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That seems like pretty much the way Jackson & Co described the films during production. I don't think they ever tried to claim otherwise.

Possible, though one would think word of mouth would have dampened the grosses of the 2nd films. The Matrix Reloaded made about $278M and POTC: Dead Man's Chest $425M domestic. Those seem like pretty high totals if the audience was disappointed in the quality of those films.

I think that's a better decision. I never understood why they wanted to rush out the third film. These films seem better suited to a holiday release, than summer IMO. Release windows of less than a year between sequels generally always result in perceived box office disappointment for the third...

Finally caught up with this. Thought I was going to see the HFR version, but I guess I ended up seeing just regular 3D (I guess the theater had switched to a smaller room without the necessary hardware for HFR). I thought the 3D was quite well done, and it didn't seem to bother me as much as...

I'm just waiting to see if this is going to add another tier of higher prices for HFR 3D tix, even higher than the regular 3D surcharge.

Doubtful, considering the number of feature length films made from short stories

I'm not sure that's a smart move. Aside from Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, I've never known a 6-month release window to work well financially between films (such as Back to the Future II & III, The Matrix II & III). It seems like the final film has a higher chance of underperforming when...

Peter Jackson's comments basically boil down to: "It's not me, it's you." Films are supposed to look like films, not the latest episode of The Bachelor or Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

Nope, that's what I've read, too. The purpose of this screening reel was to try and convince theater owners that they should upgrade by December. It sounds like it may have had the opposite effect. This is exactly what I feared when Jackson announced he was going this route, that we'd get The...

What are they spending all that money on? Didn't the entire LOTR trilogy only cost about $300 million? You would think the research & development on LOTR would have actually realized some cost savings on these films. Not to mention they must still have some costumes, set pieces, and such that...

Are parts of it really going to be "made up" or are they planning to incorporate other Tolkein writings/stories from his other books that may deal with events between "The Hobbit" and LOTR?

I don't see anything to get too down about. Seems to me the bottom line is they may just shoot the films somewhere else than NZ.

So it's probably safe to assume the settlement will allow filming to proceed on "The Hobbit"? I cannot see the studio agreeing to any settlement that would prevent them from making more movies.

Will Ferrell :D

They're going to need a full year of shooting to make two films? Seems excessive to me. Didn't the original LOTR trilogy only take 13 months or so?

I agree. He needs to work within Tolkien's framework and leave all his imaginary creatures to the Hellboy franchise or his other films.

Well, Christopher looks pretty silly when he condemns films he won't even watch (while apparently taking his son to task for watching and even enjoying them), calls the stories unfilmable considering the current FX technology (does he watch any modern films?), and apparently is unwilling to even...

Sounds to me like he's planning to build a lot of physical sets and puppets, rather than using green screens and CGI. "Dark Crystal" anyone? ;)

Given the way New Line has apparently been jerking everyone around regarding the Tolkien films, I'd love to see them lose the rights. I think that no matter where the film is finally made, Jackson and his team will be the primary collaborators. Any studio would be incredibly foolish not to...

The suit, filed Monday, claims New Line was required to pay 7.5 percent of gross receipts to Tolkien's estate and other plaintiffs, who contend they only received an upfront payment of $62,500 for the three movies before production began. Something doesn't seem right. If it was percentage of...

Uwe Boll ?? *runs like hell* :D

I believe he was referencing the tiff between Jackson and Shore. Amazing how it sometimes takes a big stinking bomb to actually clear the air. I still want Jackson to direct, though. Anyone else will lower my interest a notch. Any idea what they might title the post-Hobbit, pre-LOTR second...

This is the direction much of Hollywood is moving toward, at least for big event films, so I'm not sure it's a fad. With the advent of high-quality home theater experiences, they're trying to find something to make the theater-going experience new and different again. The success of recent 3D...

That's why I never understood why they were fighting in the first place. To settle with PJ is likely a miniscule amount compared to the cash to be made by New Line with a couple more Middle-Earth films. And the only way to maximize the success of the films would be to have PJ involved.

That's the first I'd ever heard that. The two-film option is all I've ever seen discussed anywhere. If I were New Line, I'd spread "The Hobbit" over two films with some extra filler at the end of the second film. If you make the first film "The Hobbit," then the second film a stand-alone, the...

I love Raimi, but that rumor still doesn't get me excited about "The Hobbit." God, I hope not. I've never understood the the undying geek love for this guy.

I didn't say it was a widespread practice.

Which is why, I believe, most contracts are now negotiated to include percentage of the gross rather than profits, since all the studios can make any film appear to be unprofitable regardless of how much money it makes. Anyone who settles for a percentage of "profit" when contracting with a...

Perhaps they'll give Uwe Boll a call. :D