By Margaret A. McGurk
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Like the Hobbits they came to see on screen, Lord of the Rings fans prepared for a long haul Tuesday.

REVIEW

• 'Return of the King' rules • Local showtimes.

Hours before the show, they carted food, drinks, pillows and comfy clothes into the Showcase Cinemas Springdale multiplex for a 12-hour, 20-minute marathon showing of the epic film trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved books, including The Return of the King, which officially opens today.

Some, like 18-year-old Charlie Fry of Monfort Heights, left school early. "I saw the first film (The Fellowship of the Ring) 20 times, the second one (The Two Towers) maybe 10 times. This will be just so good."

The marathon began at 1:15 p.m. and included the extended versions of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers created for DVD release, followed by The Return of the King, which clocks in at three hours and 35 minutes. Tickets cost $27; 600 were offered and sold out within hours of going on sale Oct. 9. The theater showed the movies simultaneously in two auditoriums to give patrons room to stretch out, and suspended its normal prohibition against outside refreshments.

Many of Tuesday's movie-goers took vacation time to attend the marathon. Among them were 14 regular Dungeons and Dragons players who were the first to show up, at 6:30 a.m., two hours before the theater opened its doors. Among them was Brian Nicholas, 39, of Walnut Hills. "As a kid growing up, these were my absolute favorite books," he said. "This is what I have been waiting for all my life, to see the visualization of Tolkien's work."

E-mail mmcgurk@enquirer.com