Eager fans wait in line for 'Return of the King'

Valley Press ^ | December 18, 2003. | LAVENDER VROMAN

[BenLurkin]

As a hobbit named Frodo inched his way toward the fires of Mordor and a celebrated fantasy trilogy came to a close, hundreds of Antelope Valley residents braved a long wait and late hours to see how it all turned out. Approximately 1,200 moviegoers purchased tickets to five midnight showings Tuesday of the third and final "The Lord of the Rings" movie, "The Return of the King," at Cinemark 22, according to theater management. Four of the five screenings were sold out by 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Hundreds of fans arrived late Tuesday afternoon, turning their wait for prime seats into a party of sorts. They sat on the ground in five queues throughout the theater, playing Lord of the Rings Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit, eating pizza and candy bars imprinted with the "Rings" logo.

Joseph Allen, 20, the first person in line for the 12:01 a.m. show, said he arrived at 10 a.m. to stake his place.

"I love movies and it's probably the best movie of the year," he said.

With a nearly 3½-hour running time, the film would end shortly before 4 a.m., but Allen didn't expect to have any trouble staying awake. He's a lighting technician who works on movie sets, he said, so he's used to 16-hour days.

His friend, Linda Maclaren, wasn't so sure she'd make it to 4 a.m. "Last time I stood in line was 1977 for 'Star Wars,' " she said. "I think this is the last time."

Dressed in a green cloak with a leaf clasp identical to those worn by the films' "fellowship,"[COOL!-bl] Octavia Caputo waited in line with her 17-year-old daughter, Amanda, who wore a black gown in the style of elven enchantress Arwen.

Caputo said her husband and two sons were off watching another movie to kill time. The family recently moved to Rosamond from Japan, where Caputo's husband was stationed at a U.S. Air Force base.

When the second installment of "Rings," "The Two Towers," came out last year, the family had to wait until January to see it in a Japanese theater. When Caputo learned they would be moving to California, "the very first thing I said was, 'We can see "Return of the King" on opening day.' "

Amanda Caputo planned to stay home from school Wednesday to recover. "Everyone (at school) was mad at me," she said.

Desert Christian High School students Jasara Bates, Amber Hoffman, Natalie Sosa, Rachel Medialdea and Amanda Bohannan weren't so lucky. After watching "Return of the King," they planned to catch a couple hours of sleep, then head to school at 6 a.m.

"My mom's bringing us coffee," Medialdea said.

The five friends learned the "hobbit drinking song" for the occasion by watching a scene from "The Two Towers" over and over again with the subtitles turned on. They said they like the "Rings" movies because of "Merry, Pippin, Legolas and Aragorn" and because the story is "uplifting."

"Good finally wins against evil," Bates said.

Wendy Erichsen and her sister, Michelle Gilmore, adorned their hands and arms with elvish symbols in henna.

Erichsen said she looked forward to "Return of the King" because she would finally be able "to see things on the big screen that I've had (in my head) for over 20 years."

Fans were expecting the final installment of the trilogy to be the most emotional of the films.

"It'll probably make me cry," eighth-grader Devon Martin said, wearing pointy elf ears she purchased at a Halloween shop. "I know it's gonna be great."

The fact that the trilogy is coming to an end is the saddest thing of all, Caputo said.

"It's been a good three years."

[BenLurkin]

"WAITING FANS - Octavia Caputo and daughter Amanda, 17, of Rosamond, above left, play a card game Tuesday evening as they wait for one of five midnight showings of "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" at Cinemark 22 in Lancaster." ROB LAYMAN/Valley Press

[Marie Antoinette]

They're waiting INDOORS??? Sitting down?? What wusses! LOL!

[ecurbh]

Ring Ping!!

There and Back Again: The Journeys of Flat Frodo

Anyone wishing to be added to or removed from the Ring-Ping list, please don't hesitate to let me know.

[HairOfTheDog]

No kidding! - those guys had it easy! We had to wait outside! And walk four miles in the snow to get there... up hill. Both directions!

[rosyposy]

that was me on trilogy tuesday!
9am to 12:15
somebody brought the book along and we took turns reading chapters.
there was no room to sit so we had to stand.
arg.
and then we had to sit for 13 hours.
not that i minded :-D

[billbears]

One of the theaters here in Raleigh NC showed the marathon starting Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately the tickets sold out in less than half an hour over a month ago

[Vindibudd]

I got in line at 11:30pm Monday night for Trilogy Tuesday at the Regal Waterford 20 in Orlando. I had to take my girlfriend home so I called a fellow movie freak and he came and stayed while I took her home then I came back and was in line until like 4 am. Then I went and slept for a few minutes in my car then I came back and let my friend go take a shower and when he got back I went and got my girlfriend again. Then we came back and they let us in the theater at 11:30am and we got the exact seats that we had been planning for 2 months to get. So then this lady comes up an hour before the start and wanted us to move over a seat. Well we said no and then she proceeded to berate us and tell us how we were so selfish because she had little kids and called my friend a "prick." Amazing. But the movie was fantastic and I like my little film frame thing!