Monday, December 17, 2012

'Hobbit' sets box-office record with $84.8M debut

By Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter

New Line and MGM's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"?kicked off the holiday season in high style, opening to $84.8 million, the top three-day opening of all time for the month of December.

Will Smith's?"I Am?Legend," debuting on the same weekend in 2007, previously held the record with $77.2 million.?

The first in?Peter Jackson's?planned trilogy, "Hobbit"?received an A CinemaScore from moviegoers, portending good word of mouth. Warner Bros., which owns New Line, is distributing the 3D fantasy-adventure.

Photos from THR: 'The Hobbit': 17 New Posters Introduce Characters Going on 'An Unexpected Journey'?

"Hobbit"?-- based on?J. R. R. Tolkien's?1937 novel and set 60 years before the events chronicled in "The Lord of the Rings"?-- played older, with 58 percent of the audience over the age of 25. Males made up 57 percent of those buying tickets.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," opening on Dec. 17, 2003, a Wednesday, posted a five-day debut of $124.1 million, including a weekend opening of roughly $72 million.

Some 326 Imax theaters, the favorite locale of fanboys, made up the top 10 locations for "Hobbit," generating $10.1 million in ticket sales for a location average of $31,000. Imax screens playing the film in the 48 frames-per-second format also generated strong numbers, or $44,000 per location.

Starring?Martin Freeman?as Bilbo?Baggins?and returning?Ian?McKellen?in the role of the wizard Gandalf form Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films, "Hobbit"?is the first in a planned trilogy.

Elsewhere, awards contenders "Lincoln"?and "Silver Linings Playbook"?both saw a boost from their Golden Globe nominations.

Photos from THR: Peter Jackson, Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen Premiere 'The Hobbit' in NYC ?

In its sixth weekend,?Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln"?dropped less than 19 percent to come in No. 3 with weekend earnings of $7.2 million and putting its domestic total at $107.9 million. DreamWorks produced the film, while Disney has domestic distribution duties.

From?David O. Russell, "Silver Linings"?dropped only 4 percent to come in No. 10 with $2.1 million from 371 theaters. The film, from The Weinstein Co., saw the lowest decline of any film in the top 10, and will add more theaters on Christmas Day.

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Source: http://entertainment.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/16/15947248-the-hobbit-sets-box-office-record-with-848-million-opening?lite

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