MANILA, December 16, 2013 – “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), charged to the top of the box office in its opening weekend, earning P76.65-million on 321 screens in the Philippines, including seven IMAX theatres.
“Smaug” broke the opening weekend gross of last year’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” which bowed with P55-million, and bested the openings of recent blockbusters in the same genre, notably “Avatar” (P57.6-M) and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (P51.6-M).
The announcement was made today by Francis Soliven, General Manager of Warner Bros. (F.E.), Inc., the film’s local distributor.
“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” is the second film in Oscar®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson’s epic “The Hobbit” Trilogy, based on the timeless novel by J.R.R. Tolkien. The first film in the Trilogy, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” went on to gross P137.6-million in the Philippines and a billion dollars worldwide.
Opening day showings, were sold out weeks in advance and thousands of fans waited in line to be among the first to see the movie. The film was released in High Frame Rate 3D (HFR 3D) in select theaters, other 2D and 3D formats, and IMAX®.
Soliven stated, “Moviegoers in the Philippines have been waiting to rejoin the adventure with Bilbo and the Company of Dwarves, and Peter Jackson and his team have delivered another great adventure for fans and newcomers alike. On the heels of this fantastic opening, word-of-mouth and the continued positive critical response ensure great playability into the Holiday season.”
The top grossing cinemas are led by SM Mall of Asia (P4.46-M), followed by SM North EDSA (P3.57-M) and Trinoma (P3.56-M).
Also posting huge receipts are SM Megamall (P2.80-M), SM Cebu (P2.68-M), Greenbelt 3 (P2.63-M), Glorietta 4 (P2.57-M), Power Plant (P1.81-M), SM Aura (P1.80-M) and Gateway (P1.78-M).
Rounding up the Top 20 theaters are Newport (P1.65-M), Alabang Town Center (P1.60-M), Eastwood (P1.507-M), Theatremall (P1.503-M), Ayala Cebu (P1.42-M), SM Southmall (P1.341-M), Robinsons Galleria (P1.340-M), Shang Cineplex (P1.31-M), Robinsons Magnolia (P1.16-M) and (tie) Gaisano Davao (P1.08-M) & SM Clark (P1.08-M).
From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” the second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
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 Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, and Orlando Bloom as Legolas. The film also stars Mikael Persbrandt, Sylvester McCoy, Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, Graham McTavish, Adam Brown, Peter Hambleton, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, William Kircher, Stephen Hunter, Ryan Gage, John Bell, Manu Bennett and Lawrence Makoare.
The screenplay for “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” 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.
New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Present a WingNut Films Production, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” The 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.