New Zealand airline puts giant image of Hobbit dragon Smaug on plane to celebrate 2nd movie

AUCKLAND, New Zealand – New Zealand’s national airline has unveiled a giant image of the dragon Smaug on one of its planes to celebrate the premiere of the second movie in the Hobbit trilogy.

Air New Zealand on Monday showed the 54-meter (177-foot) image that’s featured on both sides of a Boeing 777-300 aircraft. The plane is scheduled to fly to Los Angeles in time for the premiere of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” which screens Monday, Pacific Standard Time at the Dolby Theatre.

It’s the first time fans have gotten to see director Peter Jackson’s interpretation of Smaug. In the first movie, the director revealed only the dragon’s eye.

The Hobbit trilogy was filmed in New Zealand.

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