Tolkien fans suffering again
Norway's renowned Tolkien fanatics are already camping out in the gathering winter cold and gloom. This time the occasion is the premiere of the final part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Return of the King. Ticket sales for the Dec. 17 premiere go on sale Oct. 27, and enthusiasts have already started their three-week vigil for the best seats on opening night.
"Yeah, it will be a few nights. This is the fifth queue I've slept in so I'm starting to get training. I started with Star Wars in 1999, and we have to lie here longer and longer every time," said Kristian Grennes, second man in line.
On Tuesday evening he was settling in for the first of 20 nights outside the Colosseum Cinema with seven kindred souls. The space leading to the ticket booth will be home until sales for the film start.
Grennes only had to wait two weeks last year, and doesn't see any other option.
"We have to do it. It is necessary to get the best seats and we get a roof over our heads when we lie under the cinema entrance," Grennes said.
Grennes has gotten time off from work to indulge his passion, and will live off his savings until the tickets are in his hands.
"We've got a little stove with us and we are going to buy in some cheap canned food. I just home we get some electricity here during the day.
The cinema has offered them a few benefits, including some electricity and a few free tickets. About 700 fans of the Lord of the Ring films made international headlines when they formed a Hobbit village during their wait for the first film, but the film distributor has not been willing to repeat that ambitious experiment.
Now, their plans for the next three weeks are clear.
"Keep an orderly queue, talk to passersby and role-playing games. Otherwise we'll sit here and make chain mail and polish our swords," Grennes said.