Sadly it was a box office bomb. Universal shelved his King Kong remake around the same time. It did however allow for a great expansion of his WETA F/X studio, which was key to making LOTR.

I got to visit the set one day. As has been discussed after the fact, they riffed constantly. If every scene happened like the one I watched, there must be enough for 200 versions of the movie.

“That comic book convention, my friends..." MTV News sat up and ran multiple mini-studios at SDCC a few years later. There was even a comic book movie hub on the MTV site for a while. Now, MTV News is no more🥹. But I'll be back at SDCC once again in 2023. 3/3.

Then they cut the beta crew. By the time the weekend arrived, I was told I could go by myself if I wanted. But they wouldn't cover gas, let alone a hotel. I stayed on a friend's couch. I came back w/ several interviews with A-list actors & filmmakers. "Wait, where were you?" 2/

It's time