After a week of mostly negative streaming news filled with cancellations and programming being pulled, those hoping to see the new seriesLord of the Rings: The Rings of Power— a Prime Video streaming series — in a theatrical setting will be given that opportunity to revisit Middle-earth on the silver screen at select Cinemark locations before the series premieres on the streamer,Varietyreports.
Given the epic scale and scope ofThe Rings of Power, it makes sense that a portion series would be given the opportunity to be seen on a big screen. Tolkien fans will be able to see the first two episodes ofThe Rings of Power— premiering on Prime Video on September 2 — two days early on August 31 at participating Cinemark theaters during this one-night-only event. Tickets for the early-access event will be available on August 22 at 9 am PT and are even bundled with a $10 concessions voucher. There is one catch, however: Tickets to the event are only available to Cinemark Movie Rewards members; the theater chain’s loyalty program. In addition to the Cinemark locations outside the U.S. and Canada, Amazon will also screen the series in a number of countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Argentina, Colombia, Australia and New Zealand.
The move to screen the series, even if it’s only the first two episodes, by Amazon could be an effort to build anticipation and online chatter about the series. After all, the serieshas a reported budgetof over $400 million andmultiple seasons have been confirmed.
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The Rings of Poweris directed by Wayne Yip, J.A. Bayona and Charlette Brandström and has an ensemble cast with the likes ofBenjamin Walker,Morfydd Clark,Robert Aramayo,Maxim Baldry,Charles Edwards,Daniel Weyman,Markella Kavenagh,Owain Arthur,Lenny Henry,Nazanin BoniadiandIsmael Cruz Cordovaand the official synopsis, as confirmed byThe One Ring, reads:
“Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness
Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.”
Prime Video will premiere the first two episodes ofThe Rings of Poweron September 2 with the rest of the episodes premiering each subsequent Friday. For more information about the early-access theatrical screenings and to become a Cinemark Movie Rewards member, visit theCinemark website.
