"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," the Final Film in Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" Trilogy, Ignites the UK and Irish Box Office with a Number One Opening Weekend of £9.759 Million

"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," the Final Film in Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" Trilogy, Ignites the UK and Irish Box Office with a Number One Opening Weekend of £9.759 Million

LONDON, December 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --



"The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," a production of New Line Cinema and
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), ignited the UK box office this weekend. The highly
anticipated third and final film in Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson's acclaimed "The
Hobbit" Trilogy, based on the timeless novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, earned GBP9.759 million on
594 sites including 31 IMAX sites across the UK and Ireland. The announcement was made
today by Josh Berger, President and Managing Director, Warner Bros UK and Ireland.



The opening day showings, the biggest box opening Friday of 2014 saw fans waiting in
line to be among the first to see the last battle for Middle-earth on the big screen. "The
Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" surpassed the number one openings of the two
preceding films in the Trilogy - "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and "The Hobbit: The
Desolation of Smaug" - which opened a year apart, starting December 2012 and The Lord Of
The Rings trilogy which also opened a year apart starting in December 2001 making "The
Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" the biggest opening weekend of the blockbuster
Middle Earth film series in the UK and Ireland.



Like the first two films in "The Hobbit Trilogy", "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five
Armies" was released in High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D) in select theatres, other 2D and 3D
formats, and IMAX(R).



Josh Berger stated, "This is the film audiences across the UK have been waiting for
and truly an event for all moviegoers and 'Hobbit' fans. We congratulate Peter Jackson,
his iconic cast and behind-the-scenes team for delivering such an epic and satisfying
conclusion to this incredible 13-year cinematic journey to Middle-earth."



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. "The Hobbit" Trilogy tells a continuous story
set in Middle-earth 60 years before "The Lord of the Rings," which Jackson and his team
brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the
Oscar-winning "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."



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 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.




Warner Bros UK

CONTACT: For more information, please contact: Rob Deacon or Jayne Trotman, Rob.deacon@warnerbros.com / Jayne.Trotman@warnerbros.com, +44(0)207-984-5000


-------
Profile: intent