'Smaug' breaks opening gross of 'The Unexpected Journey'

MANILA, Philippines – "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" topped the box office in its opening weekend, earning P76.65-million on 321 screens in the Philippines, including seven IMAX theaters.

Francis Soliven, General Manager of Warner Bros. (F.E.), Inc., announced that the film broke the opening weekend gross of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" with only P55 million.

The latest installation of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" also bested the openings of recent blockbusters in the same genre, including “Avatar” (P57.6 million) and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest” (P51.6 million).

“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®.

“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,” Soliven said.

The top grossing cinemas are led by SM Mall of Asia (P4.46 million), followed by SM North EDSA (P3.57 million) and Trinoma (P3.56 million).

Also posting huge receipts are SM Megamall (P2.80 million), SM Cebu (P2.68 million), Greenbelt 3 (P2.63 million), Glorietta 4 (P2.57 million), Power Plant (P1.81 million), SM Aura (P1.80 million) and Gateway (P1.78 million).

Rounding up the Top 20 theaters are Newport (P1.65 million), Alabang Town Center (P1.60 million), Eastwood (P1.507 million), Theatremall (P1.503 million), Ayala Cebu (P1.42 million), SM Southmall (P1.341 million), Robinsons Galleria (P1.340 million), Shang Cineplex (P1.31 million), Robinsons Magnolia (P1.16 million) and (tie) Gaisano Davao (P1.08 million) & SM Clark (P1.08 million).