The first two episodes of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be aired in select theatres two days ahead of its debut on Amazon Prime Video.
As reported by Variety, film fans can once again see Middle Earth on the big screen on August 31 thanks to a new initiative from Amazon. Details on when and where are still a little hazy, but Cinemark in the U.S. has already created a dedicated page for the screening, revealing that only its Cinemark Movie Rewards members will be able to sign up.
It’s unclear if further theatre chains will also put on screenings, or if they’ll also have other requirements like a rewards programme, but an official website is expected to open up bookings across the world on August 22 at 9AM Pacific / 12 Noon Eastern / 5PM UK (so that’s 2AM AEST on August 23).
More than 200 screenings will take place across the U.S., Canada, the UK, Ireland, Argentina, Columbia, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Rings of Power’s first two episodes will premiere officially on Amazon Prime Video on September 2, and subsequent episodes will be released once a week going forward. The entire series is only pegged for eight episodes in total but reportedly cost $465 million, making it one of the most expensive shows ever made.
The Rings of Power takes place during The Second Age of Middle Earth’s history, a time only briefly touched on in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Amongst its many characters is Isildur, the ancestor of Aragorn and the king who cut Sauron’s finger off and claimed the One Ring.
While some members of the Fellowship are excited about it, with Sean Astin – Samwise Gamgee himself – saying he got chills when watching a preview, Aragorn actor Viggo Mortensen forgot about the show entirely.
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.