Kerys Dolan, Jeff Hickey and Mark Green, from left, pose in costume at Heritage Park on Thursday. The three will be dressing up as characters from the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy for the midnight showing of “The Hobbit” at the Rave theater tonight.TOLKIEN TIMELINE* Jan. 3, 1892 — J.R.R. Tolkien is born.* 1932 — Tolkien finishes his manuscript for “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again.”* Sept. 21, 1937 — “The Hobbit” publishes with an initial run of 1,500 copies to overwhelmingly positive critical response.* 1937-1949 — Tolkien works in stages on a sequel to “The Hobbit” that eventually becomes “The Lord of the Rings.”* 1951 — A second edition of “The Hobbit” publishes with a revised, darker portrayal of the character Gollum.* March 1953 — An authorized stage adaptation of “The Hobbit” is performed at a school in Edinburgh.* July 1954-October 1955 — “The Lord of the Rings,” originally a single work, is published as three volumes to create a trilogy.* 1966 — “The Hobbit,” a 12-minute animated film, premieres in New York City.* 1968 — BBC Radio 4 presents “The Hobbit” as an eight-part radio drama.* Sept. 2, 1973 — Tolkien dies.* 1977 — A animated television film of “The Hobbit” premieres in the U.S.* 2007 — Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema reach an agreement to create a two-film, live-action version of “The Hobbit.”* 2011 — Principal photography on “The Hobbit” films begins.* July 2012 — Jackson confirms “The Hobbit” series will be a trilogy, not two films.* Dec. 14, 2012 — U.S. premiere of “An Unexpected Journey.”* Dec. 13, 2013 — Slated premiere of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.”* July 18, 2014 — Slated premiere of “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.”BY THE NUMBERS* $2.91 billion — Global ticket sales of “The Lord of the Rings” film trilogy.* $270 million — Production budget for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”* 726 — Run time in minutes of “The Lord of the Rings” extended edition trilogy.* 169 — Run time in minutes of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”* 310 — Length in pages of the first edition of “The Hobbit.”* 663 — Length in days for the theatrical run of all three “The Lord of the Rings” films.* 6 — Position of “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” on the list of top-grossing films of all timeSources: The Internet Movie Database, BoxOfficeMojo.com, The-Numbers.comTHE 48 QUESTIONSince the 1920s, movies have been filmed and screened at a standard rate of 24 frames per second. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” was shot at 48 frames per second and will represent a trial run for the new format.In a post to his Facebook profile on April 11, 2011, director Peter Jackson explained the decision. The format, he said, offers “hugely enhanced clarity,” “looks more lifelike, and … is much easier to watch,” compared to films shot at 24 frames per second.Many who viewed early 48-frames-per-second footage of the film disagreed. Audience response to a 10-minute preview of the film at CinemaCon in April was mixed, with many suggesting the new format made the film look dreamy and had “that soap opera look you get from badly calibrated TVs at Best Buy,” according to one blogger.According to a Los Angeles Times report on Monday, however, only 450 of the 4,000 screens showing the film will be capable of presenting the film in the new format.As of earlier this week, no local theaters planned to present “The Hobbit” in the new format for its premiere today.ABOUT THE FILMRun time: Two hours 49 minutes.Rating: PG-13 for extended sequences of intense fantasy action violence and frightening images.Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving.
At the onset of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” the beloved solitude of hero Bilbo Baggins is interrupted by the unexpected arrival at his home of a baker’s dozen of rambunctious dwarfs.
Despite its title, however, “surprising” is hardly an appropriate description of the lead up to today’s release of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”
Because director Peter Jackson’s films presented such a fully realized vision of Tolkien’s work, which centers on Bilbo’s reluctant journey into adventure, Jeff Hickey, president of the local costuming enthusiast organization Chattooine, said he has been putting in many hours of preparation to dress the part for the premiere.
In anticipation of the film’s midnight showing Thursday at Rave Motion Picture East Ridge, Hickey and his fiancee began working in May on costumes as star-crossed lovers Aragorn and Arwin from “The Lord of the Rings.”