Van Helsing premiered around the world this friday. The international count isn't ready yet but, the USA and Canada estimates are here. Van Helsing made $19,400,000 off 3575 screens. It is an okay gross, but the movie had a production budget that is almost as big as ROTK and TTT counted together. So it has to gross a lot to make it a success.

The Olsen twins also opened this friday with there new movie "New York Minute" and it made $2,140,000 not impressive and dont expect it to premiere in other countries.

Kill Bill vol 2 made $866,000 this friday. It's total gross is now $55,636,000 domesticly.

The Passion of the Christ has been dropping rapidly ever since easter and its total American gross is $367,241,879 and the international gross is $212,271,101

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King has also been dropping with tremendous speed especially in the USA. It is being showed on less than 200 screens. $376,612,619 is the current figures for the gross in America. And it will probably stay there. Around the world, the only real grosser left is Japan, but even in Japan things are now going really slow. The international gross is $738,805,944. Return of the King premiered in 2003 so it is spectacular that it's still in the cinemas.

Discuss this on the boards....  Here

It's the first weekend of May and the newest sure-fire blockbuster is set to release. Van Helsing kicks off the Summer season with the widest release ever for a Universal film. The Hugh Jackman starrer debuts in 40 international territories this weekend. The super-saturated release notably excludes Japan, which is currently set for September 11.... More

PRINCE ISILDUR SLIPS INTO HISTORY WITH LIMITED PIECES LEFT!
The picture of the final version of the Prince Isildur bust is currently posted. With less than 175 pieces left you should place your order for the ill-fated Prince as soon as possible....Here

SHELOB PIECE NEARS EXTINCTION!
Our beautifully creepy Shelob piece is getting caught in everybody's web and there are less than 100 of pieces left of the 5,000 limited edition run. Check it out Here

British actor Orlando Bloom is struggling to come to terms with his new Hollywood fame - because he's attracted a group of 'hangers on'.

He has now found himself surrounded by a whole group of staff devoted to his needs.

He puzzles, "There are suddely a lot of people in my life who weren't there before I was famous. And they're all on the payroll." source

I don't remember a time when the realm of popular culture has seemed more alive with divine purpose.

During the past year or two, how often have we been publicly reminded—through movies, books, and events—of vital truths about who we are and who God is? .....more

You can currently order The Making of the Movie Trilogy (Lord of the Rings) on Amazon.com. This books comes in either paperback or hardcover. It includes over 300 pictures and detailed behind-the-scenes account of all three films. The foreward was even written by Sir Ian Mckellan himself!

Hardcover 

Paperback

The Insider Guide from This is London is reporting that British actress Tilda Swinton will play the role of the White Witch in the upcoming The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first of the Narnia films. We have received no official comment from Walden Media or Walt Disney Pictures so this casting can't yet be treated as official.

James McAvoy, one of the stars of award-winning TV drama State Of Play and TV series Shameless, is rumoured to have been offered the role of Mr Tumnus, the Narnian creature who tries to help the children after they stumble into his world via an old wardrobe......more

Democrat John Kerry has got his Hobbits confused. Before giving a speech Thursday, Kerry introduced supporter and Lord of the Rings actor Sean Astin, who was sharing the stage with him at a high school in Colton, Calif.

"You all know him as Frodo from Lord of the Wings," Kerry said.......more

Beautiful brunette LIV TYLER has rubbished reports she and her rocker husband ROYSTON LANGDON are poised to start a family - insisting she doesn't feel mentally prepared to raise a child. The ONE NIGHT AT McCOOL'S actress married her beau last year (MAR03) but is adamant she's not ready to have kids yet - contrary to her younger ambitions.

She says, "I've wanted to have kids ever since I was young.

"For some reason, the date in my head was like, 'I'll be ready at 25, I'll be such a grown up then.' Here I am at 26 and I don't feel ready.".....source

Lord of the Rings star Andy Serkis is the clear favourite to play the monster ape in Peter Jackson's next epic King Kong. The British actor, who played Gollum in Jackson's Rings trilogy, has been asked to play Kong in the director's remake.

The part means Serkis will again be transformed into a villainous creature with the help of computer graphics, but this time he's also being primed to play another human character in the film.....more

Nienna Miriel, visiting her adopted country of New Zealand, has this to report about her stay in Golden Bay, on the northwest end of the south island: "I stayed at the Golden Bay Lodge, a lovely B&B in Tukurua.  Their web site mentions that Sir Ian McKellen stayed with them during filming of LOTR, so I asked, and got the full story, which I haven't seen elsewhere.

 "As it turns out, not only Sir Ian, John Rhys Davies, Viggo Mortensen, and Sean Bean also stayed at the Lodge during filming of scenes in the Kahurangi National Park.  (Although apparently John Rhys Davies wasn't on call--perhaps they were using his size double--so he slept in till 11!)  In any event, one morning a rather unusual thing occurred:  a Right Whale swam up just below the house, which is on a cliff above the ocean.  My hosts rousted out Sir Ian, thinking he'd want to see it, which indeed he did. Then off he went to film. "Well, a few hours later all these cars drive up--it's several cast and crew members, including Orlando Bloom, come to see the whale.  Now, whales don't generally hang around, even against the possibility of movie stars showing up to admire them.  My hosts were explaining this when, lo! and behold!  back comes the whale (apparently a starstruck marine mammal).  Orlando et al. commandeered the Lodge's kayaks and went off for a close encounter.

"Thanks to Ray and Mary at Golden Bay Lodge for this great story, and for hospitality above and beyond the call![And in case you are wondering which room I stayed in--let's just say it suited my dwarfish height. . . .]"

Today's NZ Dominion Post:

"Rings Actors Cash In"--The success of LOTR has made millionaires out of the core cast:  it reports Orlando Bloom as having made the most, at $39.7 million, Elijah Wood second at $25.5 million, Viggo Mortensen and Sean Astin as making $14.2 million, Sean Bean making $6.2 million, Billy Boyd making $2.8 million, and Dominic Monaghan making $1.9 million.  No figures are reported for Sir Ian McKellen, Liv Tyler, etc. Estimates of Peter Jackson's profit range from 5 to 10% of the $4.6 billion that the movies have made at the box office.

"Doctors of the Screen"--Richard Taylor was awarded an honorary doctorate of literature this week by Victoria University, along with celebrated New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera, author of the novel "Whale Rider," since turned into a highly successful movie. (thanks to lee)

Peter Jackson Loves George Lucas
The king of the epic, Peter Jackson, admires fellow epic director George Lucas and his pioneering filmmaking. Star Wars fans think that Jackson should direct the next film – an online petition has received over 7,000 signatures in favour of a new director! (thanks to yelsel)

That's according to West Yorkshire actor Michael Thompson, who is playing a football hooligan alongside the diminutive star in the new film, The Yank.
The 34-year-old ex-labourer, from Keighley, began his acting career with small TV parts in Holby City, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.....more

New Zealand hit headlines when Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films swept the board at this year's Oscars, but the country is still reaping the benefits weeks later.

If you have ever visited a major film studio in Hollywood you will know how glitzy the whole experience is with tours of famous sets, and if you are lucky a glimpse of a celebrity or two.....more (thanks to yelsel)

Dennis Bucy was afraid he was going to run out of time. When Bucy, 63, was diagnosed with terminal cancer about a year ago, he began to worry that he wouldn't last until the concluding installment, "The Return of the King."

And when the movie came out at Christmas, he was undergoing so many intense radiation and chemotherapy treatments with terrible side effects that he didn't make it to the theater. Last week, his doctors gave him only two weeks to live.

"He said, 'I can't die without seeing 'The Return of the King.'  And his hospice nurse, Sherri Locke, sprang into action. We do everything we can for last requests," she said. Locke contacted Cris Kelly, vice president of Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice in Wichita, who then contacted The Eagle. At The Eagle's request, New Line Cinema provided a preview copy of the DVD for Bucy.....more

The film is described as a psychological drama following the journey of three men who trek into mountain country for an annual fishing trip and find a murdered girl.

Jindabyne will be produced by a team including Barrie Osborne, the New Zealand-based producer of The Lord of the Rings. source (thanks to yelsel =)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King took in $921,212 worth of business last weekend from 1,226 screens in 39 territories with many European territories not reporting due to the May Day holiday.  It was Constitution Day in Japan, however, so final figures weren't ready.  Preliminary numbers indicate a drop of 46% to $694,596 in two days..... More

Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom spent the first two weeks of shooting Troy working out like a madman after realising he'd look like a skinny weakling next to co-stars Brad Pitt and Eric Bana.

The two action men spent months getting in shape before cameras started rolling on the movie, whereas Bloom felt sure his slight frame would enable him to pull off an authentic Paris......more

Many new items have been added recently, including several pieces in "mythril".

Also, we have added pendant versions of several things with soldered jump rings, so that they may be worn on a chain. A selection of items is available at the online store https://secure.gcmcomputers.com/shirepost/store/ 

(http://www.shirepost.com)

Need a last minute gift for mom? Don't forget WOTR's shop.......We have much to choose from: mugs, hats, lunch box, mouse pads, children's clothes, t-shirts, tank tops, sweatshirts, frisbees, tote bags......here

We also have a WOTR coin. They're about 3 grams copper (bronze technically, 95% Cu, 5% Zn) about 19mm diameter. The dragon is enclosed with the site name. On the reverse is an axe inside a hexagonal field, and three cut tulips to symbolize the things that have been lost or destroyed in the war. Buy one here!

ROTK trailer in Quicktime. (thanks to bernard =)

large version here

fullscreen version is here

As always, the movie is free and so is the popcorn, courtesy of Friends of Mesa Public Library.......more

Kiran Shah may be small, but his list of film credits for his acting and stunt work can quite rightly be described as massive.

The 47-year-old, from Hounslow, who stands at 4ft 1.7ins tall, will have his work commemorated in the 50th edition of the Guinness Book of Records, as the shortest professional stuntman working in films.

However, his recent experiences filming the Lord of the Rings trilogy, where he did stunt work and scenes where the hobbits had to appear small next to the other actors, led to some close friendships between Kiran and the other cast members, as he worked particularly closely with Elijah Wood and Viggo Mortensen......more

I had all but come to the conclusion that I was incapable of learning another language. I was too old. I was too lazy. I was too, how do you say, stupid.

Then in a weird and unbelievable-unless-you're-me turn of events, I came across a Web site about the greatest pretend language ever created - Elvish. It was created by author J.R.R. Tolkien for his "Lord of the Rings" masterpiece.

To be sure, it was difficult at first. But then, as I've said, I am a master of pretend languages. It didn't take long before I was speaking Elvish as though I was born and raised in Tolkien's own fertile imagination.......more

The runaway success of local director Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, with its panoramas of pristine New Zealand wilderness, combined with the country's image as a safe haven from the world's troubles, have turned this remote South Pacific nation of 4 million into a must-see location for several million travelers each year.... More

Tolkien did very much believe that "There is a place called 'heaven' where the good here unfinished is completed"; but the glimpse of the far green country and it's swift sunrise was not death. It was the miraculous transportation from one physical place -- Middle-earth -- to another...

One of the more memorable moments in The Return of the King comes in thee heat of pitched battle -- but it's not the hurtling energy of siege engines, the digital agility of Legolas on a mumak, or the rushing onslaught of the Rohirrim. No. It's the quiet moment behind the parpets of Minas Tirith, after the gates have been breached and as trolls hammer the portal of the city's second circle. It's a lull prior to impending doom, and Pippin says to Gandalf, "I didn't think it would end this way."........more

Hey Folks,

It's been a little while since we've updated our gallery, but need sometimes overides desire, and we've been quite busy with section build-up site wide. However, the wait is over and I am pleased to announce that we have updated the RotK Section of the gallery with beautiful high-def images of some of your favorite scenes from The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

This is only the first installment of many updates to follow. Rather than save all of the processed images for one huge update, we'll be updating every few days or so as the images are processed. Tonight we have updated most of the categories, though no where near complete, we hope that you will enjoy the new piccys and invite you to keep an eye, or two if you can spare them, right here as we will be making several updates over the next few weeks.

Enjoy!