TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS~*FOR USE OF 'THE HOBBIT' FILM CLIPS - MUST COURTESY WARNER BROS. WITH NO ARCHIVE, NO WIRELESS AND NO RESALE*~
Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" which centres around a quest for hidden treasure, certainly hit gold over the weekend.
The movie set a new December record taking nearly $85 million in the US alone and over $138 million from the rest of the world.
And according to its distributor Warner Bros, it's also broken current worldwide IMAX records.
The Hobbit has surpassed its cinematic predecessors The Lord of the Rings with its opening weekend takings, but not so far with its reviews. There has been criticism not only for the movie's length but also its unique frame rate, which some have complained made them feel nauseous. Others complain it's akin to watching a large television rather than seeing a movie.
The story follows Bilbo Baggins, a small hairy-footed hobbit, who goes on an adventure of self-discovery with a gang of dwarves and a wizard called Gandalf. "The Hobbit" was author J.R.R. Tolkein's original tale which spawned The Lord of the Rings.
The third movie of that trilogy "The Return of the King" is one of the highest grossing movies of all time, making over $1.1 billion dollars worldwide at the box office.
We'll have to see if "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" has got the same stamina.
