These fantastic photos by Stan Buštor were taken at last year’s “The Battle of Middle-earth” LARP event in the Czech Republic. 2013 marks the 22nd year of the event, to be held June 21-23, 2013 in the Czech Republic’s Rakovecké Valley. For more information about this event and the groups involved, visit panprstenu.cz and follow Pán Prstenů – Bitva o Středozem on Facebook. (Arwen Kester)
Actor James Nesbitt will escort viewers around New Zealand in a new documentary for ITV, offering his unique and personal perspective on a country he has huge affection for after living there with his family while filming his role as dwarf Bofur in The Hobbit. James Nesbitt’s New Zealand [WT] will follow James as he travels the 1600 km length of the North and South islands, immersing himself in the characters, culture, and scenery that define New Zealand life while delving into its history and offering his take on the country’s enduring allure for Brits. (Lily Milos)
This Lord of the Rings guitar, in all of it’s amazing detail, was entirely done with Sharpie permanent markers. Made by Vivian Xiao, it has depictions of Barad-dûr, Nazgûl, Minas Tirith, massive Oliphaunts, and more, and took her about 25 hours to complete. (Britta)
Time Warner Inc. have released their first quarter reports, and when it comes to their Film and Entertainment Division, Warner Bros., The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey takes the credit for keeping the numbers up. Warner Bros.’ operating incoming increased 23%, in part due to The Hobbit‘s success at the box office, making it their fourth biggest film ever. (Evie Bowman)
This resident packed up a life size replica of Gollum as flames advanced towards his backyard. @nbcla #SpringsFire twitter.com/ShootSeanNBCLA…
— Sean Browning (@ShootSeanNBCLA) May 2, 2013
It’s the age-old question: If your house were on fire and you could only save one thing, what would it be? Hopefully for this California resident, the flames never reached the house, but it’s good to know that Gollum was packed in the car, just in case. (Lily Milos)
Due to official market manipulation, changing preferences, or some combination of the two, Chinese moviegoers are shifting toward domestically produced films and away from their big-budget, foreign counterparts. In the first quarter this year, ticket sales for non-Chinese movies in China, like The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, fell 65 percent, to about $200 million, while sales for Chinese-language films rose 128 percent, to well over $500 million. The Chinese market is crucial for American studios; ticket sales there are expected to surpass those in the United States by about 2018. (Evie Bowman)
Every week, our Middle-earth News reporters seek out Tolkien/Hobbit/LOTR goodness and tag their finds with their names. If you have something to contribute, please submit it using the Got News Precious link at the bottom of the page.
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