THE HOBBIT Grosses Over $15 Million in IMAX Sales During Debut Weekend

Related: IMAX

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IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX:IMX) today announced that Peter Jackson 's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey grossed $15.1 million in 452 IMAX theatres worldwide, which is an all-time best performance for an IMAX film in December. The Warner Bros. Pictures film, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, grossed $10.1 million in 326 domestic IMAX theatres.

The film also set an international December IMAX record, generating $5 million in 126 international IMAX theatres - including strong performances in Brazil, Spain, Singapore, Turkey, Ukraine and the UK. The film, which received an impressive "A" grade from CinemaScore, is pending release in key territories including Australia, China and Russia.

"We are proud to have worked closely with our longtime partners at Warner Bros. and an accomplished filmmaker like Peter Jackson , who has created a story and visual spectacle ideal for The IMAX Experience," said Greg Foster , Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "We're pleased that so many moviegoers chose to experience the first installment of this highly anticipated trilogy in IMAX, and we believe the positive word of mouth going into the holiday season should drive a long and successful run."

The IMAX release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has been digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX 3D Experience with proprietary IMAX DMR (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

The film follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who -- along with the Wizard Gandalf and 13 Dwarves, led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield -- is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome Dragon Smaug. Along the path, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of a "precious" ring tied to the fate of all Middle-Earth in ways he cannot begin to know.

The screenplay for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was written by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo Del Toro . Jackson is also producing 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 Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and the second and third films of the trilogy are productions 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.