The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey crosses $1 billion at the box office

While it didn't quite manage to reach the critical heights of The Lord of the Rings, Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has now crossed the $1 billion mark at the global box-office, becoming the fifteenth film to reach the milestone, and the fourth 2012 release to do so after Marvel's The Avengers ($1.511 billion), The Dark Knight Rises ($1.081 billion) and Skyfall ($1.108 billion).

It's the second time that Jackson has hit $1 billion with his Middle-earth series, with The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King pulling in a franchise high of $1.119 billion back in 2003 and currently sitting in sixth place in the all time global box office chart. With $1.001 billion to date, it's unlikely that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will reach that figure, although it does have a chance at overtaking Toy Story 3's $1.063 billion to break into the all time top ten. 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey sees Martin Freeman stepping into the role of Bilbo Baggins for the first of a three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's classic 1937 children's fantasy. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is set to arrive on December 13th this year, with the final part The Hobbit: There and Back Again rounding out the trilogy on December 17th, 2014.