Lovely Bones gets right royal premiere

Mixed reviews from critics

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DRESSED FOR SUCCESS: Peter Jackson and Saoirse Ronan attend a press conference to promote The Lovely Bones in Wellington.

THREE'S A CROWD: Saoirse Ronan, Rose McLver and Carolyn Dando attend a press conference in Wellington to promote The Lovely Bones.

PURPLE POWER: Philippa Boyens and Saoirse Ronan attend a press conference in Wellington to promote The Lovely Bones.

SPEAKING OUT: Rose McLver and Carolyn Dando attend a press conference in Wellington to promote The Lovely Bones.

BIG HUG: Philippa Boyens and Saoirse Ronan attend a press conference in Wellington to promote The Lovely Bones.

HOLDING THE FLOOR: Peter Jackson attends the Lovely Bones press conference in Wellington.

CHESHIRE GRINS: Rose McLver and Carolyn Dando attend the Lovely Bones press conference in Wellington.

ANIMATED: Peter Jackson and Susan Sarandon attend a press conference to promote The Lovely Bones in Wellington.

HIGH FIVE: Saoirse Ronan attends a press conference to promote The Lovely Bones in Wellington.

TRIPLE TROUBLE: Susan Sarandon, Saoirse Ronan and Rose McLver attend a press conference in Wellington to promote The Lovely Bones.

ROLL OUT: A staff member at the Embassy Theatre vaccums the red carpet ahead of the premiere of The Lovely Bones.

FLYING THE FLAG: The Wellington City Council's Lovely Bones flags fly in Courtenay Place.

TRIPLE TROUBLE: Peter Jackson poses for photographers with actresses Saoirse Ronan and Susan Sarandon at the Australian premiere of The Lovely Bones.

ROYAL ARRIVAL: Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, arrive for the World Premiere and Royal Film Performance of the film The Lovely Bones in Leicester Square, London.

LOVE YOUR BONES: Actress Rose McIver poses for photographers as she arrives for the Royal Premiere of the film The Lovely Bones in Leicester Square, London.

FACING THE MOB: Actor Michael Imperioli and an unidentified woman pose for photographers as they arrive for the Royal Premiere of the film The Lovely Bones in Leicester Square, London.

MEET AND GREET: Britain's Prince Charles greets cast members Michael Imperioli, Susan Sarandon and Saoirse Ronan after arriving for the Royal Premiere of The Lovely Bones in Leicester Square, London.

SHE'S HERE: Britain's Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall arrives for the Royal Premiere of the film The Lovely Bones in Leicester Square, London.

STAR POWER: Actress Saoirse Ronan poses for photographers as she arrives for the Royal Premiere of the film The Lovely Bones in Leicester Square, London.

RED CARPET WALK: Actor Reece Ritchie poses for photographers as he arrives for the Royal Premiere of the film The Lovely Bones in Leicester Square, London.

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Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones has received mixed reviews after its royal film performance and world premiere in London.

Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, attended the royal screening yesterday morning (NZ time) at a packed Odeon Leicester Square.

They were among the first in the world to see a film that critics later labelled anything from "the best film of next year" to "infuriatingly coy".

Earlier reports that the Queen – who selected the film to screen at the royal performance – would take her place among the 1683-strong Odeon audience proved to be off the mark.

The film, based on a novel by Alice Sebold about a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family and killer from heaven, has had mixed reviews.

Guardian.co.uk film reviewer Xan Brooks said the film recalled "Jackson's work on the brilliant Heavenly Creatures, before he set forth on his epic voyage through The Lord of the Rings."

But he gave The Lovely Bones only two stars out of five, describing it as "infuriatingly coy".

The Sun newspaper called it "the best film of next year".

Reviewer Kirk Honeycutt, from the Hollywood Reporter, said Jackson had transformed Sebold's novel into a story focused on crime and punishment which should deliver a significant box office take during the film's initial release.

"Whether [it] will sustain those numbers as it expands domestically and then into foreign territories in January is unclear. This is, to Jackson's credit, daring and deeply unsettling material."

The royals were joined at the premiere by Jackson and cast members, including Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, Stanley Tucci and Saoirse Ronan.

Fingers are crossed that the poor weather on the night doesn't follow the stars at the New Zealand premiere at Wellington's Embassy Theatre on December 14.

Two temporary grandstands will frame the entrance to the Embassy and give autograph hunters the chance to corner Sarandon, Ronan and Jackson, who are all expected on the red carpet.

Street closures are planned from 11am till midnight on premiere day.

Courtenay Place, between Tory St and the Embassy, will be closed to traffic, as will sections of Majoribanks St, Kent Tce and Cambridge Tce.

There will be controlled access to other roads such as Edge Hill, Alpha St, Blair St and Allen St.

Parking will be restricted on those roads and bus stops, mobility parking and taxi stands will be shifted.

The proposed road closures have still to be ticked off by a Wellington City Council committee, which is due to meet early next month.

The capital last hosted a New Zealand premiere for a blockbuster movie in 2005, for Jackson's King Kong.

It sparked wild scenes as Courtenay Place was turned into a party zone, with thousands of fans waving giant inflatable bananas and screaming to get the attention of the film's stars.

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