'Rings' Comes Full Circle

The final part of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy has had its premiere in the capital of New Zealand, with almost the entire population of Wellington flocking to greet the stars who have made their country famous.

The whole cast of The Return Of The King were there to traipse down half a kilometre of red carpet, in front of a staggering 125,000 people.

The director himself, Peter Jackson, arrived in an open-top car and was drenched in ticker tape and applause.

Dozens of extras dressed as elves, orcs and urak-hai also walked the red carpet.

The Lord Of The Rings movies have taken six years to make and release.

The previous instalments have both been huge box office hits.

The Two Towers is currently the seventh biggest movie of all time, with The Fellowship Of The Ring 11th.

The combined box office of the two movies is thought to be over £1bn.

Nearly all of the principal photography was shot in Jackson's home country of New Zealand.

The movies have been so big that the country's economy has been boosted considerably. Locals call it the Frodo Effect and Wellington is referred to Wellywood.

Fans will also be excited to hear that a movie adaptation of The Hobbit is not out of the question and Jackson is keen to make it - although he will be busy for the next couple of years working on a King Kong remake.

The Hobbit is a prequel to the Lord Of The Rings and explains how the One Ring ended up in the hands of Bilbo Baggins.