Jackson treats fans to preview

By AMIE RICHARDSON

New Zealand audiences will get the first glimpse of Peter Jackson's next film in the Rings trilogy, The Two Towers, four days after the Academy Awards ceremony.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, New Zealand's top-grossing film, is up for 13 Oscars at the ceremony on Monday (New Zealand time).

Roadshow Film Distributors general manager Lisa Hubbard said that from March 29, after screenings of Fellowship, a three to four-minute "fan appreciation piece" would screen at selected cinemas around the country as the first preview of the next film.

She said it was not a conventional trailer, but a piece Jackson made to thank his fans for their support.

The release of the preview follows modern marketing tactics for films, similar to Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, where the release of the trailer was launched as an event.

For Fellowship, movie backer New Line Cinema premiered an internet-only trailer that prompted 1.7 million downloads in its first day.

Ms Hubbard said that if Fellowship won at the awards, Roadshow would start another marketing campaign and increase its advertising.

She believed the film's popularity with New Zealand audiences was because Kiwis felt a sense of ownership of the movie.

"It has a special place in the hearts of Kiwis. It's something we can be proud of. It is a brilliant film made by New Zealanders and showing New Zealand on screen."

Last weekend, Fellowship took over from previous number one earner Titanic by making almost $13 million at the New Zealand box office.

Internationally, Fellowship continued to draw in crowds, although it dropped to 11th place in the US over the weekend, down 21 per cent from the previous weekend, and has stopped screening in Chile and Mexico.

It has made US$772 million ($1.7 billion) worldwide in gross box office earnings.

Feature: Lord of the Rings

Special LOTR report: A long expected party

Best Lord of the Rings websites