Three-'Ring' circuit already sold out here

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Liv Tyler is Arwen in "The Lord of the Rings." New Line Cinema

However, all 487 tickets for the triple bill, at $27 apiece, have already sold out, according to Pono Shim, at Ward Centre's Concierge Services, which has been working with New Line and Warner Bros. in the launch of the highly touted third episode in the acclaimed series.

"Essentially, it was a word-of-mouth thing through the Web site," said Shim. "People had to buy tickets at the participating theaters and there was a 10-ticket maximum."

The national promotion precedes a midnight broader launching of the third installment in the Peter-Jackson-directed series, which officially opens Dec. 17.

However, theaters such as the Ward involved in what is billed as the Marathon Trilogy are also able to schedule additional public screenings of "The Return of the King" before the official midnight kick-off.

In Honolulu, the time for that screening (separate from the sold-out trilogy event) was yet to be determined. It likely will be between 10:15 and 10:45 p.m. Dec. 16.

"The Fellowship of the Rings" will show at 2 p.m., and will be followed by "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King" in a single theater.

Apparently, there will be fanatics flying in from the Mainland and the Neighbor Islands for the marathon watch, said Shim.

"It's amazing," he said of the interest in being a first-viewer. "In California, one theater sold out in 20 minutes. Some people are hawking tickets (there) for $200."

In Honolulu, it took about three weeks for all seats to be purchased. Shim said he has been maintaining a database of "Lord" fans who are part of a Tolkien Society, with

periodic get-togethers and e-mail updates. A party to chat about the anticipated film will be held today at the Yum Yum Tree, he said.

Why such devotion for a movie?

"People just want to be first (to see it)," said Shim. "I tried to convince some of my clients: 'Don't do it. You might get a bad seat for 11 hours.' "

Line-ups for the tripleheader will begin at 8 a.m. Dec. 16 for a 2 p.m. lift-off. Because seats are not reserved, early arrivals will get better seats.

Public screenings of extended versions of "The Fellowship of the Rings" also will be held Dec. 5-11. Similar showings of "The Two Towers" will be Dec. 12-15.