December 28, 2012 - 17:07 AMT
“The Hobbit” hits $500 million mark at global box-office

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has surpassed the $500 million benchmark at the worldwide box office, Deadline said.

To date, the blockbuster has earned an estimated $179.7 million domestically. In addition, on the heels of its record-breaking release in Australia — the biggest Boxing Day opening of all time — The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has grossed an estimated $344 million internationally, for a staggering global total of $523.7 million, and still steadily climbing.

A production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Pictures, it’s the acclaimed first film in Oscar-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson’s epic The Hobbit Trilogy, based on the timeless novel by J.R.R. Tolkien.