columbus, GA opened it’s doors early to fans who waited for the eventful day to begin. About 11am they allowed us to get our tickets. The theater owner (we think) told us the basics and that we would recieve badges. Not just any badge, a Trilogy Tuesday All Day Pass.Each Badge had a orange number and a neck strap. So all 600 people had these badges around their necks the entire time. The orange sticker with the number became the number for the giveaways.
After Fellowship, the theater informed us that Outback Steak house was catering the event and to line up in the four roped off areas when we excited the theater. Outback provided steak, chicken, salad, and mushrooms for all 600 people. Everything was done in an orderly fashion. Then before TTT they threw out t-shirts out to the crowd. Well after TTT Outback provided a dessert of cheesecake to everyone. It was a great evening. Before ROTK there was a costume contest, which a Legolas, Gandalf, Witch Queen (yes a Witch Queen) and another person which I can’t remember walked away with a prize. There were so many other costumes which were amazing. THey are all winners.
They then had another giveaway. First by the numbers on our badges then they just gave them out to random people. My dad scored a ROTK soundtrack. They also gave away posters which everyone recieved one. THen ROTK started! All that could be heard was a couple coughers which I’m guilty of. After the show tables were set up with out gift from New LIne and WETA. THe Film Frames which were pretty cool. Walking out the theater we said good bye to our new friends and to some old friends. Alot of the movie goers attended Dragon Con so it was a pleasent experience. Everyone behaved and there were no problems except for cameras.
Ringer Dave, Tampa, Florida
Hiya Ringers! Heres a brief rundown on a fantastic experience. My friends and I arrived at the theater around 9 am to wait out the first line to get seats. There was about a dozen loyal fans already there and by 10 am the number grew to at least a hundred.
My friend and I were all decked out in our finest Hobbit attire as were a few other very loyal fans. The local press started showing up and interviewd several people including myself.
We even had a photographer follow my Hobbit pal and I all the way to our seats.The mood was great and the excitement was building.By the way, TheOneRing.net was a major topic of conversation.
As promised at 11:30 we were given a brief speech and our very cool all day trilogy landyards. They let us in and started the second stage of the waiting game but the mood was still fantastic.
Around 1pm the excitement reached a peak. The crowd was chanting (It almost sounded like the orc army at Helm’s Deep) and then the lights went down and there was complete silence.All three epics started this way. It was great!
The theatre staff were awesome. We got free refills on dinks and popcorn $1 hotdogs and nachos and $2 pizzas. Between TTT and RoTK 92 (yes, 92) large pizzas showed up free to everyone.
To top off a memorable night we all recieved the very special Sideshow/Weta film cell frames. I am very sad that it is over and would do it all over again. If by chance Peter Jackson reads this… on behalf of many many many lifetime LOTR fans we thank you from the bottom of our souls for bring this epic to life and we look forward to the Hobbit. That’s it for now from Tampa Florida.
Ringer Mama Tiger, New Orleans
We got to the AMC Palace 20 Elmwood theater in New Orleans at about 10:00 a.m., and found at least 50 people ahead of us in line already, at least a dozen in costume of one variety or other. It was a comfortable day, slightly cloudy, so the theater folks told us we’d wait outside till 12:15, but at about 11:30 it started drizzling ever so slightly, so they took pity on us and let us in early. There were a couple of near-no-shows; our neighbor in line was expecting her brother from Lafayette, and it turned out there was a chemical spill on the highway he was coming in on (to avoid the congestion on the freeway!) that shut the road down for two hours. But he made it before the movies started, fortunately! And talking with people in the theater during the day, apparently several people had extra tickets that they were giving away to anyone who wanted them; there was no scalping that anyone was aware of. There were a very few empty seats at the very front of the theater, but probably not more than 10-12 altogether.
It was a no-reserved seats policy; if you got up from your seat and didn’t have someone saving it for you, it was fair game for anyone. There was only one incident of someone sitting in someone else’s seat that I saw, so mostly people settled in and didn’t have any problems. And my daughter needed handicapped seating, which was occupied when we arrived inside the theater, but upon a polite request a couple of nice young men got up and moved back a couple of rows so she could have the seating we needed. It was just that kind of crowd, very friendly and pleasant all the way around.
A young man on the theater staff, Robert, was our host for the day. He came in and made periodic announcements, scheduling and the like, several times before the first show and then between shows. Robert was quite a popular guy; he was greeted with increasingly enthusiastic chanting each time he got up to speak (“Rob-ert! Rob-ert! Rob-ert!”). Before each movie, he had us count down from 10 for the projectionist, which actually was great fun in a completely silly way. The theater also gave us the employee discount on a number of concession items (dollar hot dogs, nachos, and pretzels), as well as free refills all day on large drinks and large popcorn; and Papa John’s provided free pizza at the second intermission. And bless their hearts, they opened the coffee bar (as well as the daiquiri bar — hey, this IS New Orleans!) late in the afternoon. (Nobody had too many daiquiris, however, at least in our show!)
It was a really happy crowd, and incredibly respectful of everybody’s moviegoing experience. Actually, to put it more plainly, it was the best crowd I’ve ever had the privilege of sitting in a movie theater with. During FOTR, a cell phone rang a couple of times softly in someone’s purse — but wasn’t answered, obviously, or the person might have been throttled! — but after that, everyone turned all electronics off and we actually had a quiet theater, with no audible conversation at all, during TTT and ROTK. It was just wonderful to see the movies with a whole theater of people — including a few kids as young as 10 or so — who appreciated old-fashioned moviegoing courtesy!
Our schedule was FOTR at 1:00, an hour intermission, TTT at 5:30, another hour intermission with pizza, and ROTK at 10:00. There were no problems with any of the films, the theater sound was at just the right level, and it was very comfortable stadium seating. We also brought lots of cushions, so I actually walked out of the theater at 1:20 a.m. after having been in my seat basically for 14 hours no more sore than I am after a day at work. My eyes are still a bit irritated today, though, from crying for 20 minutes straight at the end!
The crowd cheered at the right moments for just the right amount of time, and there was lots of quiet sniffling at the end of ROTK, but generally it was so quiet that during one moment in particular in ROTK when the screen goes dark and quiet for a moment, you literally could have heard a pin drop in the theater. Nobody wanted to break the spell!
We floated out of the theater filled with joy and overwhelmed by the magic Peter Jackson brought to the movies. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I want to extend special thanks to all the fine staff at AMC Palace 20 Elmwood.
Ringer Crow, NYC
Being from New Jersey, there was really no better place to experience the Trilogy than in the crossroads of the world, 42nd St, New York City, in this case, at the Loews E-Walk….
The basic experience was the same as most everyone else’s, I gather….there weren’t as many people dressed up as I hoped to see(I saw one guy in chain mail, and that was it….), and more than our fair share of news crews (speaking of which, to the good people at ESPN2: Don’t be morons, write better questions.)….the breaks between films was a bit too long, but balance that out with a complete lack of ticketing problems at the door like a lot of other theaters seem to have had (in our case, as long as you had an orange “Trilogy” bracelet, you could go in and out of the theater at will during the breaks)…..but, the main reason I’m writing is because, since nobody’s written from the NYC Trilogy yet, not too many people know about the surprise we all had waiting for us right before ROTK started….
After Two Towers ended, a voice comes over the loudspeaker telling us to be back in our seats at exactly 9:45 for something special…..second they said that, the speculation began……5 minutes later, it’s agreed, it’s probably a cast member….so, an hour later, everyone’s back in their seats, cameras are setting up everywhere when a new voice comes over the loudspeaker….Gollum’s.
Gollum’s voice, introducing Elijah Wood, Dominic Monaghan, Sean Astin, and, of course, himself….Andy Serkis. And obviously, the second everyone heard the voice, the entire crowd went nuclear with cheering.
The four of them were there only for a few minutes, but, all four of them seemed genuinely humbled by the reception they got coming through the door, and, knowing that we’d just sat through the first two films, and the best one was yet to come, they all had these kinda sly grins seeing how ready we were for ROTK……it was a surprise no one had expected going in, but a part of the experience I doubt anyone will soon forget.
And of course, i must share my thoughts on the film….which is, to keep a long story short (too late), simply that it’s every single inch as great as you’d expect it to be….I personally didn’t cry(came damn close, though), but several others in the audience did…..it’s certainly the most emotionally draining film of the year, and the perfect end to the trilogy….and to have experienced it with a theater full of true fans, along with its predecessors was amazing…. I definitely have to thank the geniuses at New Line who helped set this entire day up….they couldn’t have repaid fan loyalty any better. And Peter Jackson…..you bow to no one.
Ringer Cristy, Portland, Oregon
The Lloyd Center Regal Theatre took great care of it’s patrons. The weather wasn’t very nice and they let everyone in 2 hours before show time. I understand they also allowed the midnight showing Line Party goers in early as well. They even provided a tent for a wedding at the Line Party.
The whole atmosphere was wonderful. Everyone was happy and friendly. It was very much like a huge extended family gathering. We all had at least one thing in common and were really happy to be there.
Seeing the first two films in the extended editions on the big screen was really fantastic. I really love these movies and earlier this year I bought a 48″ screen television so I can always see them on a large screen but it’s still not close to a theatre screen.
The anticipation for Return of the King was palpable. Excitment mixed with a touch of sadness for the ending was very prevalent. The movie did not disappoint for a single second. For me it exceeded all expectation. I felt an absolute wreck by the time it was all over. The tension of the story had me forgetting to breathe and all the crying with sorrow and joy left me completely exhausted.
It would be sick and wrong for this movie to not win every award possible.
It was an exceptionally gratifying experience and I hope it happens again when the extended edition of ROTK is released.
As always, thank you so much for such a great web site – my home page at home and at work. Ringer King of Prussia, PA
After reading some of the other people who had great experiances with their theaters, I feel the need to express my discontent with ours. We arrived at 10AM and we were, surprisingly, let into the theater by 10:30. We were ushered right into the theater where we could find our seats. Our only identification was our ticket stub so that made leaving and reentering a hassle. The only concession stands were in the lobby so we had to show our ticket stub twice to get back to our seats: once when entering the theater hall and again when entering the actual theater.
The theater itself was rather small. I expected it to have been shown on a big screen. . . their midnight only showing was on their IMAX screen for crying out loud! Their seats were cramped and uncomfortable and there was no leg room at all. The theater supplied no food or drinks outside what we bought at the concession stands and the 25 minute breaks between films did not give anyone without a working knowlege of the area any time to order out for food.
Now, onto the films. I am not sure if it was just our theater, or if the films were rendered wrong becasue the first two were blurry durring quick movements. This problem did appear to ahve gone away once ROTK began. Also, no trailers other than one before ROTK. The theater said New Line requested that but I can’t verify that either way.
Our overall experience of Frodo’s 13 month adventure made us feel like we were watching every second of 13 months on screne. It just crept by and I was physically and mentally exhausted when it was over. I’m glad I will be seeing ROTK again tonight at my local theater. I now appreciate Cinemark.
After watching Return of the King (didn’t it rock?!), I came home and watched the preview for it on the theactrical edition of Two Towers. And I found quite a few scenes in the preview that were NOT in the movie. Could these, perhaps, be scenes that will be in the Extended DVD? For your convinience, I have put exactly where they are in the preview. Here they are…
1. Aragorn walking up to an empty throne in Minas Tirith. That must be Anduril in his hand. (1:24)
2. Aragorn saying to Gandalf “He has gone unchallenged long enough.” (1:35)
3. Merry kneeling before Theoden as Edoras. (6:15)
4. Merry taking Pippin’s hand and saying “We shall see the Shire again.” (10:35)
5. Finally, Gandalf and Pippin apoun Shadowfax riding out to meet the fell beast in Minas Tirith. (11:41)
One more thing I’d like to point out. That scene where Arwen returns to Rivindell and says “You have the gift of forsight. Tell me what you have seen” was in the TTT trailer but ended up in ROTK. Hmm..
The server has been under seige for the past 48 hours, I swear! In any case, we are slowly trundling along, posting thing as and when we have time. Here’s a bunch more Trilogy Tuesday reports for everyone to read. Thanks to everyone who has been writing in!
Expect more soon, and hopefully some pictures as well!
Ringer Jennifer, Washington DC
After the great ticket debacle in DC, I was expecting Trilogy Tuesday in DC to be similarly chaotic and frustrating. Rumor had it that because tickets had been sold individually for each movie rather than as a package we would be required to exit the theatre and line up anew for each film. The Uptown holds 800+, so needless to say that would have been disastrous.
Things went wonderfully. The highest compliments must go to the Uptown’s management and staff, who clearly thought about their situation and came up with a simple and easy solution. They had buttons bearing the words “Trilogy Tuesday” which they gave to those of us with tickets for all three shows. That button, along with our three ticket stubs, allowed us to stay in the theatre between each showing, keeping our seats, and to exit and enter the theatre during the breaks to get food, drink, etc. They even brought in a cart full of sandwiches and other lunch-type foods between FOTR and TTT.
We also got a freebie collectible from Sideshow Weta, three film cells, one from each of the movies, set in a lovely grey frame decorated with dwarven, elven, and Gondorian emblems. Whoever was responsible for this incredibly nice thank-you to the fans, thank you!
And the movies, of course, were fabulous. The Uptown only has one screen, but it’s curved, huge, and perfectly proportioned for wide screen. I was up in the balcony, where there is no such thing as a bad seat. We had no problems with the projection or anything else, and except for the fans booing every advertisement and trailer that came between us and “Return of the King” there was nothing but cheers for the theatre management and the films. Truly a party of special magnificence.
Ringer Brielle, Unknown Location
I had planned to go line up for this incredible event at 6:30am. Unfortunately, certain circumstances prevented me from doing so. I was very disappointed, but at 10:30 I made my way into the theatre. As I walked in the usher took my ticket, ripped it *carefully*, stamped it, stamped my hand, and gave me a special gift! It was a Film Frame Collectible by Sideshow Weta! It’s basically a plaque with three unique and authentic film strips in it! I was very excited!
When I got into the theatre all the seats in the middle front section were taken, but I found a group of four seats together at a little to the right of where I wanted to be, but still great seats. So I set down my coat on the other three seats and waited for my friends to arrive. At 12:30 the manager announced that we could only hold seats until 1:00…but that was okay because my friends had arrived already!
The atmosphere in the room was incredible! Everyone was quite friendly. Several people were dressed up, but not as many as a I was expecting. Before the movie started, a local tv station came to cover the event. They interviewed lots of people and stayed for about half an hour! When the movies began everyone cheered and clapped. Each movie got a hearty round of applause at the end. People laughed at the right places and it was just so obvious that they were excited to be there!
There were no previews before The Return of the King was shown which I was quite thankful for, because I think it would have wrecked the atmosphere a bit. Several times during the movie the whole audience burst into applause at the heroic acts of the characters. I found myself bawling from quite early on in the movie. 🙂 It was just so powerful.
Well, that’s all for my report. I can’t wait to see it again!
Ringer ShelaghC, Chicago
The folks running the house at this AMC were collectively one class act.
The first thing you got when you handed in your TrilTues ticket was a souvenir lanyard to hang around your neck – along with an explanation that it would afford you a discount on most of the concessions and in and out privileges all day long. They also were giving free refills on large sodas and popcorn.
The management was willing to let people keep their movie tickets as additional souvenirs (so long as management could write a note on the back of the ticket indicating you’d already received your lanyard).
There was a film crew handy and an emcee for the day and they stuck it out with us all the way through.
The doors were opened at 10:15 for seating rather than the original 11:00 stated. While they did play all the regular promos (though not any trailers) before before and between movies, management was nice enough to turn up the lights and down the sound until right before each movie started.
And after TTT, what must have been a busload of pizza was delivered, free to anyone with a lanyard.
Outside the auditorium, on the first floor of the theatre, a local theatrical troupe, the Free Associates, entertained with snippets of their currently running improvisational parody of LotR “Frodo A Go-Go.”
Theatre crews came in efficiently to clean up between showings. The host of the film crew selected a volunteer from the audience to push the button on the projector to start TTT. However, the same honor for RotK went to the man who was first on line sometime Monday night (around 11:00PM) for the whole trilogy event.
Everyone involved with the theatre seemed either thrilled or amused to be present for our 15 hour party.
All in all one of the greatest movie-going experiences I’ve ever had.
Ringer Dave, Spokane
Amazing…
AMC treated us like family. We were given pizza during the second intermission, a lanurd, the gift from New Line and everyone in the theatre was great. A woman, Karen ?, flew in from Australia and dressed like Eowyn…exactly. The crowd cheered at the right times, stood at the right times although I was a little irritated by those telling us to be quiet – “We missed a line”. The cellphone ringing during FOTR was agreed to be the low point of the night — all in all, wondrous. This had to the best theatre experience I ever had.
Ringer Josh, Kansas
It was one of the greatest experience in my life and it was well worth the wait and the money for the tickets. The movies were outstanding on the big screen and it was great to see the extended editions on the big screen followed by this year’s best picture Return of the King. The way this event was handled made the movies that much better everything went off without a hitch which was very nice.
Despite the cold and having to wait outside for about 2 hours which was shorter than some of the others in line it was great talking to people. Once we got inside and could warm up a little meeting some of my fellow Line Party people was another great thing in a great day. The way that the staff and management handled us was great because they made us feel special by having everything roped off for us, having special concession prices and having great pizza their as well was again another great thing.
The breaks between the movies were nice because then all the fans could talk about what they thought so far and talk about what was coming and the anticipation that went with waiting this whole time. Also, in addition to the great service of the theater staff, I would like to thank New Line for the great gift to help commemorate this greatest of events. I will always have great and fond memories because of the way it was handled by all parties, and being able to spend it with such special people including my dad.
Ringer Noumette, Montreal
I went to Tuesday Trilogy at Paramount in Montreal. I was supposed to go there with 2 friends, one a great fan of LOTR, the other who discovered it through us. Given that I was working, taking my afternoon off, and they didn’t have to work or had no school, I was counting on them to save me a seat. I had already asked one of them when they would turn up at the theatre, and they had replied they would be there early and that yes they would save me a seat.
Turns out, the night before, one of them called me to tell me at what time they would show up. I was already in bed at the time, and hearing that they would show up there like only 2 hours before the movie totally drove me nuts. I was like thinking what on Middle-earth are they thinking??? I started to get nervous. 30 minutes later, another friend called me, to tell me that she had seen ROTK at a mediatic premiere, and that she had just gotten home. Again, she was introduced to LOTR by me, and she calls me her LOTR encyclopedia. She saw both FOTR and TTT with me, so that she could ask me the questions afterwards. And there she is, Monday night, calling me, to ask me question about a movie I had not seen yet, that I had been looking forward to see since like forever. How cruel is that? I almost hung up on her, so much I was frustrated…
Well, I slept barely 4 hours, had to run to work for the morning, wondering why I was even bothering in going there, why not take care of my seat myself. So I went to work, and stayed there only 3 hours instead of the 4 that I had planned on doing.
It felt as if I were on a quest of my own, as if I were on the Caladhras, trying to go over the snow (we had a big snowstorm in Montreal, on Monday), to reach the bus stop before the bus passes by. To my horror, the bus was there before me, and it was about to turn, and I was on the wrong side of the street, and I was like ‘Oh my God!’. The bus driver saw me, saw me struggle, and well, he stopped, and signaled me to come. It felt like I was picked up by Gwaihir, and then dropped again on a mountain of snow, having to dodge filthy Orcs blocking my way on the sidewalk to Paramount.
I arrived at Paramount at around, feeling desperate, because it was 11h15, and I was sure there would be a huge line up. I arrive there, there were 8 people! I was like ‘wow, us Québécois are really reasonable about that? What’s up with that?’ So I wait, chitchat with people there. And then, someone said that there was another line up inside. So I asked someone to keep my spot, and went inside, and sure enough, one of my friends was there waiting. So we both agreed that she’d stay there and I’d stay outside, in case if one door opens before the other. What frustrated me a lot, and lot of the other people who chose to wait outside, sure that the Paramount people were going to open first the door for those who have more merit, that is, those who waited outside… well that’s not what they’ve done!!! I thought it was insulting. Not as insulting as what happened to the people who were hoping to see the 3 movies in Ville Saint-Laurent, organized by Xoanon (remember the rude letter from Alliance Atlantis?), but still, I felt it was a lack of respect towards their patrons. Well, so there we were allowed inside, so we went upstairs, only to find out that there was already a line up of people upstairs, who had been left inside, just a few minutes before we (those who were waiting downstairs) had turned up. Another set back, really…
I sound like I am complaining a lot, but from the moment we finally got in, things started to improve greatly. There were still hardship ahead, like sitting for almost 12 hours, which was hard on some parts of our anatomy, but well, those difficulties were quite all right. As we were giving our tickets to the ushers, there was a manager handing in a gift to each of the attendents. It was from the Sideshow Weta people… It was like a sort of memorial stone, with incrusted in them, 3 stills, with a scene from each of the movies. My friends and I compared them, and we all had different scenes. That was very cool. On mine, I have a scene of Elrond’s Council from FOTR, Helm’s Deep from TTT and Perigrin Took from ROTK. That was a nice gift, very much appreciated. Miraculously, my friends and I managed to sit together, on the very last row, towards the middle.
We ate a bit, and chitchatted with some people. Then FOTR began. Before both FOTR and TTT, when we had trailers from other movies, both time we had the ROTK trailer, which, in the first round, really got people excited. So FOTR began, and it was cool to be able to see the Extended Edition in theatre. I had a bit of a hard time, because I nearly fell asleep thrice!!!!!!! It is not surprising, given that I hadn’t slept much the night before. Anyway, that started me to get nervous. If I was feeling like that, how would I feel during ROTK? Anyway, given that I had seen FOTR like thousands of time, it was ok, as I know it all by heart. That feeling of sleepiness revisited me during TTT, but not too much, as I was busying myself with eating popcorn from my ROTK plastic popcorn container.
During the break between TTT and ROTK, my friend and I went to take a walk to stretch our legs. We spotted line ups for the midnight show of ROTK. We saw a girl with a shirt saying ‘I survived Helm’s Deep’, which really gave us a blast. We were laughing so much, saying that we should make ourselves a ‘I survived LOTR Trilogy Tuesday’ t-shirts, that we had more merit than only surviving Helm’s Deep *lol* We went on with our walk, and saw a friend of ours who was sitting on the ground in one of the line ups. We teased him badly, saying to him that us, we had only 20 minutes to wait before seeing ROTK, and he still had 2h30 to wait. And that we would be in bed by 2h30, and he wouldn’t be in bed before 4h30. Ah, we are cruel friends, indeed!
So after a last trip to the loo, we went back to our seats, and when the lights went out, everybody cheared. There was an effervescence in the room. It was great to be there, and cheer on what we saw, laugh all together, getting scared together, it was fantastic.
All in all, I was very much happy with the movie, yet a bit disappointed by some of the lack of resolution I felt strongly with some of the characters. But well, I know very well that Peter Jackson is making great extended editions that clear up the feeling. I just know that I have still a few more months before seeing that version of the movie. Can’t wait.
One would think that the hardships were done. Well a friend and I took a cab to go back home, and we had an accident. Nothing to upsetting, no one harmed. But well, it caused a bit of delay before I could reach my bed, and say, like Sam, that I had returned home… ah well… that’s life…
Cheers everyone, and for those who haven’t seen ROTK yet… look out for that amazing stunt by Legolas! That was like… woah…
Ringer Elric, Minneapolis
My co-worker, Sarah and myself attended Trilogy Tuesday in Minneapolis (actually Edina, a suburb). We arrived about 10:00 for the noon start time. The line party folks were very well organized by the “Council of El’dina”. Geek Heaven! Each ticket holder got a numbered badge on a string to hang around their neck, plus a costume contest ballot and some sample trading cards from a local comic shop. We were 309 and 310 of 420 total.
We started filing in at 11:00. Everyone was very good about not trying to jump ahead. Three separate checkpoints checked our tickets before we were issued laminated badges and let in the theater. We got 3rd row center, which is a little close for my taste, but the sound was great. FOTR started about 15 minutes late because of long concession lines, but once it started, it was magic. As always, there were little details in FOTR and TTT that I had never caught before. Sarah had never seen the EE versions, so she enjoyed that very much.
For the intermissions, the staff got us 20% discounts at several restaurants, and we were given free concession drinks before ROTK. They also had a silent auction for the official Trilogy Tuesday banner (which was never hung in the theater) and raised $250 for a local charity. The staff was great. Thanks Megastar 16!
After ROTK, I felt completely emotionally drained. What a journey! The real world outside the theater felt alien after being immersed in Middle Earth for almost 11 hours (especially at 1:30 AM when it’s single digits and your car is covered with ice).
I need to see ROTK at least a couple more times. Sitting so close, there were many times when I was so overloaded with imagery that I couldn’t take it all in, particularly during the battle of Pellenor Fields. Unbelievable!
The souvenir film frame was a nice touch. A forever reminder of the day. Thanks PJ for the magic and New Line for the guts and the cash to make it happen.
Ringer K, Columbus
Well folks, WOW, what a day!! You know the films were amazing (and glitch free throughout) but I have to make a comment or two about the fine folks at the Columbus Carmike 15. They did a superb job!
The Columbus Carmike 15 is the city’s newest theatre. It opened the first week of November and everything about it is fresh and new. The theater sat 615 – stadium style – without question the most comfortable theater I ve ever been in that’s saying a lot for 12 hours in a theatre seat! The screen was HUGE – I wouldn’t even venture a guess as to its dimensions. The staff was excellent throughout the evening, even though ticket holders began arriving at 9:00 am.
Between FOTR and TTT Outback Steakhouse catered dinner Sirloin, grilled chicken, salad, drinks OUTSTANDING and no additional charge! They then followed it up between TTT and ROTK with dessert (cheesecake). I know I speak for all 615 of us when I say THANK YOU Outback!!!
The extras included giveaways, drawings and a costume contest. It was ringer heaven. All of this went on in between episodes of the achievement that is Peter Jackson s Lord of the Rings.
Many, many thanks to everyone involved. It was a day none of us will ever forget.
Ringer SMarshall, Unknown Location
I was very happy with how the theater that I went to handled this event. I arrived there at 10:45 and found that they were already letting people in. Sadly, I was one of those people that wasn’t able to purchase tickets when they first went on sale, and ended up getting them off of Ebay (for a very decent price I might add).
So now I was stuck waiting for the seller to arrive with the tickets. Imagine my despair as I watched group after group arrive and walk into the theater. All I could think of was how bad our seats were going to be. Finally, we get our tickets (about 11:30) and begin the long walk to what I was sure was going to be the back row.
But it turns out our theater had a nice little surprise, while they had only sold tickets for two theaters, they opened up four, so that everyone would have enough room during the long day ahead. Ticket holders were allowed their choice of which theater (pick of two, based on original theater number on ticket) they wanted to sit in. I thought that was a very nice touch.
Ringer Darcie, Edmonton, Alberta
Hi, I see you’ve been recieving information about the Trilogy Tuesday event. I thought I’d send in my 2 bits worth of news.
Arriving, I found there was no line up, the poles weren’t even set up, and the doors wide open. The people accepting the tickets, let us in to obtain our seats. As soon as we got inside the theatre…to our dismay, all the seats were taken, with the exception of 1 or 2 here and there. People were just coming in, throwing jackets, pillows, etc, on lots of other seats and claiming them from there own…when there friends hadn’t arrived till just before the first movie started.
This is my only peeve about the whole Trilogy…I feel the doormen, should’ve had a line up and started seating about a half hour before the movie started, that way, those who actually showed up, would be gauranteed seating. Never having the chance to reserve seating with their property.
Nevertheless, I loved the whole experience. It was worth the 12 hours I spent at the theatre, and the 50 dollars for the price of the ticket. I’d do it again…the crowd went wild every time the movies began. All the love seens, and heroics recieved applauds.
They had a contest for best dressed ringer…it was cool, there was 2 eowyn’s, 2 nazguls, 1 frodo, 1 bilbo, and 1 Gandalf, who looked like the real thing and he won a black leather Recliner Sofa and actually got to sit in it during the course of the Trilogy showing. They had a draw for another Recliner. But, everyone walked out a winner. The participants recieved gift certificates (can’t remember what for), and all the movie goers at the end of the ROTK was given a LOTR memento. It was a little stand with 3 screen caps cut from the three LOTR films. All in all, very much enjoyable…aside from my body trying to go to sleep, and me fighting the whole way through.
Ringer Brian, Uptown Theatre, Washington DC
I’m happy to report that after many snafus with tickets at this location, for all of us who held tickets to all three shows in the trilogy it was a tremendous success! The Uptown deserves to be commended for responding to criticisms and fixing the problems. No one was forced to leave the theatre between shows.
They brought in very reasonably priced sandwiches to help feed people between shows. They gave us all Trilogy Tuesday buttons and distributed New Line’s promo gift. And the staff was courteous and helpful.
Plus, with the biggest screen on the East Coast, the films were incredible! A very memorable event. The only nit was that they were probably contractually required to show previews and commercials before Return of the King. Gosh it would have been nice if those had been cut out.
Ringer Rachel, New Orleans
I took my mom to the trilogy yesterday — it was her birthday present. Appropriate, huh? We went to the AMC 20 in Harahan, LA, the New Orleans area showing. We got there at about 10:15 and waited in line until 11:30ish, when they went ahead and let us in. We’d been told on the phone that they wouldn’t let us into the theater until 12:15 but I guess they decided they didn’t want us milling in the lobby, so we were allowed in. We got these really neat passes on lanyards to wear for the day — they netted us discounts on a few concessions, and obviously were our ID for getting into the theater. It’s a great souvenir.
We didn’t get to label our seats as another reportee said they could, and in fact the stated policy was that you could only save seats if somebody from your group was watching them, but that was very well respected. There was a minor dispute about a seat in front of us that was quickly and quietly settled with no apparent hard feelings.
During Fellowship I heard a few cell phone rings (AAAARGH!) but before Two Towers, Robert the announcer (who probably begged for the job, I would have!) reannounced the cell phone policy — off or on silent if you must have it on, duh! — and there were no further rings. This was possibly the best theater crowd I have ever seen. Everybody wanted desperately to be there and to have fun and to not annoy other people. Between shows the theater had staff going up and down picking up trash from people to try to at least keep ahead of the mess, and between Two Towers and Return of the King we got pizza. Considering the number of people there, the pizza was passed out remarkably quickly and smoothly and was very welcome at that point. I’m sure the guy from Papa John’s in charge of the pizza delivery never expected to get a round of applause for being a pizza guy; I think he was amused, as was Robert, who I’m sure never expected applause for working at a theater! I, too, would like to thank everybody at the theater for their hard work on our behalf.
The combination of a great — nay, fabulous — crowd plus the staff who handled everything SO smoothly made for an incredibly fun time. We laughed, we cried, we cheered, we jumped (huge spiders are scary!); during one particular quiet moment in ROTK, you honestly could have heard a pin drop, I don’t think anybody was even breathing.
I’m sure this was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences. I’m thrilled that I could go, lack of sleep or no lack of sleep!
Ringer Steve, Seattle
Trilogy Tuesday in Seattle, WA was at the Cinerama, a single-screen theater (not a multiplex) that held 808 people. I arrived with my buddy from work at around 7:15 am (we thought we were crazy going so early, but during the drive to the theater we kept hearing live reports on the local radio news talking about long lines, or around the block already, which just made that drive feel like it was taking forever). Fortunately, “around the block” to the news was just from the side door of the theatre down to the corner and around it. So, we got our place in line and we sat in the rain and waited the 4 hours until the doors opened.
I’m not that familiar with this theater, and can’t imagine marathon events are that common, but it felt like this theater new exactly what they were doing. Before the doors opened, they walked the entire length of the line (end to end, about 1 1/2 blocks) announcing what would happen. They would let us in at 11:00, and then at 12:45 they’d give out a card identifying our seat so that it was then reserved as ours for the duration. The first show would go from 1pm to 4:30, the second from 5:15 to 9:00, and the final from 10:00 to 1:30am. They would have $1 hot dogs and nachos, and between the second and third movies they would have free pizza. Finally, they told us that after the third movie they would be giving everyone a gift. (Our current theory is that New Line was funding these discounts and free food as a way of trying to make up for the ticket purchase fiasco – does anyone know for sure).
They did let us in just after 11:00, and I was dismayed to find so many seats already taken when we got in there (this after we had waited 4 hours). After scoping out a couple spots on the main floor, I held them while my friend took a chance run up to the balcony where he found front row seats. Decision time: main floor 4th row (crane our necks for 12 hours) or front row balcony (view that might be slightly blocked by the railing). We chose the balcony, and it ended up being the most excellent seats! (once the curtain opened, the screen was higher and only slightly blocked if we leaned back in the chairs).
There was only one real snag of the event, and that was the passing out of the seat reservation cards. Instead of taking 5 – 10 minutes, we wait 15 minutes, then 30, and us along with many others still didn’t have ours (and the first movie start was being delayed). Turns out some of the staff had accidently dropped the sorted tags, or otherwise tangled the strings (we could wear then around our necks). But give credit to the Seattle crowd. Not any complaints, and myself and a few others jumped up to help sort the tags and quickly finish handing them out. The movie finally started around 1:25pm. But, they just shortened the intermissions a bit and got us back on track.
Once the shows were going, things went nicely. The crowd would cheer at the day’s first sight of popular characters, and again after any spectacular sequences. It was a lot of fun! (addendum: I got to see RotK again this morning as part of a work moral event – talk about a dead crowd). After a slow cooking start, there were plenty of the $1 hot dogs. There seemed to be plenty of pizza (162 large pizzas only cut into eighths instead of traditional tenths, and I think most everyone that wanted were able to get two pieces). A rep from New Line announced what the gift was before the third movie started, and then they even started the last movie 10 minutes early to give time to hand out the gifts afterwards. They just warned that once you got your gift at the door, you would be leaving the theater and your trilogy experience would be over – in other words, no confusion at all – a very smooth operation!
If there are any more movie marathons of any sort to be had, I sure hope the Seattle Cinerama gets to host them!
Steve
P.S. I have yet to identify the cel frame for TT and RotK in my gift, but my FotR frame is of Frodo hiding behind the column with the cave troll looking around it – cool!
Ringer Joe, Indianapolis, Indiana
A little report from the Kerasotes Showplace 16 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Many people woke up that day and headed off to stand in line at Trilogy Tuesday. I stayed in my home and cooked myself breakfast for what I knew would be one of the most exciting days of my life. I arrived around 11 and was given a stamp on the inner part of my wrist that read PLA. I was told that there were two pieces of paper marked and I should take one just in case someone would take my seat and I could verify that I was there first.
Confident in keeping my seat, I headed out to lunch. I arrived back around 1:30 and was told that there were limited popcorn buckets and cups only for Trilogy Tuesday ticket holders. The manager then held a giveaway on who had driven the furthest and who had paid the most for their ticket. Coming in second with $255 the day just kept getting better.
The intermission between the first and second films was 30 minutes and I headed out to my car to get a little nap so I would be good to go for the rest of the day. The Two Towers was again magnificent just as it was a year ago. We had an hour and a half between the second and third film. I got some food and when I came back I had found that they had given away flyers for Weta Workshops.
We then were told that in honor of Trilogy Tuesday that we were going to recieve picture frames with a piece of film strip in it. We were then asked if we were ready for Return of The King and all 300 fans went bezzerk. The film seemed to almost bob up and down but was fixed quickly. It seems all had trouble with the film that day. It was the best. It was great to see all three movies back to back but was sad to see it all end.
I have been counting this moment down for four years and last night I didn’t want it to end. I did my best not to cry during the movie but did catch some tears here and there. I pretty much lost it on the way to my car. I can’t concentrate today and I feel like a piece of me is missing. I just want to thank the actors, the crew, New Line, and Kerasotes for the great day they made it. They truly understood how much it meant.
Ringer Spy Tig shares her report on the goings on at the Uptown Theater in Washington D.C.
Trilogy Tuesday’s capital location, which by the way is a horrible pun, has been anticipated as the chaotic apocalypse of ticket troubles.
The problem began between Fandango and the actual theatre itself. Those who had stood outside the Uptown for hours could only buy “series” tickets, which were to all three shows. However, Fandango began selling single tickets… (some to an Uptown hundreds of miles away) Thus, the mess became apparent. As the weeks passed, rumors were whispered that fans would have to file out after each show, then standing in line all over again. This, of course, is a big pain in the rear, so you can understand just why many of us were not too happy about the experience as we thought it to be.
But what happened was actually quite contrasting to the preconceived notions.
The line to file in for FOTR started the night before, and by the time I arrived, had reached roughly a hundred or so bodies. Members of the official TORn line party attempted to secure spots in the front of the line for party members, but failed after complaints from fellow Ringers. But despite a longer wait, I was quite pleased with the conditions outside. Everyone shared food, laughs, and even trivia games to pass the time. There were many skilled costumes throughout the line, which enticed various press. (I keep in mind a particular hobbit crazy enough to go about with bare feet on the snow.)
To ensure that the people with three tickets were differentiated, the staff adorned each of us with huge pins. This way we could be easily identified and not kicked out after the show. Around 1 pm, we were allowed inside. By this time, management finally decided to let us in on just what they were planning to do with all nine hundred of us. Much to our surprise, they stated that we would NOT be kicked out after each viewing. Those that held tickets for all three could remain inside. However, those with a single ticket had to wait outside in line for the movie to begin. No one complained about the procedure, as we were all pretty happy that we wouldn’t have to relocate time and time again. They even sold sandwiches in between the first two films to lessen the “outside time” (for a price of course).
Despite a few glitches in the film itself (random dialogue spurts, possibly a skipped scene), all of the fans thoroughly enjoyed the event. Everyone applauded, cheered, cried, and yelled in all the same places. It was truly a masterful and momentous occasion where a thousand bodies were bound into one roaring ultra-geek. Trilogy Tuesday was spectacular, and I can confidently say that it made up for many of the ticketing woes in the beginning. (No doubt the WETA film cells eased the pain!)
