That’s a wrap on principal photography for “The Hobbit.” Peter Jackson announced the end of filming via Facebook, bringing to a close a marathon production that started back in March 2011 in New Zealand.
Although Jackson has been in production on the back-to-back “Hobbit” films for nearly a year and a half, there were enough breaks in the schedule to cap the number of shooting days at 266. As for what comes next, Jackson’s Facebook post noted: “Next stop, the cutting room. Oh, and Comic Con!”
“The Hobbit” hits Comic-Con on Saturday, July 14, for an eagerly anticipated panel. Both fans and the entertainment industry will be watching to see if the buzz out of San Diego is any better than the underwhelming reactions generated by a 10 minute preview at Las Vegas CinemaCon back in April. The main point of debate was an unconventional visual style due to the film’s 48 frames per second shooting rate.
Expectations for “The Hobbit” are still running high, considering Jackson’s previous J.R.R. Tolkien-adapted “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy brought in close to $3 billion in worldwide box office and collectively won 17 Oscars.
“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” opens Dec. 14 and “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” is scheduled to follow a year later, Dec. 13, 2013.