The Hobbit Trilogy Has Cost $561 Million Thus Far

[GreenL420]

Double the amount spent on The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Peter Jackson's Hobbit Trilogy has cost a staggering US$561 million to make so far; double the amount spent on his Lord of The Rings trilogy.

According to Variety, financial documents filed online by New Zealand’s Companies Office stated that production on the trilogy had cost NZ$676 million, which converts to US$561 million at current exchange rates. It's a figure that will likely escalate: while it covers the major 266 days of filming completed last year, it doesn't factor in the series of pick-up shoots completed in Wellington, New Zealand this year, as well as any further postproduction costs as Jackson and his team complete the final two movies.

While the figure may sound bloated, Jackson's trilogy will still make a profit. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey alone has grossed over $1 billion worldwide, with the two sequels yet to release. It's also important to note that things simply cost more today than they did in 1999, when The Lord of The Rings trilogy began filming.

Variety noted that Jackson's somewhat controversial decision to shoot in both 3D and 48 frames per second (over the standard 24) added "significant expense" to the production budget.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is due out in December, while The Hobbit: There and Back Again will release December 2014.

[coughdrops]

That film was so awful. I can't believe there's still two more to go! Fucking waste of money and time.

[brad]

Half a billion dollars, man that alot of dollars.

I've never seen any of these movies tho, not my thing.

[Hard2Kill]

Me too, not my thing. Even lord of the rings wasn't my thing. I prefer 300 over this.