The Best Fantasy Movie Ever Is Coming Back To Theaters
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will be returning to theaters for a special 20th-anniversary screening.
One of the best parts about growing up in the early 2000s is watching your favorite films hit crucial anniversary milestones. This is the case for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which will be celebrating 20 years since the film’s original release, according to Deadline. For those of you who have been dying to once again see The Return of the King on the big screen, you will finally have a chance to see the larger-than-life film on a screen that’s larger than your home television set.
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will be returning to U.S. screens on Thursday, April 13, and Wednesday, April 19, at participating theaters, so make sure you save the dates. For those of you living north of the U.S. Border, there will be screenings on Thursday, April 20, at participating Canadian theaters as well. Considering the fact that the film grossed over $1.1 billion during its initial 2003 theater run, you’re going to want to snag your tickets fast because we think it’s safe to assume that these screenings will sell out rather quickly.
The Return of the King is the third and final installment of the Lord of the Rings franchise, and ticket holders will not only be able to witness the extended edition of the film but also be greeted by Frodo (Elijah Wood) himself in the form of a special introduction. Wood will go in-depth and talk about the rich world of Middle-Earth and the lore that is beloved by so many avid fans of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. If you’re a diehard fan who doesn’t want to miss a second of this special event, we’d recommend skipping out on the large soda from the concession stand or hope there’s an intermission because these screenings will probably be several hours long.
There will also be an exclusive celebrity panel performing a demo of the new Lord of the Rings tabletop game to support life-saving pediatric research through the Extra Life for Kids program in conjunction with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The Extra Life for Kids program is a fundraising foundation that mixes gaming and fundraising for critical healthcare services, innovative research, pediatric medical equipment, and child life services. In other words, you can find yourself on your very own quest to destroy the Ring of Power while using the power of fundraising to help a very worthy cause.
The Lord of the Rings has left a lasting impact and legacy in both the literary and cinematic world since J.R.R. Tolkien introduced his novels in 1954. His exploration of Middle-Earth was then brought to the silver screen in 2001 with the massively successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, which was followed by the three Hobbit prequels a decade later, which were also massive box-office hits. The 20th-anniversary screening of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will have to tide us over for now, but we can only hope that The Hobbit films will receive similar treatment when they approach similar milestones.