World premiere of The Hobbit

Tens of thousands of fans dressed in medieval costumes camped overnight to catch a glimpse of the stars from new film The Hobbit today.

A video released by a New Zealand airline to help promote passenger safety on-board its aircraft has racked up nearly 10 million YouTube hits online - thanks to its Hobbit-inspired theme.

Featuring a brief cameo appearance by legendary director Sir Peter Jackson, air hostesses run the adventure-themed video and advise passengers dressed in fantasy attire from the film.

Fans of The Hobbit queued in their droves today at the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in New Zealand to catch a glimpse of the stars in director Peter Jackson's first film in the new trilogy.

Watch the film's official trailer:

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey director Peter Jackson hopes the new technology he used on his latest movie trilogy will create a "magical" cinema-going experience.

Speaking at a news conference in Wellington, New Zealand, hours before the first instalment's world premiere, Jackson highlighted that the films were shot at 48 frames per second rather than the traditional 24 in a bid to give them greater clarity.

"We just have to make the cinema-going experience more magical and more spectacular to get people coming back to the movies again", the Oscar-winning director told the audience.

Jackson said that when the movie opens worldwide next month in 25,000 cinemas, only around 1,000 of them will be equipped to show the movie in 48 frames, so most people will see it in the more traditional format.

The Hobbit has also been shot in 3-D.

Fans are beginning to gather in Wellington, New Zealand, as preparations are underway for the world premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

The film is the first in director Peter Jackson's new trilogy based on the stories of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Jackson wrote on Facebook earlier, "Our first press conference in the magnificent marae at Te Papa - New Zealand's national museum here in Wellington. World Premiere of the movie in a few hours".