Hi. I'm one of the lucky ones that is going. Even though seeing three movies in one day/night will probably be a new experience for most of us, I'm asking for strategies to get through the marathon with as few problems as possible. Some of my questions below probably sound elementary, but they're genuine concerns. Thanks for your help. Specifically, I'd like to know:

1) What time should I get to the theatre (FOTR EE starts at 1PM and seating begins at 12:15PM)?

2) Considering I'm physically handicapped (but I can go up or down a few stairs with no problems), any thoughts on where I should sit (the theatre that I'm going to has stadium seating and an elevator)?

3) (This question has several parts) I don't want to get dehydrated, but I also don't want to feel like racing to the bathroom in the middle of one of the movies, so how should I manage my liquid intake before and during the marathon? In lieu of drinking a lot, are there any candies, gums, or other small items that I can fit in my pocket that would help quench my thirst? Also, considering it takes me a little longer than most people to get around, should I time my bathroom breaks at the beginning, middle, or end of the breaks between movies?

4) Please refresh my memory--how long are the breaks between movies?

5) Any other tips that you could pass along?

I did this with the SE versions of Star Wars 4-6. Not a special setup, just went to a theater with all 3 for the whole day. It's just like any other day.

3) Gum can help you with thirst, but the best thing would be to drink water instead of soda. Soda dries you out and makes you thirstier, while making you need bathroom breaks just as much if not more than water. Theaters don't tend to allow outside beverages, so good luck either on sneaking them in or paying for them. With your handicap, you'll have to answer timing for yourself. Maybe you can keep your seat between movies. I would think (for your bladder's sake) hitting the john at the end of intermission would be best.

2) Always sit in the middle (side to side) at whatever distance from the screen you are most comfortable with. Get there early to make sure you can get these seats.

I don't know how theaters are handling Trilogy Tuesday, there may be special things they are doing that will help either your seating or eating/drinking. It'd be nice to do something like this, but I'm not losing any sleep over not going. I could always watch the other 2, then hit ROTK in the theater if I desperately wanted the trilogy. I'm more waiting for all 3 EEs in my house to do this at home, and that's a year away.

Yeah, but that's going to be nothing compared to Trilogy Tuesday...

www.stadiumpal.com

I've heard a lot of people voice very similar concerns about sitting through nearly 12 hours of movies... I'm not worried one bit. I've done this many many many times. I'll take usually one day every two months and just see as many movies as I can (usually 5-6, depending on start times)...so for me, a marathon like this is kind of old hat.

One thing that may sound weird is this, make sure to wear comfortable shoes. I realize you're not going to be standing up the whole time, but having you feet planted on the ground for that amount of time with uncomfortable shoes can really cause some ache. Maybe I have sensitive feet...but for LOTR I'm making sure to bring some slippers in fact, just to stay comfortable.

MATT

I'm sure this has been answered before but how can i find out if a theater in my area is doing this and are the first two movies the EE's?

The first two movies are the EEs, but there is no point in trying to find out more at this late date. Trilogy Tuesday is showing for one day only in about 100 theaters nationwide, and tickets went on sale -- and quickly sold out -- in October. If you don't already have tickets, you probably can't get any (unless you can find a friendly scalper somewhere).