Chapter 382: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Released

[November 27, 2009] [New York] [Friday Morning]

A week after its worldwide release, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug had accomplished something Hollywood was becoming increasingly familiar with: another Titan production had turned an ordinary weekend into a worldwide entertainment event.

The film had opened on November 20, and theaters across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia spent the following three days dealing with enormous crowds. Midnight screenings sold out, additional shows were scheduled, and several cinemas reported audiences arriving in elaborate dwarf costumes, carrying replica swords, and arguing about Middle-earth lore while standing in concession lines.

By Monday morning, the opening weekend figures had confirmed what theater owners already suspected.

North America: $153.8 million.

International markets: $238.4 million.

Worldwide opening weekend: $392.2 million.

The result placed the sequel among the biggest worldwide openings in cinema history, comfortably ahead of the first film’s opening pace. Titan’s distribution department was particularly pleased with the performance in Britain, Germany, France, Australia, and Japan, where advance bookings had exceeded expectations.

The original Hobbit had already established itself as a record-breaking worldwide phenomenon. Now, the sequel was attracting both returning fans and audiences who’d discovered the franchise through television broadcasts, home releases, and Alex Wilson’s enormously popular novels.

At Titan headquarters, Jane watched the box office numbers scrolling across one monitor while the critical reception occupied another.

"Well, Peter’s going to be insufferable for at least a month," she observed, handing Alex the latest report.

Alex glanced at the worldwide total and smiled. "He’s earned the right to be insufferable. Just make sure nobody tells him I said that."

The reviews were overwhelmingly positive, although they revealed a noticeable difference between the two films.

Rotten Tomatoes currently showed 91 percent positive reviews, while IMDb’s audience rating stood at 8.8 out of 10. Metacritic had settled at 83 out of 100, reflecting strong critical appreciation alongside disagreements about the sequel’s pacing and darker direction.

Critics particularly praised Peter Jackson’s handling of the expanding world, the production design, the performances, and the film’s extraordinary central creature.

Smaug had become the undisputed star of the conversation.

The dragon’s enormous body, layered scales, powerful wings, and expressive movements had required an almost unreasonable amount of work from Titan’s visual effects department. His scenes inside Erebor combined vast physical sets with carefully constructed digital environments, allowing the creature to move through the treasure-filled chambers without losing any sense of weight.

Richard Bennett of The London Film Review awarded the film five stars.

"Peter Jackson has created a dragon worthy of the legends surrounding him. Smaug feels ancient, intelligent, arrogant, and genuinely dangerous, while the enormous scale of Erebor makes every confrontation breathtaking."

American critic Eleanor Grant gave the film four and a half stars, praising the conversations between Bilbo and Smaug.

"The film understands that a creature can be frightening without immediately attacking. Watching Bilbo choose his words while standing before something capable of destroying him is among the year’s finest fantasy sequences."

Bilbo’s character development received almost equal attention. Reviewers appreciated how his growing confidence remained accompanied by fear, uncertainty, and the influence of the mysterious ring he’d acquired during the previous adventure.

Martin Freeman’s performance gave those moments a recognizable humanity, particularly when Bilbo found himself caught between his loyalty to Thorin and his growing concern about the company’s decisions.

Evangeline Lilly also received considerable praise for her portrayal of Tauriel.

Her fighting sequences were among the most frequently discussed scenes, although reviewers also appreciated the quieter moments when her character questioned the isolation and political choices of the Woodland Realm.

Naturally, the internet had opinions about practically everything.

Titan Forum’s Middle-earth section became so active that moderators temporarily restricted new threads to prevent the discussion boards from becoming unusable.

One thread, titled SMAUG IS THE GREATEST DRAGON EVER PUT ON SCREEN, accumulated more than eight thousand replies.

User MithrilHunter wrote, "I watched the entire Erebor sequence without touching my popcorn. I’ve been waiting years to see Smaug, and somehow he was even better than what I imagined while reading Alex’s books."

Another user, BarrelSurvivor, focused on the action sequences.

"The barrel escape was absolutely ridiculous, and I mean that as a compliment. The choreography, the camera movements, the river, the Orcs, everything was insane."

The first serious argument emerged beneath that comment.

OldSchoolDwarf replied, "I enjoyed the sequence, but some of those stunts looked too exaggerated. The first movie felt more grounded, and this one occasionally turns its characters into unstoppable acrobats."

Hundreds of fans immediately began arguing over whether fantasy action needed to obey realistic physical limitations.

The film’s more critical reviews focused on similar concerns.

Nathan Cole of Cinema Perspective awarded the sequel three stars, arguing that its enormous scale sometimes overwhelmed the smaller adventure at the story’s center.

"The craftsmanship is impressive, but the film occasionally forgets how charming a simple journey can be. Every obstacle becomes larger, louder, and more complicated than the previous one."

Rebecca Hayes of The Film Journal gave it three and a half stars. She praised Smaug and the performances but questioned several additional character relationships, arguing that they distracted from Bilbo and Thorin’s central conflict.

Others complained about the running time, the expanded Orc storyline, and an ending that left several major conflicts unresolved.

That final complaint inspired particularly heated discussions on Reddit.

A popular post on r/movies carried the title:

PETER JACKSON, YOU CANNOT END A MOVIE THERE AND EXPECT ME TO REMAIN CALM.

The top comment read, "I spent nearly three hours watching these people survive increasingly impossible situations, and then the credits rolled right when I needed another twenty minutes. I demand financial compensation for emotional damages."

Someone replied, "You’re going to buy another ticket next weekend, and Peter Jackson knows it."

Another highly upvoted comment offered a more measured reaction.

"I’d give it an eight out of ten. Smaug is unbelievable, Bilbo’s fantastic, and the world looks gorgeous. But I preferred the first film’s pacing. This one has a few sequences that could’ve been shorter."

A third viewer disagreed.

"The slower parts made the dragon’s arrival work better. You can’t spend the entire movie rushing toward the mountain and expect Erebor to feel important."

YouTube reviewers were equally divided over the film’s individual choices.

Fantasy reviewer Daniel Mercer uploaded a fifty-minute analysis praising the production design, musical score, and dragon animation. He gave the sequel 9.5 out of 10, calling it one of the most technically accomplished fantasy films he’d ever watched.

Meanwhile, reviewer Chris Nolan, who ran a smaller channel dedicated to film criticism, awarded it 7.5 out of 10.

"I loved the dragon, and I’d pay to watch those scenes again. My problem is that there are moments when the movie feels more interested in showing what Titan’s effects department can accomplish than letting the characters breathe."

His review attracted thousands of comments, many agreeing with his criticism while others defended Jackson’s decision to expand the scale of the adventure.

Celebrity reactions provided an entirely different form of entertainment.

Robert Downey Jr. posted a photograph of himself staring suspiciously at a large decorative lizard, accompanied by a caption explaining that he’d developed trust issues after watching Smaug.

Scarlett Johansson praised the dragon’s design and jokingly suggested that Ripley would have a considerably worse day if the Xenomorph Queen learned how to breathe fire.

Guillermo del Toro called the creature’s movements extraordinary during an interview, specifically praising how the animators conveyed intelligence through subtle changes in posture and expression.

Angelina Jolie complimented the Woodland Realm’s visual design, while Henry Cavill admitted that the film had made him want to buy a sword.

Andrew Garfield went further, claiming that Spider-Man could probably defeat Smaug if somebody gave him enough web fluid and an Infinity Gauntlet with the stones.

Peter Jackson responded to the growing attention from New Zealand, thanking audiences for supporting the film while acknowledging the disagreements surrounding its creative choices.

"People have different relationships with these characters, especially when they’ve loved the books. I’m pleased that so many viewers are enjoying the journey, and I understand why others have their own expectations."

..

That evening at the Wilson Estate, Evangeline sat beside Alex on the living room sofa, scrolling through a collection of reviews while Asher played on the carpet nearby.

Evangeline shook her head, although her smile remained. "I knew the action scenes would divide people. I’m just glad they’re talking about Tauriel as a character too."

"They are, and plenty of them love what you brought to her," Alex replied, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Besides, you’ve got something far more important than internet approval."

She looked toward him with an amused expression. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

Alex gestured toward Asher, who had abandoned his toys and was enthusiastically trying to climb onto the sofa. "You’ve got a very demanding little audience member who thinks you’re wonderful."

Evangeline laughed and reached down to help Asher onto her lap. The boy immediately settled against her, satisfied that he’d finally obtained everyone’s attention.

By the end of November 27, The Desolation of Smaug was still drawing packed theaters through the Thanksgiving holiday. Audience arguments continued, critics remained divided over certain creative choices, and fans had already begun speculating about the next installment.

The film had delivered the enormous commercial success Titan expected, along with the kind of passionate debate that would keep Middle-earth in the public conversation for months.

For Peter Jackson and his cast, the adventure was far from finished. The next installment will enter production next year after a six-month break.