Blu-Ray: THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Extended Edition

Product Description: Extended version of the second of three epic instalments in director Peter Jackson's prequel to 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. Set in Middle-Earth 60 years before events in 'The Lord of the Rings', the story follows the adventures of Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who, at the instigation of the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen), suddenly finds himself co-opted into joining a company of 13 Dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) to help reclaim the lost kingdom of the Lonely Mountain from the clutches of Smaug the dragon (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch). In this film, while Gandalf heads south on his own, Bilbo, Thorin and the Dwarves enter the treacherous Mirkwood Forest on their way to the mountain. When they reach Lake-town Bilbo will have to perform the role he was assigned at the start of the quest - to find a secret door that will lead him to the lair of the dragon...

Find our more about this product after the jump (order links, extras, trailer etc.)

DVD & Blu-Ray: THE HOBBIT - THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (3D)

Product Description: The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

Read more about the movie and special features after the jump.

Weekend Box-Office Report: THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, 47 RONIN, GRUDGE MATCH, THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY

The holiday season offered a considerable boost to both new and old releaseas at the box-office, but the most interesting race was the one for the top spot between "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" and Disney's surprise hit "Frozen". Eventually, Peter Jackson's second installment in the prequel trilogy managed to land in first place with $29.9 million, with "Frozen" close behind at $28.8 million. The animated feature registered a 47% increase from last weekend, while Jackson's Tolkien adaptation managed to hold steady with only a 5% decrease. Other movies that benefited from the holiday boost were "American Hustle", "Saving Mr. Banks" (up by 50%) and "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire".

Other movies were not as fortunte, like Martin Scorsese's "The Wolf of Wall Street" which managed to enter the top 10 at #5 with a modest $18 million in its wide debut, and Ben Stiller's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" similarly fell behind at #7 with $13 million.

Even less fortunate was the Keanu Reeves starrer "47 Ronin" which only earned $9.8 million during the weekend and $20 million in the 5 days since Christmas, which is especially bad considering the film cost $200 million to make. Another holiday flop was the Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone team-up "Grudge Match" which fell outside the top 10 in its opening weekend and earned $7.3 million and $13 million since Christmas, versus a budget of $40 million.

More box-office details and the complete top 10, after the jump.

Weekend Box-Office Report: ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES, WALKING WITH DINOSAURS

It was a close battle at the box-office this past weekend between last week's release "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" and "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues". Peter Jackson's second installment in The Hobbit trilogy managed to stay on top with $31 million during the weekend, while the Anchorman sequel only managed to gross $26 million in the same 3-day timeframe, a bit behind of the first "Anchorman", which grossed $28 million in its opening weekend. However, the sequel already grossed $40 million in five days, while the first film had a total gross of $85 million in its entire theatrical run, so there's still hope.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" is still trailing behind the first film, "An Unexpected Journey", which had a total domestic gross of $303 million and a worldwide total of $1 billion. So far, "The Desolation of Smaug" has earned only $127 domestically and $403 worldwide, so it still has a long way to go and will probably not match the first installment's success, despite being regarded as a superior film according to reviews.

More box-office details and the complete top 10, after the jump.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Soundtrack (Special Edition)

Composer
Howard Shore

Total Time:
129:17

Label
WaterTower Music

Format:
CD, MP3

Release Date
December 10, 2013

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•  Buy the Album from iTunes • 
•  Buy the CD from Amazon.com • 
•  Buy the MP3 from Amazon.com • 

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TRACK LIST:

Disc 1:
1. The Quest for Erebor
2. Wilderland
3. BONUS TRACK: A Necromancer
4. The House of Beorn (Extended Version)
5. Mirkwood (Extended Version)
6. Flies and Spiders (Extended Version)
7. The Woodland Realm (Extended Version)
8. Feast of Starlight
9. Barrels Out of Bond
10. The Forest River (Extended Version)
11. Bard, a Man of Lake-town (Extended Version)
12. The High Fells (Extended Version)
13. The Nature of Evil
14. Protector of the Common Folk


Disc 2:
1. Thrice Welcome
2. Girion, Lord of Dale (Extended Version)
3. Durin's Folk (Extended Version)
4. In the Shadow of the Mountain
5. A Spell of Concealment (Extended Version)
6. On the Doorstep
7. The Courage of Hobbits
8. Inside Information
9. Kingsfoil
10. A Liar and a Thief
11. The Hunters (Extended Version)
12. Smaug (Extended Version)
13. My Armor Is Iron
14. I See Fire (performed by Ed Sheeran)
15. Beyond the Forest

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     OTHER SOUNDTRACKS :

• 12 YEARS A SLAVE Soundtrack (Hans Zimmer & Various Artists)
• BLACK NATIVITY Soundtrack (Langston Hughes, Laura Karpman, Raphael Saadiq)
• THOR: THE DARK WORLD Soundtrack (Brian Tyler)
• THE BOOK THIEF Soundtrack (John Williams)
• DOM HEMINGWAY Soundtrack (Rolfe Kent & Various Artists)
• NEBRASKA Soundtrack (Mark Orton)
• THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE Soundtrack (Various Artists) - Regular and Deluxe Releases
• THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE Score (James Newton Howard)

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Weekend Box-Office Report: THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, TYLER PERRY'S A MADEA CHRISTMAS

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" was the top grossing movie of the weekend, but while the film won the top spot by a landslide ($73 million), it has registered a $10 million drop from the opening weekend of "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey". The overseas box-office was a bit healthier, and the sequel has reached a worldwide total of $204 million in only 3 days, which is not bad at all.

The second wide release of the weekend, "Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas", opened at No.3 with a weak $16 million, one of Perry's worst opening weekends, ranking 14th out of all the 15 movies featuring Tyler Perry in the title.

More box-office details and the complete top 10, after the jump.

In Theaters: THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, TYLER PERRY'S A MADEA CHRISTMAS, SAVING MR. BANKS, AMERICAN HUSTLE

Movies opening this week in theaters:

• THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (Warner Bros / PG-13 / Wide)
• TYLER PERRY'S A MADEA CHRISTMAS (Lionsgate / PG-13 / Wide)
• SAVING MR. BANKS (Walt Disney Pictures / PG-13 / Limited)
• AMERICAN HUSTLE (Sony Pictures / R / Limited)

Synopses, details, critical reception, trailers, clips and more after the jump.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - 5 Movie Clips

A collection of five new movie clips have been released for "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" (via Collider). The film is directed by Peter Jackson and it is the second in the new Middle Earth trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's novel "The Hobbit"

The film stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Stephen Fry and Benedict Cumberbatch.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens on December 13, 2013.

Watch the clips after the jump.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - Soundtrack Samples & 33 Pictures

Watertower Music has released samples for all the tracks of Howard Shore's epic score from Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" via Soundcloud. You can listen to all of them, about 43 minutes, after the jump. Also, Warner Bros. has released a huge batch of images from the film, which you can also enjoy after the jump.

The film stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Stephen Fry and Benedict Cumberbatch.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens on December 13, 2013.

Check out the soundtrack and pictures after the jump.

New TV Spots: ANCHORMAN 2, THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG, AMERICAN HUSTLE

New TV spots have been released for the following films :

• Three new TV spots for "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues" starring Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Harrison Ford, Christina Applegate, Kristen Wiig and James Marsden. Opens on December 20th
  
  
• Two new TV spots for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug". Opens on December 13th in 2D, 3D, HFR 3D, and IMAX 3D.
  
  
• The first TV spot for David O. Russell's "American Hustle" starring Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner. Opens on December 19th.
  
  

Watch the TV spots after the jump.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - 12 New Posters & Exclusive Featurette

Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" certainly deserves to win an award for its many posters. Apart from almost 20 other posters released so far, today we have a total of 12 new posters, US and international versions, and one banner poster. Warner Bros has also released an exclusive content featurette which reveals a new character, Beorn (Mikael Persbrandt), a man who is a shape-shifter, or "skin-changer" in Tolkien's text, and can transform into a black bear.

The second film in the new Middle-Earth trilogy stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Stephen Fry and Benedict Cumberbatch.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens on December 13, 2013.

Check out the posters and featurette.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - Ed Sheeran Music Video, Production Video & Fan Event

Talk about fan service. Today we have a new music video, production videoblog and the full live Fan Event for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug".

The music video features the song "I See Fire" performed by Ed Sheeran. It's not quite as epic as I expected and you won't find any new footage from the film in it, but it's an okay listening experience. The production video provides more behind-the-scenes footage and outtakes from the "pickups" that Jackson and 2nd Unit Director Christian Rivers shot this year. The Fan Event is truly amazing though, featuring a live Q&A session with Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Richard Armitage, Lee Pace, Andy Serkis and, of course, Peter Jackson. The Fan Event also includes the Production Video and the new trailer for the film.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens on December 13, 2013.

Watch the music video, production video and fan event.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - 8 New Posters

Today we have seven new character posters and the final one-sheet for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug".

The posters feature Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Thorin (Richard Armitage), Legolas (Orlando Bloom), Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans), Tauriel (Evangeline Lily) and Thranduil (Lee Pace).

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens on December 13, 2013.

Check out the posters after the jump.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - 2 TV Spots & Empire Covers

Two new TV spots and five Empire Magazine covers have been released online for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug". The TV spots offer short versions of the full trailer, but the Empire covers, which feature Thorin, Bilbo, Gandalf and Bard the Bowman, look really cool.

The film stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, John Bell, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, James Nesbitt and Aidan Turner.

"The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens on December 13, 2013.

Check out the TV Spots and Empire Magazine covers after the jump.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - Banner Poster

A new ultra-wide banner poster has been released for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug". The banner offers a great look at some of the film's major characters and teases some of the new locations (click to enlarge). The film stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, John Bell, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Graham McTavish, Michael Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Mikael Persbrandt, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens on December 13, 2013.

Check out the trailer and posters after the jump.

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG - Full Trailer and 5 Posters

The first full theatrical trailer and five banner posters for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" have been released. The film stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, John Bell, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Graham McTavish, Michael Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Mikael Persbrandt, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens on December 13, 2013 in 2D, 3D, IMAX and HFR 3D.

Check out the trailer and posters after the jump.

New Production Videoblog for THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

Peter Jackson released a new production videoblog for "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug". The video starts out with Jackson announcing that there won't be a Comic-Con panel for this film, because they are in the middle of doing pick-ups/reshoots, so they can't be ready for it. The rest of the videoblog is filled with lots and lots of behind-the-scenes footage, cast and crew interviews and plenty of teasing. The film stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, John Bell, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Graham McTavish, Michael Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Mikael Persbrandt, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens on December 13, 2013 in 2D, 3D, IMAX and HFR.

Watch the videoblog after the jump.

New Zealand Featurette for THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

A new featurette for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" has been released. The lengthy clip shows off the beautiful New Zealand locations used for "The Hobbit" and it's basically an extended travel guide for fans of the story. It also mostly includes scenes from the first film in the new trilogy, so lower your expectations. Still, there's a lot of gorgeous scenery to admire, so that makes it worthwhile. The film stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, John Bell, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Graham McTavish, Michael Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Mikael Persbrandt, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens on December 13, 2013 in 2D, 3D, IMAX and HFR.

Watch the featurette after the jump.

Teaser Trailer and Poster for THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

Warner Bros. has released the first teaser trailer and poster for Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug", the second in the new Middle Earth trilogy. For a teaser it gets the job done, setting up the returning characters, including Legolas (Orlando Bloom), and some of the new ones : Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans) and Thranduil (Lee Pace). The epic cast also features Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, John Bell, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Graham McTavish, Michael Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Mikael Persbrandt, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner. "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" opens on December 13, 2013 in 2D, 3D, IMAX and HFR.

Check out the trailer and poster after the jump.

New Image of Evangeline Lilly from THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION SMAUG

Evangeline Lilly stars as Tauriel in THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

What you see above is a newly released official image of actress Evangeline Lilly ("Lost") from Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug", the second of his new Middle Earth trilogy. Lilly stars as Tauriel, a different kind of elf and one that was never featured in J.R.R. Tolkien books, which has stirred something of a controversy among fans. The actress had this to say about her character:

"Tauriel is the head of the Elven Guard. She’s a Sylvan Elf, which means she’s of a much lower order than the elves we all became acquainted with in The Lord of the Rings. She doesn’t hold the same kind of status that Arwen or Galadriel or Elrond or Legolas do — she’s much more lowly. She sort of goes against the social order of the elves a little bit.

Tauriel’s relationship with Legolas is significant. They’ve known each other since they were children, and Legolas’ dad, [Elven king] Thranduil, has a soft spot for Tauriel and sees something very special in her. So if you grow up side by side, and your dad has a very special spot in his heart for this young woman who’s a fantastic warrior, I think it’s hard not to notice her.” She laughs. “That’s probably as much as I can say. "

Jackson's decision to extend and expand the story of "The Hobbit" so he could build another trilogy will prove to be either a great idea, or a great disaster. The first film in this extended trilogy, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" received mixed reviews from critics, but I see it's currently enjoying a rather impressive 8,1 out of 10 score on IMDb.com, which means that the fans have enjoyed the adventure so far. It remains to be seen if Jackson's filler material, including the addition of new characters like Tauriel, will cool off the warm welcome.

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