The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Movie Review

Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Evangeline Lilly, James Nesbitt, Aidan Turner, Lee Pace, Orlando Bloom, Ken Stott, Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Jed Brophy and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Directed by Peter Jackson.

★★★

Caught this at the discount theater.

This trilogy, even though it has the same budget and running time, feels like Lord of the Rings Lite. And it is. The Hobbit was a one-volume kids book, and now it's been blown up into an eight-hour three-movie event. And while the sets are as daunting, the battles as decapitating, and the special-effects as all-consuming, it's still just an excuse to hang out in Middle Earth for another round. Fine by me.

When we last left Bilbo, Gandalf, Thorin and twelve other dwarves we can't tell apart (I wish I'd reviewed this slideshow before going in) had flown on giant eagles to a safe spot away from the orc army but still a few days' journey away from the Lonely Mountain. The orc army catches up rather quickly, so they have to make haste and go through a haunted forest. Now Gandalf gets some news, so he says he has to leave them for a time, but he'll meet them at the Mountain.

Why the dwarves couldn't just stick with Gandalf? It apparently would take the same amount of time. No matter. They make their way through the wood and encounter giant spiders, and the adventure continues from there.  Now somewhere in there the dwarves come across two Elves - Legolas (Orlando Bloom, coming full circle) and an actual female named Tauriel (Lost's Evangeline Lilly), and there's actually some flirting between her and the cutest dwarf Kili (i.e. the one with the least amount of makeup).

The third act was my favorite part, when we finally meet Smaug the dragon (voiced with delicious villainy by Benedict Cumberbatch). (Hey, I just realized the dragon and the hobbit were Sherlock and Dr. Watson talking.)

It ends about as abruptly as a 2-hour 40-minute movie can, so I imagine the third one will be about as long, fleshed out nicely. And I will see that on the big screen too. I like hanging out in Middle Earth.

Weekend Box Office Dec 27-29, 2013

For all the new Christmas Day offerings out there, it was the leftovers that sold the most tickets. The Hobbit: Part Smaug is behind the first one but still proving to be a profitable venture.  Frozen is now Disney's second-highest non-Pixar animated movie to date, behind only The Lion King.

Of the newbies, The Wolf of Wall Street is faring best. Hard to say how word of mouth will be. We had about six people walk out of our screening. It's insane to me how much money Universal dumped into 47 Ronin. The last time Keanu Reeves was in a movie that grossed over $100 million was 2003 (the Matrix sequels and Something's Gotta Give), and they dumped $200 million into 47 Ronin?

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty had a disappointing beginning for Ben Stiller, and Grudge Match is just a bomb to be quickly forgotten.  Justin Bieber's Believe showed that there's not much interest left in his concert movies.

Hobbit still #1, Anchorman 2 #2

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ultimately won the weekend over all newcomers. Anchorman 2 put up the biggest fight, with endless marketing in multiple venues. American Hustle had about the same per-screen success, and it's been getting positive award buzz. Saving Mr. Banks was counting on the same sort of buzz, but as far as family movies go, Hobbit still seems to be winning. Still, I expect Banks to have strong legs through January.

The one outright flop was Walking with Dinosaurs, which decided to not make a nature-style film about dinosaurs but instead went the same route as Disney's forgettable 2000 movie Dinosaur, and give the dinosaurs human voices.

The studio Yash Raj continues to have limited-run success with its niche market films. I never see any box-office sites talk about their films, but hey, look, Dhoom 3 cracked the top ten on just 236 screens.

The competition gets stiffer this week when The Wolf of Wall Street, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Grudge Match and 47 Ronin open on Christmas Day.

Smaug wins box-office weekend

The second Hobbit movie didn't open quite as large as the first, but it shows that audience member still have a taste for Middle Earth, and it's good for them, because competition is about to get really stiff.  Anchorman 2 and Walking with Dinosaurs both open this Friday, and Saving Mr. Banks and American Hustle will expand wide.  Then Christmas Day, we'll get The Wolf of Wall Street, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Grudge Match, Believe, 47 Ronin, and expansions for Inside Llewyn Davis and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.

Hobbit stays #1 over Django, Les Miz

For the weekend of Dec. 28-30.

1. The Hobbit - $32.92 million ($222.7) - 3 wks (WB) -10.9%
 . . . 4100 screens / $8029 per screen
2. Django Unchained - $30.69 ($64) - 1 wk (Wein)
 . . . 3010 / $10,195
3. Les Misersables - $28.03 ($67.47) - 1 wk (U)
 . . . 2808 / $9981
4. Parental Guidance - $14.8 ($29.59) - 1 wk (Fox)
 . . . 3367 / $4396
5. Jack Reacher - $14.01 ($44.66) - 2 wks (Par) -10.2%
 . . . 3352 / $4180
6. This Is 40 - $13.19 ($37.12) - 2 wks (U) +13.9%
 . . . 2914 / $4525
7. Lincoln - $7.51 ($132.04) - 8 wks (BV) +35.9%
 . . . 1966 / $3819
8. The Guilt Trip - $6.7 ($21.1) - 2 wks (Par) +24.3%
 . . . 2431 / $2756
9. Monsters Inc. 3D - $6.36 ($18.49) - 2 wks (BV) +33.3%
 . . . 2618 / $2430
10. Rise of the Guardians - $4.9 ($90.23) - 6 wks (DW) -16.9%
 . . . 2055 / $2384
11. Skyfall - $4.6 ($289.6) - 8 wks (Sony) -2.1%
 . . . 1637 / $2810
12. Silver Linings Playbook - $4.11 ($27.36) - 7 wks (Wein) +130.7%
 . . . 745 / $5517
13. Life of Pi - $3.83 ($84.7) - 6 wks (Fox) -4.8%
 . . . 1178 / $3247
14. Breaking Dawn 2 - $2.45 ($286.13) - 7 wks (Sum) -6.7%
 . . . 1191 / $2057
15. Cirque de Soleil - $2.4 ($7.41) - 2 wks (Par) +12.4%
 . . . 840 / $2857
16. Wreck-It-Ralph - $2 ($175.66) - 9 wks (BV) +10.2%
 . . . 913 / $2196
17. Argo - $1.08 ($108.53) - 12 wks (WB) +19%
 . . . 345 / $3116

The actual number of theater tickets sold in 2012 is the highest it's been since 2002.

The Hobbit will join Skyfall and Twilight as the third movie this holiday season to pass $290 million.  Skyfall might squeak out $300 million, not sure if Twilight will get there, but all three are big hits overseas, so champagne corks are popping regardless (except it's sparkling cider for Stephenie Meyer).  Skyfall's at $1 billion total worldwide gross, and Twilight's at $800 million.

Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained and Tom Hooper's Les Miserables will both easily get to $100 million domestic, and with awards season upon, they should get longer legs once the Academy Award nominations are announced.

Old shoes Billy Crystal and Bette Midler were able to get Parental Guidance into break-even territory.  Tom Cruise wasn't able to pull off Mission Impossible magic with Jack Reacher.

Future Peter Jackson Trilogies

Now that Peter Jackson has made it official that The Hobbit will be a trilogy instead of the previously announced two movies, I thought I'd look  to see what other books he could convert into a trilogy.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar: An Unexpected Leaf
The Very Hungry Caterpillar: The Hunger Continues
The Very Hungry Caterpillar: The Final Appetite

Hand Hand Fingers Thumb: Dum Ditty
Hand Hand Fingers Thumb: Dum Ditty 2
Hand Hand Fingers Thumb: Dum Dum Dum

Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel: Breaking Ground
Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel: The Final Dig
Mike Mulligan & His Steam Shovel: The Rescue

The Little Steam Engine That Could: I Think I Can
The Little Steam Engine That Could: The Summit
The Little Steam Engine That Could: I Thought I Could

In A People House: The Living Room
In A People House: The Kitchen
In A People House: Upstairs Downstairs

Goodnight Moon: The Old Woman Whispering Hush
Goodnight Moon: The Mouse Creeps Closer
Goodnight Moon: Lights Out

The possibilities are endless.