MUMBAI: New Line and MGM‘s ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey‘ started the holiday season with an opening of $84.8 million thus becoming the top three-day opener of all time for the month of December. In North America, Will Smith‘s ‘I Am Legend‘ previously held the record for best December opening with $77.2 million on the same weekend in 2007.
Hobbit opened to $138.2 million overseas for a worldwide total of $223 million racing ahead of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003 ($125.9 million).
Trade pundits estimate that Warner Bros‘ New Line which is distributing the 3D fantasy adventure, could earn as much as four times its opening weekend gross through New Year‘s Day (Christmas films can have especially strong multiples).
Hobbit is based on J. R. R. Tolkien‘s 1937 novel and is set 60 years before the events chronicled in The Lord of the Rings.