It was reported last week that advance sales for the blockbuster, directed by Peter Jackson, had already topped the £1 million mark in the UK, giving the film the biggest advanced sales of a film this year.

The trilogy, written by JRR Tolkein, received a further boost at the weekend when the series was voted the nation’s top book in the BBC’s Big Read contest.

Derek Townsend, duty manager at Dundee’s Odeon in Douglasfield, claimed the film had the biggest pre-bookings ever at the cinema.

He said, “We’re expecting The Return Of The King to be huge — even bigger than the first two films.

“Many people have been introduced to the series by watching them at home on DVDs or videos, so we’re expecting there to be an increased fanbase for this film.

“It’s hard to describe the anticipation. I don’t think there has been anything like it since Star Wars Episode One four years ago.

“In terms of the number of seats that have been pre-booked, this is the biggest film ever at Odeon Douglasfield.

“Two evening shows tomorrow night are very nearly sold out and we’re expecting many more to sell out tomorrow.

“We are even opening the cinema early tomorrow, at 10 am, to cope with the demand.

“Tonight we are showing the first two films — The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers — in the series back to back and there are only a handful of tickets left.

Dundee Contemporary Arts are also showing the first two films in the trilogy during the day tomorrow and on Thursday, allowing a fan to spend the whole day watching the fantasy epic.

A spokesperson for DCA said, “We are taking on extra staff tomorrow to cope with the increase in business.”

Dundee’s UGC at Camperdown Park will be showing the film first in Dundee, at 9.50 am tomorrow.

David McGloan, operations manager at Dundee UGC, said, “We have received four prints of the film so that we can show it on four screens at once.”