It was precisely because they were deeply rooted in the field of commercial cinema that these mass-market film critics were trusted by audiences.
Many veteran netizens, before going to see a movie, would usually check how the critics they followed evaluated the film, and only then decide whether to buy a ticket.
Of course, film critics also need to make a living.
Film companies would usually conduct public relations with these mass-market critics, slipping them some red envelopes or advertising fees, asking them to wave the flag and cheer for their films.
Mass-market critics, however, had to think carefully. If it was a good movie, that was fine, but if they recommended a bad film to audiences, they would lose their credibility.
The advantage of the online world is that there is always someone waiting to replace you. Audiences are fickle and always chase novelty—once they stop liking you, they will immediately turn to someone else.
At present, there are not many mass-market critics online with over a million followers. Peter is one of them, and another goes by the name Sexy Rebecca.
Sexy Rebecca not only has an angelically refined face, but also a graceful figure, and her looks resemble Naomi Watts in her younger days.
It can be said that Sexy Rebecca initially attracted fans purely through her appearance. But relying on looks alone, without hype, she would at most have been an internet celebrity in the wild early days of the internet.
However, Sexy Rebecca was not like that. She possessed both beauty and substance—her insights into films were professional, her language witty and humorous. More importantly, she was a die-hard fan of Gilbert.
Which fan base in this world is the largest? Without a doubt, Gilbert's fans.
It could be said that as long as one catered to this group of fans, there would be no worry about making a living. And die-hard fans with massive followings like Sexy Rebecca were even more welcome.
At the premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, not only did Peter attend, but Sexy Rebecca was there as well.
She even managed to get Gilbert's autograph and a photo with him, then eagerly shared them on her social media accounts and fan groups, immediately triggering a chorus of amazed reactions.
Sexy Rebecca also gave her own review:
"The film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is closely connected to The Lord of the Rings, which makes the vast number of fans extremely excited.
Seeing the original Lord of the Rings team reunite after so many years and return to Middle-earth is undoubtedly the greatest motivation for fans to step into the cinema.
From the finished product, this 166-minute epic film is certainly another journey of reliving old dreams for fans—the Dwarven Kingdom, the Elven Realm, and Middle-earth are still as magnificent as ever."
Of course, Sexy Rebecca did not forget to poke fun at Peter Jackson at the end:
"Director Peter certainly has ability, but he is simply no match for Gilbert.
If this film had been personally directed by Gilbert, it would probably have been a masterpiece no less impressive than The Lord of the Rings trilogy."
Many media outlets also criticized the film, saying it was completely inferior to The Lord of the Rings series. However, considering that the director was Peter Jackson, it seemed understandable.
The New York Post also commented:
"Even if Gilbert himself had taken over, the Hobbit series probably still wouldn't surpass The Lord of the Rings.
Therefore, handing it to Peter Jackson was a wise choice—it ensured a reliable director while preserving the brand, preventing any damage to its reputation."
The New York Post was indeed correct, having guessed Gilbert's thoughts almost exactly.
This was also why he rarely shot sequel films. Aside from The Lord of the Rings trilogy being completed in one continuous effort and the exceptionally high quality of The Dark Knight trilogy, most other projects followed a different pattern.
He would start the series, then hand it over to other directors, shifting himself into the role of producer to supervise quality. The Matrix series and the Pirates of the Caribbean series were both handled this way.
According to Hollywood's formula for sequels, very few film series improve with each installment. Most follow a downward arithmetic progression, especially trilogies.
The Dark Knight was an exception, and films like that are almost impossible to come by.
Media reviews were mixed, but for fans of The Lord of the Rings who had waited so long, seeing the movie at the first possible moment, regardless of the dangers of the night, was their greatest wish.
On the night the premiere concluded, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey launched its midnight screenings across 3,000 theaters in the United States.
The midnight screenings alone raked in $15.53 million, with an average per-theater gross exceeding $5,000 and an attendance rate of around forty percent.
More importantly, there was audience reception. 92% of viewers gave positive reviews, believing the film was worth watching.
Of course, most people who attended midnight screenings were loyal fans of the series, so such high audience approval was not surprising.
By Friday, the film opened nationwide in 4,045 theaters across North America. At the same time, it began its release simultaneously in seventy-seven countries and regions overseas.
Fans of The Lord of the Rings around the world had waited for years, and now that the film had finally arrived, their excitement was self-evident.
The film slashed through the North American box office on its opening day, earning $40.35 million and achieving tremendous success. The second and third days brought in $30.27 million and $21.80 million respectively, for a North American first-weekend total of $92.42 million.
The film ultimately failed to break the $100 million mark in North America, which was also related to various issues with the film itself. For ordinary viewers who were not fans of the series, it was simply an epic fantasy movie with decent visual effects.
In addition, in terms of visual spectacle, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey did not introduce any real innovations or strikingly new imagery.
Whether it was Gollum or Rivendell, these were all elements that had already appeared in The Lord of the Rings directed by Gilbert. Perhaps the scene with rabbits pulling the carriage offered a bit of novelty, but it was far from enough.
In truth, this criticism was somewhat unfair to Peter Jackson. After all, he was not starting from scratch—the story of The Hobbit still took place in Middle-earth.
Although many new locations were added, the artistic style of the two film series had to remain unified.
Moreover, Peter Jackson did not perform major surgery on the plot or adapt it to the point of being unrecognizable from the original. Perhaps this responsibility should fall on Gilbert, after all, he was the producer and had the authority to determine the film's narrative direction.
But Peter Jackson would not dare to let Gilbert take the blame—he still wanted to survive in the industry.
Even so, for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, this opening-weekend box office performance was already more than enough to be pleasantly surprising.
However, an even bigger surprise came from overseas.
As the birthplace of The Lord of the Rings story, British audiences were extremely fond of the film, which grossed $22.57 million in its first weekend at the UK box office.
The traditional European box office powerhouses, France and Germany, brought in $13.74 million and $15.52 million respectively, while dozens of other smaller European markets combined contributed $56.83 million.
The Latin American and South American markets are likewise home to countless fans of The Lord of the Rings. Across ten South American markets, the film collected a combined $32.26 million in first-weekend box office revenue—an equally impressive result.
Meanwhile, Australia and New Zealand, Southeast Asia, as well as Japan, South Korea, and China together contributed $70.29 million, with China, Japan, and South Korea alone accounting for more than $40 million of that total.
China in particular stood out. Chinese audiences would not forget that The Lord of the Rings had once come to China for filming. During the production of The Hobbit, the crew also returned to China.
For many movie fans, The Lord of the Rings series is a film franchise rich in emotional attachment. Naturally, its sequel The Hobbit was even more warmly welcomed, once again delivering strong box office numbers.
As a result, after the first overseas week, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey achieved an overseas box office total of $188.64 million, marking a major success.
Including the North American box office, the film's global total had already reached $281.06 million, firmly claiming both the weekly North American box office crown and the global weekly box office championship.
Such outstanding box office performance could be considered an excellent start for Melon Studio's summer release slate this year.
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