We’ve known for some time now that the advanced tickets for Peter Jackson’s trilogy-starter The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey would go on sale Wednesday, November 7th, but an added treat for Tolkein fans has been announced.  Also going on sale this Wednesday are tickets for all-day marathons of the superior extended editions of Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  A (lengthy) marathon of the extended editions took place last year in anticipation of the trilogy’s Blu-ray release, but if you were unable to attend and/or would like a theater-sized primer for The Hobbit, you’re in luck.  Hit the jump for more details.The Lord of the Rings marathons will take place on Saturday, December 8th and Sunday, December 9th, preceding the release of An Unexpected Journey in 3D on December 14th.  Tickets for the marathon and An Unexpected Journey go on sale this Wednesday at noon ET.  The Hobbit trilogy will continue with The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on December 13th, 2013 and The Hobbit: There and Back Again on July 18th, 2014.If you missed any of Steve’s coverage from the set of The Hobbit, check out 65 things to know and his interviews with Peter Jackson, Ian McKellan, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, and Weta Workshop’s Richard Taylor.Here’s the latest trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey followed by the film’s synopsis:

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever… Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

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