Jason Kempin/Getty ImagesChristmas came early for a few special Hobbit fans last week on a day which is often deemed unlucky by many.
Ian McKellen made a surprise appearance during a midnight screening of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug at New York City's AMC Lincoln Square on Friday, Dec. 13th.
Gandalf himself delivered a few opening remarks, causing overzealous fans to erupt into hysteria as they gave the 74-year-old English actor a standing ovation while he took the stage.
"Congratulations on being the first audience in New York to see The Desolation of Smaug," the actor, who is currently in New York performing Waiting for Godot and another play with BFF Patrick Stewart, said. "This is where I wanted to be right now as we turn midnight on to lucky Friday the 13th."
"I've seen this movie," he continued as the crowd laughed. "You're going to have a wonderful time. The dragon goes on a bit long, but my golly, looks fierce."
McKellen then went on to thank the dedicated fans of the fantasy franchise, while reminiscing over shooting the first Lord of the Rings, which hit theaters back in 2001
"[Director] Peter Jackson believes this is the best of the five so far and the critics seem to agree with him. And I just want to let you know that when we were doing Lord of the Rings all those years ago at the beginning of the century we didn't really know whether anyone was going to want to come and see it," he recalled. "And it happened that you and others enjoyed them. And so when we went back to do pick-ups for parts two and parts three of Lord of the Rings, it was as if we were making these films for people who really cared. And the same is true of The Hobbit."
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is currently in theaters.