“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” charged to the top
of the global box office, and has now earned more than $350
million. The film, a production of New Line Cinema and
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), is the conclusion to Peter
Jackson’s acclaimed “The Hobbit” Trilogy based on the timeless
classic by J.R.R. Tolkien. The joint announcement was made today by
Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line
Cinema; Sue Kroll, President of Worldwide Marketing and
International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures; Dan Fellman,
President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures; and
Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution,
Warner Bros. Pictures.
Beginning with sold-out preview screenings in the U.S., the film
has earned $90.63 million domestically. “The Hobbit: The Battle of
the Five Armies” also expanded across the majority of international
markets, taking in $105.5 million over the weekend. The
international total stands at $265 million and counting.
Internationally, opening day showings for “The Hobbit: The
Battle of the Five Armies” were sold out, some weeks in advance,
and thousands of fans waited in line to journey to Middle-earth one
last time. The film enjoyed the biggest opening day of year in a
number of key markets, including Germany, Scandinavia and the
director’s home country of New Zealand, where it had the widest
release ever in that country. The film also became the biggest
Warner Bros. opening in Russia, Serbia and Ukraine, and shot to #1
in Brazil and Mexico, where it went up against the final match of
the Mexican Soccer League. “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five
Armies” also broke records for the biggest opening of all time in
Sweden, Finland, Croatia and Czech Republic; and the biggest
opening of the year in Spain, Germany, Russia, Holland,
Switzerland, Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia.
The film is yet to open in a number of markets, including China on
January 23, as well as Australia, Argentina, Iceland and Uruguay,
as well as Poland and other Eastern European territories.
Additionally, the film set records in IMAX®, taking in $13.62
million on 360 domestic screens, marking the biggest December
opening and the biggest opening for “The Hobbit” Trilogy.
Internationally, the weekend total was $6.5 million on 217 IMAX
screens for an international total of more than $15 million to
date, including the biggest IMAX opening of all time in the UK,
Germany and Austria.
In making the announcement, Emmerich stated, “For Peter Jackson,
the adventure that began with his benchmark ‘The Lord of the Rings’
Trilogy has reached a high water mark with this incredible response
to the epic finale of ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy. Along with our
colleagues at Warner Bros. and MGM, we congratulate Peter on this
exciting conclusion to his 16-year endeavor to bring this enduring
saga to life for millions of moviegoers all over the world.”
Kroll stated, “We are very proud to have accompanied Peter
Jackson and his remarkable team of collaborators on his hugely
successful cinematic journey. The positive response of both critics
and audiences to this final film in ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy is a
tribute to the talents of everyone who dedicated years to bringing
these ambitious films to fruition, and we applaud them all on this
tremendous success.”
Fellman said, “This is an extraordinary start for our final
adventure in Middle-earth. We are excited by the enthusiasm of
moviegoers, who have already made ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the
Five Armies’ a blockbuster, and this is just the beginning. We
expect word of mouth to continue to drive the box office through
the holiday season and well into the new year.”
Kwan Vandenberg noted, “This is a timeless story that speaks to
audiences all over the world, and the anticipation for the
Trilogy’s electrifying finale has yielded tremendous results.
Everywhere it’s opened, the film has seen huge debuts, strong holds
and amazing buzz, and the momentum will only build as we move into
2015.”
In all releasing markets, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five
Armies” surpassed the #1 openings of the two preceding films in the
Trilogy, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: The
Desolation of Smaug,” which were released a year apart, starting in
December 2012, with the first going on to earn more than a billion
dollars worldwide and the second earning upwards of $950
million.
From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The
Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” the third in a trilogy of
films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by
J.R.R. Tolkien.
Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, with Martin Freeman in
the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin
Oakenshield. The international ensemble cast is also led by
Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Benedict Cumberbatch, Billy
Connolly, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Aidan Turner, Dean O'Gorman,
Graham McTavish, Stephen Fry, and Ryan Gage. The film also stars
Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Orlando
Bloom, Mikael Persbrandt, Sylvester McCoy, Peter Hambleton, John
Callen, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, William Kircher, Stephen Hunter,
Adam Brown, John Bell, Manu Bennett and John Tui.
The screenplay for “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies”
is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson &
Guillermo del Toro, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. Jackson
also produced the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane
Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby
Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Philippa Boyens
and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers. The associate producers
are Matthew Dravitzki and Amanda Walker.
New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Present a
Wingnut Films Production, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five
Armies.” As with the first two films in the Trilogy, “The Hobbit:
An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,”
the final film is a production of New Line Cinema and
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), with New Line managing
production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical
distribution, with select international territories as well as all
international television distribution being handled by MGM. Like
the first two films in the Trilogy, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the
Five Armies” was released in High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D) in select
theaters, other 2D and 3D formats, and IMAX®. www.hobbitmovie.net
#OneLastTime
New Line CinemaCandice McDonough,
818-977-6991candice.mcdonough@newline.com