"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 £9.759 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®.

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.