Name: An Unexpected Marathon
Start: 2025-09-21T12:00:00+01:00
Location: North Main Street, Cork, Ireland T12 KN88

Following the sell-out success of last year’s Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Marathon — which booked out in just a few days — we’re heading back to Middle-earth for another epic one-day journey.
An Unexpected Marathon is a full-day screening of The Hobbit Extended Edition Trilogy, shown back-to-back on the big screen. We’re hosting it on Saturday, September 21 — perfectly timed to celebrate Hobbit Day on September 22, the shared birthday of both Bilbo and Frodo Baggins.
This is the ultimate way to experience the full story that leads into The Lord of the Rings, packed with dwarves, dragons, and more second breakfasts than you can shake a wizard’s staff at. The marathon kicks off at 12:00 PM and runs through until just before 10:00 PM, with ample breaks between films for food, drinks, and stretching your hairy feet.
THE FILMS:
An Unexpected Journey (12:00pm – 3:05pm)
"Home is now behind you. The world is ahead."
Bilbo Baggins is pulled from his comfortable life into a daring quest by Gandalf and thirteen dwarves seeking to reclaim their homeland from the dragon Smaug. Along the way he faces trolls, goblins, orcs, and one particularly tense riddle game with a creature named Gollum.
The Desolation of Smaug (3:35pm – 6:40pm)
"If this is to end in fire, then we will all burn together!"
The journey continues through the dangerous paths of Mirkwood, the politics of Laketown, and into the heart of the Lonely Mountain. Bilbo faces his biggest challenge yet — a one-on-one with Smaug the Terrible, in one of the most visually spectacular sequences in the trilogy.
The Battle of the Five Armies (7:10pm – 9:50pm)
"You have but one question to answer: how shall this day end?"
Alliances are tested and war erupts as dwarves, men, elves, and orcs collide in an epic battle for the fate of Erebor. As Bilbo's journey reaches its emotional end, the seeds are sown for the story we all know so well.
Whether you're revisiting Middle-earth or discovering it anew, this marathon is your chance to celebrate Tolkien’s world on the big screen as it was meant to be seen — with a full house of fellow fans and a day full of dragons, adventure, and heart.
Trilogy tickets are limited and will go fast — last year’s sold out in just a few days. Book early to avoid disappointment.
Come with us, there and back again… and don’t forget to bring snacks for the road.