“The Hobbit” poised to shatter December record for biggest debut

PanARMENIAN.Net - “The Hobbit” Peter Jackson’s prequel to the blockbuster “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, charged out of the box-office blocks taking in $37.5 million Friday, December 15 in its North American debut, TheWrap said.

That puts it on track for a three-day total of between $95 million and $100 million, which would shatter the December record for biggest debut. The previous best was the $77.2 million brought in by “I Am Legend” in 2007.”

It’s been nine years since moviegoers have had the chance to revisit Middle-earth and they were glad to be back, giving “The Hobbit” an “A” CinemaScore.

The final film in "The Lord of the Rings" series, "The Return of the King," debuted to $72.6 million domestically in 2003, but “The Hobbit” is benefiting from a higher mark-up on 3D tickets. It is the first adaptation of the beloved J.R.R. Tolkien books to arrive in theaters in that format and is available in 3,160 of the total 4,045 screens. It's on 326 Imax screens, too.

Friday’s grosses for “The Hobbit” were boosted by the $13 million taken in from midnight screenings at 3,100 locations, 2,160 of which were 3D.