Warner to Release Extended Edition 'Hobbit' on Disc, Digital

31 Jul, 2013 By: Erik Gruenwedel

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Re-release ahead of December theatrical sequel to feature 13-minute-longer cut and nine hours of new special features

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment July 31 said it will release The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition on digital download Oct. 22 and on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD Nov. 5.

The re-release includes 13 minutes of extra footage that extends individual scenes. All disc versions of the Extended Edition include nearly nine hours of new bonus features and will be available just ahead of the Dec. 13 theatrical release of the second film of the trilogy, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition will be available as a five-disc Blu-ray 3D set ($54.98) that features the 3D Blu-ray and Blu-ray versions, a three-disc Blu-ray ($35.99) and a five-disc DVD ($34.99).

The 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD all include UltraViolet, which allows consumers to download and instantly stream the Extended Edition in high-definition to a wide range of devices, including computers and compatible tablets, smartphones, game consoles, Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players.

The nine hours of special features includes audio commentary with director, producer and screenwriter Peter Jackson, and Philippa Boyens, co-producer and screenwriter, as well as Appendices, a multi-part documentary focusing on various aspects of the film and the trilogy.

“It’s exciting to present this expanded and enriched version of An Unexpected Journey to allow fans to fully immerse themselves in the movie, before seeing the second part of the trilogy,” Jackson said in a statement.

The first of a trilogy of films adapting the popular “The Hobbit books,” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” was nominated for three Academy Awards.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment first released The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in March, generating more than $28 million in retail revenue, according to TheNumbers.com. The film topped more than $1 billion at the global box office.
 

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