Today was the premiere in London of the final Hobbit movie in the trilogy. This one is called the Battle of the Five Armies. The premiere took place at the Odeon Theatre in Leicester Square, London. Many of the stars of the movie walked down the green carpet while hundreds of fans cheered. Peter Jackson was there with his daughter Katie. The movie was streamed live to more than 160 countries.
Meanwhile, in Wellington at the same time, invited guests watched the movie at the Roxy Theatre, Miramar. This is the last movie set in Middle Earth, beginning with the Lord of the Rings which Peter Jackson and his team starting filming more than 15 years ago.
These 6 movies have brought more than $100m to the New Zealand economy, especially to Wellington, by providing employment to actors and others involved in making movies. The tourism industry has also benefited from tourists who want to visit the places shown in the movies. The Hobbiton movie set in Matamata has about 300,000 visitors a year.
Listen to November 29th 2012 to hear more about the cost and benefits of making the movies. Also, type Peter Jackson in the search box for more information about the director of the movies.
Vocabulary
• premiere – first showing of a film
• trilogy – 3 parts, 3 books or 3 movies