Box Office Preview: Unexpected Expectations

The holiday movie season kicks into high gear with the weekend release of the first pic in the Hobbit film series--"An Unexpected Journey" (reviews)...I wonder how many trekkers are going to see the film just to have a looksee at the 9 minutes of footage from J.J. Abrams’ "Star Trek Into Darkness" sequel, that will be in front of IMAX prints...?

Pamela McClintock of THR:

Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opened to $11.2 million on Wednesday in 16 foreign territories, a strong start for the 3D tentpole.

The Hobbit, from New Line Cinema and MGM, took in $4.3 million in France, capturing 50 percent of the market, and $2 million in Germany, capturing 73 percent of the market. It took in $1.6 million in Sweden, a sizable number for that country.

Warner Bros., which is distributing the film, opens Hobbit at 12:01 a.m. Friday in North America.

According to those who have seen pre-release tracking, Hobbit could open in the $75 million to $90 million range domestically. Reviews have been mixed in the U.S., however.

The movie, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, is the first in a planned trilogy, and takes place 60 years before the events chronicled in Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.