Jackson towers over all he surveys

There are movie premieres with star celebs sashaying down red carpets to the beat of bulb-popping paparazzi and then there are those like the hometown celebratory unveiling of Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” the second part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, that took place Wednesday evening in New Zealand’s capital, (or Wellywood as it is now known), that are events of Super Bowl proportions.

Grand finale football fever prevailed as 20,000 chanting, screaming and placard-carrying Wellingtonians and Kiwis from all over the country descended on a stretch of red carpet in Courtenay Place in the city’s center to watch hometown hero and cast crew and local celebrities -- including octogenarians Sir Edmund and Lady Hillary -- make their way to the 78-year-old Embassy Theatre cinema, where Jackson watched his first film.

Youngsters, some dressed in rented hobbit costumes, began to gather at 6 a.m. and, by midafternoon, every vantage point and rooftop had been snapped up. Some workplaces in the capital had given employees time off to attend. Many carried homemade placards declaring their adoration. “The Oscar’s Yours, P.J.,” “Take Another Bow, Mr. Jackson,” and “We Love Hobbits.”

In the afternoon, a street parade of clowns, movie characters and marching bands and rock performers entertained the throngs. Atop the cinema, a huge mystery creature had been erected and wrapped, unveiled by city Mayor Kerry Pendergast just before the VIPs arrived. As anticipated, it turned out to be a huge effigy of the head of the “Two Towers” computer-generated character, Gollum.

The drum rolls started as celebrities began to arrive: hometown directors Bond Helmer, Lee Tamahori (“Die Another Day”) and Vincent Ward, actor Sam Neil, local sports stars and the cast. The crowd saved the biggest applause burst for actors who played the hobbit characters, especially Elijah Wood, and for Jackson, dressed in open-neck purple shirt and unzipped black jacket.

New Line executive Mark Ordesky, already a popular figure here, brought the crowd to absolute fever pitch when, edged by Jackson to the microphone, he made the announcement the crowd had long been hoping to hear: that Wellington will host the world premiere of the “The Return of the King,” the final installment of the “Rings” trilogy, next year.

The post-premiere party then moved on to Te Papa Museum, no special effects spared, where earlier a special Lord of the Rings exhibit had been launched before heading on an international tour. “It’s lovely to have this opportunity to celebrate the work in a different capacity as art,” said Jackson’s Weta Workshop partner, double Oscar winner Richard Taylor. “It’s really important to me because our work flashes past so quickly on screen.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to show people the detail and culture of this work ... and let them experience it as art.”