DALLAS, Sep 24, 2012/ — Expected to hit theaters on December 14, 2012, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is the first of “The Hobbit” trilogy with the second film “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” (release date: December 13, 2013) and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” the third film, slated for release on July 18, 2014.
To pay homage to the work of J.R.R. Tolkien and as part of the promotion for the films, Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) joined the worldwide celebration of Tolkien Week with the debut of the highly anticipated theatrical trailer for “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” on September 19, 2012.
The American Tolkien Society first proclaimed Hobbit Day and Tolkien Week in 1978, though Hobbit Day celebrations existed prior to its official recognition. Tolkien fans the world over celebrate by having parties and feasts emulating Hobbit celebrations as described in the books.
The celebration hit its crest on Friday, September 21, with activities related to the 75th anniversary of the book’s publication, which occurred on that same day in 1937.
On Saturday, September 22, fans around the world recognized Hobbit Day—marking the birthdays of Bilbo and Frodo Baggins, the Hobbits who are the unlikely heroes of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, respectively—with Hobbit Day parties and celebrations.
Bilbo and Frodo were both said to be born on the same day of different years, Bilbo in the year 2890 and Frodo in the year of 2968 in the Third Age (1290 and 1368, respectively, in Shire-reckoning, the Hobbits’ own calendar).
From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.
The three films tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”
Photos courtesy of Warner Brothers
