The New Zealand-based actors who starred as dwarves in the Hobbit trilogy will have to mount a special quest, if they want to be at the world premiere of the third film in the series.

Warner Bros is citing budget considerations for refusing to pay their airfares to Britain for the event.

The team of seven will be flown to Los Angeles for premiere there sometime after the UK event.

The film premieres in London's Leicester Square on December the 1, and will be released in New Zealand on December 11.