Larry D. Curtis, a senior member of the TheOneRing.net staff, was on hand for the Wellington premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and offers this report…
WELLINGTON — “Wellington has already proved it knows how to party, so this takes things to the next level!”
So said Peter Hambleton from the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in Wellington, New Zealand. It was an amazing spectacle with well over 100,000 people gathered on 600 meters of red carpet to watch the stars of the film arrive.
The event was carried live on websites around the globe with nine cameras, including helicopter shots. Some fans arrived early in the morning to choose the best spots in hopes of getting autographs and photos of stars such as Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and of course, Sir Peter Jackson, the film’s director and co-screenwriter and the toast of the town.
Andy Serkis, who reprises his role as Gollum, also brought an enormous cheer when he showed up with his wife and a big grin and signed autographs for fans. Every actor seemed to make a big splash but Cate Blanchett, despite playing a relatively small role in the film, seemed to make fans the most manic for an autograph. She, like others in the cast, brought along her family to experience the wonder of the event.
Katie Jackson was also in attendance. In an interview shown on the big screen at the event, she revealed that she had not seen the movie yet, on the advice of her father who wanted her to experience it for the first time at the premiere.
The big showing was at the Embassy Theater, which featured high frame rate equipment, the latest in Dolby sound and RealD 3D technology. Attendee James Cameron quipped, “High frame rate is the future.”
