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Martin Freeman appears as 'The Hobbit'. - Source: ONE News -
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The first movie in The Hobbit trilogy has had the highest earning opening week of 2012, and the fourth highest of all time, in New Zealand.
Sir Peter Jackson's latest venture, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, made $3.2 million in its first week on our screens.
It comes as the movie, based on J.R.R Tolkien's classic novel, set a December record, raking in $100 million at the US and Canadian box office over the weekend.
The North American opening weekend sales proved interest in the fantasy series is high. It toppled the previous December record set by Will Smith's flick, I Am Legend, which pulled in $91.1 million when it was released in 2007.
The new film follows the epic journey of hobbit Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, as he travels through the treacherous Middle Earth with a band of dwarves to steal treasures from the dragon Smaug.
But while it has proven successful in New Zealand it failed to rake in as much as the final Lord of the Rings film, which ended its opening week with $3.7 million.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and the second Twilight film also had better opening weeks.