The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
A motion picture phenomenon sweeping North America has arrived in Flin Flon to an unprecedented amount of fanfare. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King began playing at the Hapnot Theatre, based in Hapnot Collegiate, on Saturday. "The first showing, we had to turn away 30 or 40 people," said co-manager Bill Leefe. "It was full on Sunday, too." The audience for the third showing Monday evening was uncommonly large as well, and Leefe won't be surprised if the trend continues. The film, the final installment in a trilogy that has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, is playing at the theatre for an unprecedented two weeks in a row. Leefe had to agree to play the film for two weeks in order to bring the movie to Flin Flon this early. Had he not, it could have taken another month to deliver the film to local audiences. Given the popularity of the much-hyped flick, Leefe wasn't willing to wait that long. "It's the end of the trilogy and it's a very good movie. People just can't say enough about it," he said, adding that people of all ages have been attending the show. The film concludes the story of Frodo and Sam and their quest to destroy a powerful ring before it can fall into the wrong hands. Leefe believes the popularity of the Lord of the Rings book by J.R.R. Tolkien has prompted much of the success of all three movies. Despite a markedly lengthy running time of three and a half hours, the movie has had no problem keeping residents glued to the edge of their seats. Other huge successes at the Hapnot Theatre over the years have included The Cat in the Hat, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and Monsters Inc. "Most of the kids' shows are pretty popular," noted Leefe. The 95-seat Hapnot Theatre opened in March of 2001, about a year and a half after the project was first discussed between Leefe and representatives from Hapnot Collegiate and the Flin Flon School Division. Work to convert the Dorothy Ash Theatre, used for drama class and presentations to the students, into a movie theatre began in December of 2000.
