{"id":17640,"date":"2025-10-05T07:08:23","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T07:08:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/05\/lord-of-the-rings-director-peter-jackson-shuts-down-nz-cafe-owners-resist-hollywood-news\/"},"modified":"2025-10-05T07:08:23","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T07:08:23","slug":"lord-of-the-rings-director-peter-jackson-shuts-down-nz-cafe-owners-resist-hollywood-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/05\/lord-of-the-rings-director-peter-jackson-shuts-down-nz-cafe-owners-resist-hollywood-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Lord Of The Rings Director Peter Jackson Shuts Down NZ Caf\u00e9, Owners Resist | Hollywood News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Peter Jackson ends lease on Wellington’s historic Submarine Barracks, forcing Chocolate Fish Cafe to close, sparking controversy as owners seek talks with Jackson and Fran Walsh.<\/h2>\n
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Peter Jackson is the filmmaker behind both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Acclaimed filmmaker Peter Jackson has found himself at the centre of a public dispute in New Zealand after the owners of a much-loved local caf\u00e9 revealed they are being forced to shut down next year. The Chocolate Fish Caf\u00e9, located on Wellington\u2019s scenic peninsula, said it has been asked to vacate the historic site owned by Jackson and his partner, filmmaker Fran Walsh.<\/p>\n

According to reports, Jackson and Walsh purchased the former Submarine Barracks property in 2023, announcing their intention to restore the location\u2019s \u201cnatural beauty.” However, the popular seaside caf\u00e9 that currently occupies the site said it received notice this week that its lease will end in January 2026, a decision that has left staff and patrons heartbroken.<\/p>\n

Calling the news a \u201cdevastating blow,” the caf\u00e9 released a statement expressing its disappointment and requesting a chance to speak directly with the Oscar-winning director and his partner.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite our requests, we haven\u2019t yet been given the opportunity to speak with Peter and Fran directly, and we are asking for that chance,” the caf\u00e9 stated on social media. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to be forced to close. We don\u2019t want to be shut down.”<\/p>\n

The eatery, which has long been a favourite among Wellington locals and tourists alike, has urged its supporters to help convince the property owners to reconsider.<\/p>\n

WingNut PM, the property division of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh\u2019s WingNut Group, has responded to the controversy, clarifying that conversations with the caf\u00e9 about the site\u2019s future have been ongoing for some time.<\/p>\n

The company said there had been \u201coccupancy discussions” with the caf\u00e9\u2019s owners since 2024, though it did not comment on whether the closure could be delayed or avoided.<\/p>\n

Peter Jackson, often hailed as one of cinema\u2019s most visionary directors, began his career with the cult classic Bad Taste (1987). He rose to global prominence with Heavenly Creatures (1994), which earned him an Oscar nomination. His monumental success came with The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001\u20132003), which grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and won 17 Academy Awards.<\/p>\n

Jackson later directed King Kong (2005) and revisited J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s universe with The Hobbit trilogy (2012\u20132014), which collected over $2.9 billion globally.<\/p>\n

(With inputs from AFP)<\/p>\n

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First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n
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October 05, 2025, 12:26 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

News<\/a> movies<\/a> hollywood<\/a> Lord Of The Rings Director Peter Jackson Shuts Down NZ Caf\u00e9, Owners Resist<\/span><\/div>\n
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Last Updated:October 05, 2025, 12:26 IST Peter Jackson ends lease on Wellington’s historic Submarine Barracks, forcing Chocolate Fish Cafe to close, sparking controversy as owners seek talks with Jackson and Fran Walsh. Peter Jackson is the filmmaker behind both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. Acclaimed filmmaker Peter Jackson has found himself…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}