BOX OFFICE: THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Earns $12.4 Million In Midnight Showings
Peter Jackson's return to Middle-Earth is already taking the North American box office by storm, earning an impressive $12.4 million from midnight showings. Hit the jump for details on that and a rough estimate for how The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will perform this weekend!
According to The Wrap, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey made $12.4 million at midnight screenings last night. Shown at 3,100 theatres across North America, these figures actually make Peter Jackson's adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel the biggest December midnight opening in history. While Warner Bros. are conservatively estimating a $70 million opening weekend, it's thought that it will in fact debut closer to $100 million when it rolls out to 4,045 screen in the US. Are you planning to watch the movie this weekend? If so, will you be checking it out in 48fps? IMAX? 2D? 3D? Be sure to sound off with your thoughts in the usual place!
The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.
Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum.
Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s "precious" ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
STARRING:
Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins
Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey
Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield
Andy Serkis as Gollum
Hugo Weaving as Elrond
Benedict Cumberbatch as Smaug
Luke Evans as Bard the Bowman
Christopher Lee as Saruman the White
Cate Blanchett as Galadriel
Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins
Orlando Bloom as Legolas
RELEASE DATE: December 14th, 2012.
About The Author:
Comic Book Reader. Film Lover. WWE and F1 Fan. Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and ComicBookMovie.com's #1 contributor.