By 3 News online staff
Sir Peter Jackson’s first The Hobbit movie will only be played with the higher-frame-rate (HFR) in select locations, reports Variety.
Citing a source ‘familiar with Warner Bros’ release plans for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’, the Variety report says the studio wants to protect the format by going into a limited release for the HFR version, hoping to test the marketplace and expand the HFR release for the second and third instalments - provided audiences are enthusiastic.
Sir Peter is filming his Hobbit trilogy in the HFR of 48 frames-per-second, rather than the industry standard of 24, and debuted the footage at CinemaCon in April. That footage had not undergone complete post-production polishing and got a mixed reception from media at the event.
Sir Peter later defended the format, saying: “It's literally a new experience. At first it's unusual because you've never seen a movie like this before.
The Variety article also reports that the latest Hobbit footage shown in 3D and 48 frames-per-second is “vastly better” than the test footage shown at CinemaCon.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set to premiere in Wellington on November 28.
3 News