• 'The Hobbit' sets December box-office record with $84.8 million opening

    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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  • Elijah Wood: 'Lord of the Rings' changed me as a person

    By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor

    The adventures in Middle Earth are soon set to return to the big screen with the highly-anticipated "The Lord of the Rings" prequel, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," and once again, fans will get to see Frodo Baggins, as played by Elijah Wood. But this time, they'll only get a glimpse.

    Frodo isn't the Hobbit hero at the center of this story. In fact, "The Hobbit" is set 60 years before the events of the "Rings" films.


    "We learn the story of Bilbo Baggins, which was (played by) Ian Holm in the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy," Wood explained during a Wednesday morning appearance on TODAY. "So this is him as a young man (played by Martin Freeman) going on his first adventure. It's the story of him kind of becoming the character that he is."

    It's a story Wood relates to. After all, he feels like he became the man he is during his "Lord of the Rings" experience.

    "It was hugely impactful," he said of his time working on the epic films. "The way I think of it is more in terms of how it changed me as a person. I was in New Zealand for four years, made some of the best friends of my life. I kind of grew into being a man. I was there when I was 18 and left when I was 22, basically. So I kind of grew up. It was formative years for me. "

    Catch (a little) more from Wood when "The Hobbit" opens in theaters nationwide Dec. 14.

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  • 'The Hobbit' star Martin Freeman says film's sets were 'awe-inspiring'

    By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor

    Thanks to special effects, any film can look like a huge production on the big screen. But in the case of Peter Jackson's highly-anticipated "Lord of the Rings" prequel, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," even the sets were of epic proportions.

    Martin Freeman, who plays the part of Hobbit hero Bilbo Baggins, visited TODAY Tuesday morning and shared just how impressive it was to experience the film firsthand.

    "It's pretty awe-inspiring," he said. "It's huge on a scale … well, it's bigger than anything else you're likely to do in this lifetime or the next. It's full of talent. It's full of commitment. And it's full of Peter Jackson, who is a very committed, wonderful man."


    Jackson was particularly committed to having Freeman take on the starring role in "The Hobbit" -- so committed, he delayed production to suit the actor's schedule.

    "What a fool!" Freeman joked of the director's decision. "No, it was very gratifying. It was a real compliment. It was great."

    "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" opens in theaters Dec. 14, but that's not the only chance for fans to see more from Freeman. In March, filming kicks off for the next series of the BBC-production-turned-PBS-hit, "Sherlock," which features Freeman in the role of John Watson alongside Benedict Cumberbatch's Holmes.

     

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  • Ian McKellen: I never worked with Elijah Wood on 'Lord of the Rings'

    By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor

    Movie magic makes fantasy worlds seem real and breaths artificial life into any sort of creature. But that's not all it can do. As Ian McKellen, star of the upcoming "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and veteran of Peter Jackson's special-effects-filled "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, revealed on TODAY Monday morning, it can even create co-stars out of actors who never really shared a single shot together.

    "I never worked with Elijah Wood," McKellen confessed. "He was the main part in 'Lord of the Rings,' but he's smaller than me, so we could never be together."

    And history repeated itself on the set of the prequel. For "The Hobbit," McKellen reprised his role as the towering Gandalf, but once again, his co-star was nowhere near him during their so-called shared scenes.


    "I never really worked with Martin Freeman, who plays (the diminutive) Bilbo in this," he explained. "That's acting, isn't it?"

    But in this case, it was an acting job McKellen nearly didn't take.

    "(It was) very close actually -- close over a long period -- because Peter Jackson first said he wouldn't be directing 'The Hobbit,' then he said he would and then he said he wouldn't," McKellen recalled. "And another director came in, Guillermo del Toro, and then he said he wouldn't do it. Then Jackson said he (still) wouldn't do it. It was all on and off and on and off. So I began to see all the negatives, preparing myself for the moment it wouldn't be made. And then suddenly it was made, and I couldn't resist it. I had to go back -- A. to New Zealand, and B. to Middle Earth."

    Fans will have a chance to return to Middle Earth when "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" opens in theaters nationwide Dec. 14.  

     

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  • 'Hobbit' director Peter Jackson, Gollum pop up in new Air New Zealand safety video

    By Erik Hayden, The Hollywood Reporter

    Passengers on Air New Zealand won't be sitting through a very dull safety video -- instead they'll see a clip that features Gollum crawling through the aisles and Peter Jackson finding the One Ring on the cabin floor.

    PHOTOS: The Hard Road to "The Hobbit"

    The airline company has debuted a Middle Earth inspired safety clip that was produced in partnership with Weta Workshop, which created the special effects for the "Lord of the Rings" films and the forthcoming "Hobbit" prequels.

    The safety video, titled "An Unexpected Briefing" -- a reference to the first Hobbit film titled "An Unexpected Journey" -- features an aircraft pilot outfitted as a Grey wizard, an elf explaining how emergency oxygen masks work, passengers trying to pronounce "Mordor," and even Jackson uttering the infamous phrase "my precious" to the ring.

    COVER STORY: "The Hobbit": Inside Peter Jackson and Warner Bros.' $1 Billion Gamble

    "To have Gollum step off the movie screen for the first time and into an Air New Zealand aircraft is incredibly special and Sir Peter Jackson delivers a superb cameo," said Mike Tod, Air New Zealand's General Manager of Marketing and Communications, in a press release. 

    The "Rings" films have been filmed in New Zealand, and the country has capitalized on the franchise's popularity, calling itself the "Home of Middle Earth" on its official tourism site. 

    Watch the full video here:

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  • Finally! Check out the exclusive first look at 'Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' trailer

    By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor

    There's good news for fans of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy who've been waiting patiently for an extended peek at what director Peter Jackson has in store for them with "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." On Wednesday morning, TODAY aired the world-exclusive first look at the trailer for the film.

    Watch the clip below to see Ian McKellen reprise his role as Gandalf the Grey, Martin Freeman take on the role of a young (well, younger) Bilbo Baggins and Andy Serkis bring Gollum to life again.

    The sweeping scenes go by fast, but they offer the most complete look at the film so far.


    And there's more to come. On Nov. 28 TODAY will have exclusive interviews with Peter Jackson and "The Hobbit" cast.

    While the wait for the theatrical trailer is finally over, the wait for the full feature film continues. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" hits theaters Dec. 14.

    What do you think of "The Hobbit" trailer? Are you excited to see the film on the big screen when it comes out? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

     

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