Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003 | 11:06 a.m.
At 5:20 p.m., 27-year-old Jaime Royden sprinted with a mission from the Regal Cinemas downstairs at the Green Valley Ranch Station Casino in Henderson to the Villa Pizza one floor up.
Wearing a black velvet "elf gown" with a cape blowing behind her, Royden had 20 minutes before the next installment of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy began, and she needed sustenance.
"I'm going to try to get some pizza and drinks for my friend and I before intermission ends," Royden said. "We don't get long breaks, but we need the energy. My friend's going to the bathroom and I'm getting the food."
Royden and her friend were among 382 fans of the J.R.R. Tolkein trilogy who in October purchased tickets for this marathon showing of the movies so they could be among the first to see the final installment, "The Return of the King," which opened nationwide at 12:01 a.m. today.
Royden and her friend had arrived at 8 a.m. Tuesday to claim their spot in line for the "Trilogy Tuesday" screenings that began at 2 p.m.
They found they were late-comers. The die-hards had arrived at 4 a.m.
"We thought if we got here as soon as 8 a.m., we'd be first to the good seats, but boy were we wrong," she said. "There were already a ton of people here. I guess we're not the only fans. It's been a long day and the trilogy is only one-third done so we're going to need to get some energy somehow."
Ninety-nine theaters presented "Trilogy Tuesday" across the United States, and the Green Valley Ranch cinema was the only location in Nevada to hold the event, according to Regal Entertainment.
The nearly 10-hour trilogy sold out all 382 seats at Green Valley Ranch within 12 hours after the tickets went on sale in October at $35 each.
Demand was so overwhelming that tickets for showings nationwide were selling on eBay and online ticket brokers for up to $250 apiece.
A stream of ticket-holders crowded the concession stand at Green Valley Ranch 10 cinema at 5:40 p.m. during the first intermission, which lasted only 20 minutes. While some fans stayed put in their seats, others loaded up with hot dogs, popcorn and fast-food meals from the food court upstairs.
Because of the length of the trilogy, audience members were allowed to bring outside food from the food court into the theater.
Royden wasn't the only one feeling the pressure to keep energy through the trilogy.
Amy Walton, 31, and her husband Rick, 35, said they were looking for power drinks and energy bars during intermission.
"It's insane, we get like 15 or 20 minutes between films so you got to get what you need and get back in," Amy Walton said. "We both ate big meals before we got here and ate some Power Bars. Now we're going to check the gift shop for some Red Bulls. You'd think we're preparing to run a marathon or something."
Walton said she and her husband were already feeling tired after only the first movie.
"Oh, we've got that tired feeling you get after watching a three-hour movie," she said. "But we must go on. I think we'll feel tired through the second one too, but when we get to the third I think we'll be so excited we'll perk up."
Rick Walton said he was planning to go to the coffee shop upstairs to get a large cup of Joe.
"I'm contemplating getting this giant cup of coffee," he said. "I'm worried it will leave me wired for the second movie and dead by the third. Weaving through people to go to the bathroom is also something I'm not looking to have to do often either."
Stocking up on food seemed to be a crucial intermission activity, leaving some audience members no time to stop and talk.
"I'm sorry, I have to get in line for some food quick," a young man wearing a black cape said, running for the escalators. "If you want to talk to me, I'll be at Fatburger upstairs."
For some people sitting through a 10-hour trilogy was just too much. Those wishing to see only the premiere of "The Return of the King" could show up for the 12:01 a.m. viewing, which was played in five different theaters at Green Valley Ranch 10 cinema.
Tickets for those shows were going quicker than flu shots, however, selling out by 7 p.m. Tuesday, according to a cinema manger.
Green Valley Ranch was one of 10 local theaters premiering "The Return of the King."
Employees at the Texas Station theater said their 12:01 a.m. show was sold out by 3:30 p.m. To appease the demanding crowds, the Texas Station decided to hold a second showing at 12:15 a.m.
"People keep coming in packs," an employee said Tuesday afternoon. "We started selling tickets in advance for our midnight showing and we've sold out. If the second showing at 12:15 a.m. sells out, we are going to open another one." A general manager at United Artists Showcase 8 cinema said both theaters showing the movie were sold out as well.
But that wasn't going to get 41-year-old Kim Butler down.
"I actually didn't know about the triple movie today and didn't expect to get tickets for tonight," she said at Green Valley Ranch. "I was just grateful for getting tickets for tomorrow."
Butler said she was buying tickets for her daughter, mother-in-law, and herself.
"My mother-in-law is in town for Christmas and we wanted to do something, just us girls," she said. "My daughter got me into the movie a couple years ago when we saw the first one together. I didn't think I'd like it, but it was so wonderful, my daughter and I have made it a tradition to see them together. It almost makes me sad this is the last one."
About missing the premiere, Butler said she wasn't worried.
"Oh, it's going to be just as good tomorrow as it would be tonight," she said. "Seeing all the people here actually makes me glad we don't have to fight the crowds tonight. I think we'll get here a couple hours early tomorrow though, just in case."
archive
