Bilbo wasn’t kidding about that road going ever on and on. Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy—which already expands a slim children’s novel into a three-movie epic—is returning to theaters with extended editions that add over an hour to the total run time. Thankfully, however, theater owners seem to have realized that even the most hardcore Tolkien fans can’t take that much CGI in one sitting: According to /Film, the movies will be shown over the course of three nights in October, just a few weeks before The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies extended edition DVD goes on sale November 3.
These extended editions aren’t quite as mammoth as Jackson’s versions of The Lord Of The Rings. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has 13 bonus minutes, The Desolation Of Smaug has 25, and The Battle Of The Five Armies will add an extra 30 minutes of content. Hopefully that additional runtime will bring the focus back to Martin Freeman’s Bilbo, ostensibly the protagonist of these things (the series bears his name after all). Or perhaps it will be used to finally define the 13 dwarves who somehow remain nondescript despite starring in all three films. More than likely, however, it will just be full of more moments where Legolas defies the laws of physics and/or Alfrid Lickspittle injects some painfully unfunny comic relief.
The first showing is slated for October 5, but it’s not yet clear if these screenings will take place over consecutive nights or be spread throughout the month.