Many abandon malls for 'Lord of the Rings'

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

With apologies to J.R.R. Tolkien, even the great wizard Saruman couldn't have raised an army as daunting and determined as this.

J.R.R. Tolkien fans, many dressed in "Lord of the Rings" finery, yesterday celebrated the midweek, pre-Christmas release of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" at O'ahu theaters. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

At Signature Theatre's Dole Cannery 18, fans lined up as early as 6 p.m. Tuesday for the midnight premiere. Thousands more packed Consolidated Theatres' Ward Stadium 16 and other theaters to see the second installment of the Rings trilogy.

The unusual midweek release meant an early holiday celebration for Rings fans, and brothers, Raymond and Kingston Yuen. All they wanted for Christmas were their two front seats.

"I don't care what we have to do," said Raymond Yuen, 20. "We're getting in.

"I've been waiting for this all year. I've had this date pegged on my computer, my calendar, my Palm, and everything."

Kingston Yuen, also 20, was so determined to see the movie as early as possible, he didn't even think twice about the final exam he had early the next morning.

"I brought my books with me so I could study in line," he said. "But so far, I haven't done that much studying."

The Yuens showed up at Signature Theatre's Dole Cannery 18 around 9 p.m. only to find hundreds of even-more avid fans already in line.

"That's OK," Raymond Yuen said. "We like the front-front seats and people don't usually go for those first."

Joe Cuculich, Hawai'i district manager for Signature Theatre's, said about four times as many people turned out at the chain's Pearl Highlands 12 for the midnight premiere of "The Two Towers" than for last year's premiere of "The Fellowship of the Ring."

Midnight viewings in the theater's 420- and 260-seat auditoriums were sold out; another 200-plus-seat auditorium was about three-fourths full, according to Cuculich.

Cuculich said advance ticket sales were steady for yesterday's showings, and at least 20 people were in line waiting for the box office to open yesterday morning.

Jeff Lujan and his 20-year-old son, Damian, last night showed off their Hobbit feet at a Manoa party celebrating the "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers," the second film installment of the trilogy by author J.R.R. Tolkien. Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser

Sambor yesterday hosted a Rings-themed party at her Manoa home — dubbed Minas Sambor for the occasion — as a warm-up to seeing the film.

The gathering was planned by Sambor and other Tolkienites Barbara Kahana and Linda Brogan and included a buffet of Hobbit favorites (potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, mushrooms, sausages, and mounds of crispy bacon), and a viewing of "The Fellowship of the Ring." About a dozen people, some in costume, showed up for the party, another 15 or so for the group viewing.

For games, participants were asked, among other things, to compose limericks, personal ads and original poetic compositions based on language, characters and images from the books.

Sambor and friends take their "love of the rings" seriously, as evidenced by the trivia contest — which asked things like, "What is Gollum's real name? — and by the extended verses that guests like Jeff Lujan were able to recite off the top of their head.

Yet, to be sure, the party-goers didn't take themselves or the Ring lore too-too seriously, as again evidenced by Lujan, who tied with his son, Damian, in the Hobbit Feet look-alike contest.

"There were a lot of longtime fans of the books who felt a little skeptical when the first film came out," said Sambor, a "Rings" fan for some 40 years. "But (director) Peter Jackson did such an amazing job that we all embraced and supported it, even if it did diverge from the books a little."

Sambor said she especially likes the film's attention to detail, from Aragorn's ring to the buttons on Boromir's coat.

"You wouldn't even notice them if you weren't a hard-core fan, and they don't point them out," she said.

Thanks in part to the success of last year's "The Fellowship of the Ring," "The Two Towers" has been touted as the most anticipated of several high-profile sequels this year, including new installments of "Harry Potter" and "Star Wars."

Brogan had never read Tolkien until last year, when she and her husband began reading the trilogy books out loud to each other during drives.

Yesterday, Brogan attended the party splendidly dressed as character "Rosie Cotton."

The addition of converts like Brogan to Tolkien's long-established following likely foretells good things (i.e., big bucks) for "The Two Towers," and for next year's final installment, "The Return of the King."

"The Fellowship of the Rings" took in more than $47 million in its opening weekend last year. Some industry observers are projecting that "The Two Towers" could smash that mark based on advance ticket sale figures. To match its predecessor's total revenue of $313 million, however, "Towers" will likely need to bring fans back for multiple viewings.

Malia Livingston, who came to the party dressed as the elfin Arwen, caught "The Two Towers" the night before and came away impressed, if a bit overpowered.

"It was was very intense," she said. "I saw the last one 7-8 times but don't know if I can see this one that many times. But it was really good. It was very philosophical in dealing with war and love and honor."