Middle-earth fans will finally be saying goodbye to Peter Jackson’s view of J.R.R. Tolkien’s universe with part three of his The Hobbit adaptation. The Battle of the Five Armies got off to a strong start with Tuesday night showings and has already taken over the international box office.
Five Armies already grossed $117.6 million in foreign territories, according to Retrak data. Warner Bros. began screenings of it in the U.S. Tuesday night and it opens wide today.
Those early screenings last night totalled $11.2 million, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The film is expected to finish the week with between $70 million and $75 million, although some analysts won’t be surprised if it reaches $80 million.
Jackson’s first Hobbit film, An Unexpected Journey, grossed $13 million from late-night shows and opened in December 2012 with $84.6 million. In the end, that film grossed $1 billion worldwide.
The Desolation of Smaug didn’t fare as well last December. The film made $8.8 million during late-night screenings and debuted with $73.6 million. Its end total was $958.4 million.
Also opening this weekend are Sony’s Annie and Fox’s Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. They will go up against Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings in a battle for second place.
Exodus did win the box office this past weekend, but with only $$24.5 million.
image of ‘Hobbit’ star Martin Freeman courtesy of INFphoto.com