HobbitEE_1400x2100_US Physical (i.e.: Blu-ray 3D and DVD) copies of the Extended Edition of the Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey were supposed to go on sale in stores in the USA on November 5, with the UK follow on November 11.

But the journey from screen to store to the hands of fans has proved to be as challenging as Bilbo’s own adventure. Over the past couple of days, TORn has received numerous reports from perturbed fans via e-mail, Facebook and Twitter.

Fans report that the Extended Edition is unavailable at Target in all forms, difficult to find at Best Buy and Barnes & Noble (where you might grab a Blu-ray copy, but are unlikely to find the DVD), and that Amazon is temporarily out of stock of the DVD and shipments are being delayed by one to three days.

What’s going on? Well, we have reached out to Warner Bros. to find out what’s happening, and provide some firm answers. In the meantime, read our complete report on the issues that fans have been experiencing trying to get their hands on a copy of the EE — and a couple of things you need to be wary of lest you end up with a version that contains less than you expected! Continue reading “Trouble getting a physical copy of The Hobbit Extended Edition? You’re not alone.”

HobbitEE_1400x2100_US The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition from Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson is available NOW on iTunes in the US with the rest of the world rolling out starting today.

A production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, this new cut includes 13 minutes of extra film footage that extends individual scenes, making this the must-see, definitive version for fans. Continue reading “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition available on iTunes now in the USA — and in other regions very soon!”

Thorin_Oakenshield The previous two TV spots didn’t feature any new scenes. This one, however, features some all-new dialogue that we haven’t heard before from Thranduil, Bilbo and Gandalf — plus an entirely different closing scene! Personally, I’m betting Bilbo’s line occurs somewhere in the deeps of Mirkwood.

Anyway, it’s stirring stuff — check out the full 30-second clip below! And, oh yes, potential spoilers! Thanks to Ringer Beth for the heads-up.

Continue reading “See TV spot #3 for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”

bg_wxFiK Over at Forbes.com, Scott Mendelson analyses the cost of The Hobbit movie trilogy, and why he believes that even at a cost of $561 million USD (with some post-production and marketing expenses still to come), it’s a bargain for the studios.


Imagine you’re a studio executive and you had the opportunity to spend $200 million a pop on three films in a trilogy that was all-but-guaranteed to earn $800-$1 billion at the worldwide box office per-installment.

You’d probably agree in a heartbeat and plan how to spend your bonus. So when you read about the “shocking” news [Demosthenes: I didn’t think the news was that shocking, frankly] from Variety that Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy has thus far cost $561 million, don’t be too alarmed. All-told, it’s actually a pretty smart investment. Continue reading “Why The Hobbit movie trilogy is a bargain”

Thorin_Oakenshield If you’ve been waiting for a chance to see the TV spots that have apparently been airing in the USA, then here you go! So far there seems to be only two separate TV spots that are being aired — and both are a combination of material from the first and second trailer. There are no scenes that have not been previously aired. They actually each run for just a touch over sixty seconds, which is a substantial slab of time that would be costing Warner Bros. a fair chunk of change.

Check them out below! Continue reading “The Hobbit: the Desolation of Smaug teaser TV spots are here!”

Hobbit Movie Poster GandalfSo today I’m talking posters! And by posters I mean not people who post comments or write posts on websites and blogs. I’m talking sheets of paper that fans of pop stars, bands, TV shows and yes, even movies, do collect and treasure.

Beginning with Comic-Con 2012, fans were treated to one of the first posters for An Unexpected Journey. It was a Comic-Con exclusive that showed Gandalf approaching Bag End on a misty morning in the quiet of the world when there was less noise and more green. And as an allusion, perhaps, to the darker tone of the films compared to the lighthearted children’s tale that is the book, the early morning sun seemed to peek through a wrack of ominous dark clouds.

As an introductory poster to new audiences and also old ones returning to the world of Middle-earth, there couldn’t have been a better piece of imagery set to paper. Continue reading “Where have all the Hobbit posters gone?”