Excitement Building for Release of Latest Tolkien Hobbit Movie

THUNDER BAY – Fans of JRR Tolkien and the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings and the movies that have been blockbuster hits are waiting with bated breath for this winter’s release of the next movie in the ongoing sagas of Middle Earth.

Gearing up for the December 17, 2014, release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Tourism New Zealand and Air New Zealand, in conjunction with New Line Cinema, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures announced The Hobbit Fan Fellowship Contest before 6,500 fans at Comic-Con International, an entertainment and comic convention in San Diego.

The contest will decide 75 lucky winners who can each take a friend to New Zealand flying with Air New Zealand, the airline to Middle-earth. They will spend a week journeying to famous filming locations and tourist hotspots throughout New Zealand, culminating in the ultimate experience for every Hobbit fan – a private screening of the final film with Sir Peter Jackson himself.

Fans were invited to enter in a personal video from Sir Peter. The first two winners were chosen from the Comic-Con crowd – Kris McMeans, 25, from Austin, TX and Morgan Burgener, 18, from San Diego, CA.

McMeans, who was in line overnight to get into the Hall H panel, said she has wanted to go to New Zealand for years. “This is going to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Ever since I was 12 years old I wanted to go to Middle-earth, and now New Zealand has become Middle-earth. Thanks to Peter Jackson bringing the books to life, now we can travel Middle-earth.”

Contest winners will land in Auckland, the “City of Sails,” rated the third most liveable city in the world, before embarking on a specially designed itinerary to recognizable ‘filmscapes’ –the highlight being a special visit to Hobbiton, the famous movie set at the heart of both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies.

Now New Zealand’s fastest growing tourist attraction, Hobbiton is nestled in a working sheep farm near the small town of Matamata in the Waikato region. Fans will enjoy a private tour through the 12-acre site, with a close-up look at the 44 Hobbit homes.

The Hobbit Fan Fellowship will also visit other key film sites throughout New Zealand’s Middle-earth chosen by Sir Peter Jackson for his epic trilogies and experience those locations tourist attractions. Tourism New Zealand says this proves the stunning backdrops featured throughout both trilogies are not just fantasy but real places that travelers can explore and enjoy.

The journey will end in Wellington for the ultimate film fan’s dream – a private screening of the final film, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, with Sir Peter Jackson. Fans will meet up with the famous director in his home town “Wellywood,” New Zealand’s capital city, where Sir Peter has based his film empire and which has now become a must-stop for film fans visiting Middle-earth.